| It has been a long time since I toured
Scotland with The Beatles, but some things
you never forget. Indeed, to this day, such
is the world-wide popularity of the band
that my part in their story often seems
like something that happened yesterday.
Their names, their faces, and of course
their music are part of the fabric of our
lives. Every cloudy, distant memory I have
has been polished to a shine by their ever-present
legacy of the world’s biggest band
- the boys who, it turns out, were the best
backing group I ever had.
Before the Fab Four turned the pop world
upside down, solo singers were the order
of the day. I shared an agency with the
likes of Tommy steele, Marty Wilde, Billy
Fury and Joe Brown and if they were already
at the top of their game, I was well on
my way myself. I was making records appearing
on TV and radio, building a following
in the teen mags - things were going along
nicely. All I needed was that elusive
hit.
In early 1960, my manager revealed the
latest stage in his plans to make me a
star. He’d booked a tour of Scottish
dance halls and hired a Liverpool band
to back me on stage. We met at the venue
just half an hour before our first public
performance together and all things considered
we sounded pretty good from the off. Every
night the sound we made got better, by
the end of the tour I knew these boys
were as good as any I had I’d worked
with..... with added sparkle to boot.
Some months later, I was offered a second
tour of Scotland and immediately requested
that The Beatles come on board. Sadly,
they were already in Hamburg, honing the
skills that would later bring them unprecedented
fame and fortune. From then on everybody
knows the story. This, though is a snapshot
of the Beatles I knew. Another gap filled
in the history books. A chance for me
to remind everyone out there that for
a little while at least I was in charge.
This site stores all of my memories,
photos and treasures to share with you.
Enjoy them as I have.
Johnny Gentle |
