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As someone who is a Beatles fan and was around when they started many of you may not know the Pete Best / Ringo story.

For about 2 years in the 1960/1961 period (before they had a recording contract) the band was John, Paul, George and Pete Best.

Pete's mother owned a cafe where the Bealtes played and Pete went with them when they did their stints in Hamburg. He toured round the UK with them and was a permanent member of the band.

He was also rather handsome so got a lot of attention from the girls (much to John and Paul's annoyance).

Their manager Brian Epsein was trying to get them a recording contract and took tapes round to various labels but nobody was interested (they do sound pretty poor on those demos).

Eventualy they signed to Parlaphone and did some test songs in June 1962.

George Martin, the producer, felt Best was not that great a drummer so said he would use a session musician for their first proper recordings.

Around this time John and Paul told manager Epstein to fire Pete Best (in August 1962) and told him they wanted Ringo (they already knew Ringo from playing with him at various events, he may have even jammed with them).

So on the verge of their success Pete Best was out and Ringo was in.

Best was sacked in August 1962, their first "proper" single as the Beatles was released in September 1962, and the rest is history.

I have always considered Pete Best a VERY unlucky man, although nobody knows if they would have been as successful with him in the band.

Ringo certainly had a quirkiness that people liked, he had a good sense of humour, and was not a threat to John and Paul, so helped the dynamics of the band to work. His drumming seemed "just right" for the band.

Often in a sports team it is the team who have the best BLEND of players that succeeds, not just the team having all the best players.

I think Ringo gave the Beatles the right blend.

>I always remember Ian Stewart, who was The Rolling Stones'
>permanent session man for about 25 years (played piano/keyboards).

In fact Ian Stewart WAS a member of the band.

But he did not look "right" for the band - too normal (and the manager also thought 6 people was too many for the band).

So like Pete Best, he was sacked, but stayed on playing on the albums "behind the scenes".

I seem to remember he was credited on all of their early albums.

He died in 1985.

Here is a picture of him (Mick Jagger behind)


Wiki

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>He had been messed around with bands just before 'Love Me Do' and
>he decided session player Andy White should play on the single

I think he booked Alan White for the first "proper" Beatles recording session because he had not heard Ringo drum so was not willing to take the chance and had Alan White there "just in case".

There has always been much deabte about if Ringo played on the Love Me do single, and the album, or did he just play tamborines.

As you say, on the Anthlogy album Pete Best was featured (on one track only I think) and made some money.

It is alleged this is the first money he ever actualy made direct from the Beatles recording contract with Parlophone.

The ONE thing Ringo should be given credit for is his absolute rubbishing of his hometown Liverpool, and cited his absolute loathing of the place.
Kudos to Ringo then..............oh, and for shagging Catherine Bach as well!!



His son, Zak is a very good drummer indeed!!

Jonesy wrote:

> Kudos to Ringo then..............oh, and for shagging Catherine
> Bach as well!!


Really?

I wonder what his wife, Barbara Bach, thought of this.

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