James McCartney releases debut LP worldwide today
[Posted by Adam Forrest on Tuesday, 05/21/13 3:07 pm] [Permalink] [Tweet] [Facebook]James McCartney is fresh off the release of his two digital-only EPs, Available Light and Close At Hand, as well as his first physical release, The Complete EP Collection, a special two-disc package that includes the debut EPs in their entirety along with five bonus tracks.
Now, James has released his first full-length album, Me , out May 21st on ECR Music Group.
"For my first album I wanted to make a record that would be intimate, deeply personal, and honest," says McCartney. "An album that would say, 'This is who I am...both musically and personally. This is me.'"
Following a year that introduced him to international success in 2012, James McCartney is now in the midst of an exciting and unprecedented 2013, a year that finds him releasing his first full-length album and undertaking a forty-seven date, twenty-seven state tour of the USA.
The tour is now slated to be followed by a number of additional shows and appearances across Europe, along with a return to the States for return engagements and festivals throughout the summer.
For ticket info for James' upcoming tour appearances, visit his official website.
Very special John Lennon tribute returns to Los Angeles
[Posted by Adam Forrest on Tuesday, 05/21/13 2:18 pm] [Permalink] [Tweet] [Facebook] John Lennon returns for one last concert, and you are there! Tim Piper's very special John Lennon tribute show, "Just Imagine," returns to Los Angeles starting in June.
"Just Imagine" transports you to another place and time, putting you "one on one" with the musical legend who shook the world. Experience Lennon's timeless musical genius as Tim Piper takes you through John's life from tumultuous childhood to worldwide pop music superstar to groundbreaking social icon that influenced generations.
In "Just Imagine," you'll share a unique perspective on John's life, the stories behind the songs, and revealing insights about the birth of the Beatles, the pressures of super-stardom, and John's relationships with his loves and fellow Beatles.
 | | Tim Piper as John Lennon |
This unique experience is directed by Steve Altman, musical direction by Greg Piper and features Don Butler on guitar, Don Poncher on drums and Morley Bartnoff on keyboards. For anyone who is a fan of the Beatles and their music, and especially John Lennon, "Just Imagine" is a must see. Tim Piper channels John Lennon and the results are simply amazing.
"Just Imagine" will be performed at the Hayworth Theatre, 2511 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, starting Saturday, June 08 and running through Sunday, Aug 25. Performances are Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm.
For reservations call, (323) 960-4442 or online at www.justimaginetheshow.com. For a limited time, use the discount code "007" for $5.00 off in the "Cavern Club" section, and discount code "008" for 50% off all sections except Cavern Club.
See a great Beatles tribute band and help a good cause this Friday
[Posted by Adam Forrest on Tuesday, 04/23/13 4:25 pm] [Permalink] [Tweet] [Facebook] This Friday, April 26, popular Beatles tribute band The Wanna Beatles will perform at gala kickoff event. Besides the live show by The Wanna Beatles, there will be a silent auction, food, wine and Beer.
 | | The Wanna Beatles |
Tickets are now on sale online through tomorrow, April 24, at $30. Admission will be $40 at the door.
The event takes place on Friday, April 26, 2013, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., at the Tennessee Army National Guard Hall of Flags, which is located at 3041 Sidco Drive, Nashville, Tennessee (I-65 and Armory Drive). All guests must present photo I.D. in order to enter the armory compound.
For more information, or to order tickets, please visit the event's official web page.
Beatles expert and author to be interviewed on Australian radio
[Posted by Adam Forrest on Friday, 04/19/13 1:06 pm] [Permalink] [Tweet] [Facebook] Jude Southerland Kessler of Shreveport, LA, will be featured on "Overnights" with Trevor Chappell and Rod Quinn on ABC Sydney radio in Australia talking about the making of the Beatles' Please Please Me.
Kessler has spent over 27 years researching John Lennon and The Beatles for her nine book series on John Lennon, along with seven trips to Liverpool to speak with Lennon's family, friends, colleagues and teachers, making her a worldwide expert on all things Beatles.
This Saturday, April 20 at 1 p.m. (CT), Ms. Kessler will discuss in full detail, the making of The Beatles' Please Please Me album, the debut album by The Beatles released on March 22, 1963 in the United Kingdom. The show will be available to listen to live online at www.abc.net.au/overnights/.
Jude Southerland Kessler is the author of The John Lennon Series, a nine book series on the life of John Winston Lennon. She is also the host of The John Lennon Hour a weekly radio show that can be heard every Sunday night at 7 p.m. (CT) on Beatles-A-Rama!!! internet radio.
For more information on Jude Kessler, go to her website at www.JohnLennonSeries.com.
Invaluable Beatles reference now available as eBook
[Posted by Adam Forrest on Monday, 03/25/13 1:45 pm] [Permalink] [Tweet] [Facebook] The Beatles Records on Vee-Jay by Bruce Spizer, the definitive source on the subject of the time the Beatles were released in the United States by the small, Chicago-based R&B label Vee-Jay Records, has been sold out in its hard cover for several years and selling on the second-hand market in places like Amazon for over $600. It is now available from the author in an all-new, expanded digital version.
Available for pre-order now from the author's site Beatle.net, this new digital version of The Beatles Records on Vee-Jay will include more stories and more images. This new digital version will be interactive, and include bonus images, hyperlinks and cross references. Readers will be able to zoom in to see details, the text will be searchable, and it will be possible to add bookmarks and annotations.
Each copy of the eBook ordered from Beatle.net will include a special 8.5x11 collector's card with images of the Vee-Jay picture sleeves and albums covers and another 8.5x11 signature card signed by Bruce Spizer showing the front and back covers of the book.
In addition, the first 100 orders will receive an original copy of the promotional booklet for the first edition of the The Beatles Records on Vee-Jay that appeared in Goldmine magazine's November 1, 1997, issue. This is not a copy, but rather the actual insert from 1997!
About this new digital endeavor, Mr. Spizer says, "Now that I have undertaken my first eBook, I gotta admit I am quite excited about it. I hope you enjoy the eBook as much as I have putting it together."
A Monkee was born 68 years ago
[Posted by Adam Forrest on Saturday, 03/09/13 8:27 am] [Permalink] [Tweet] [Facebook] On March 8, 1945, Mickey Dolenz of the made-for-television group, "The Monkees," was born in Los Angeles.
Following the success of The Beatles movie "A Hard Day's Night," producers for Columbia Pictures TV wanted a comedy program based on a rock group. They auditioned 500 performers in the fall of 1965, and chose Mickey Dolenz, David Jones, Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith. They became "The Monkees," and their TV show was at the top of the ratings almost from its beginning in September, 1966.
Records by "The Monkees" soon began to move on to the charts, and they had such hits as "Last Train to Clarksville," "I'm a Believer" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday."
In 1986, "The Monkees," minus Mike Nesmith, held a reunion tour of the U.S. and Canada, and Tork, Jones, and Dolenz toured the United States again in 1997. Sadly, Davy Jones passed away on February 29, 2012.
(Info thanks to The Canadian Press.)
Weekly Beatles radio show to rebroadcast Tony Sheridan interview
[Posted by Adam Forrest on Monday, 02/25/13 7:36 am] [Permalink] [Tweet] [Facebook] This Wednesday, Feb. 27, as a tribute to Tony Sheridan, veteran Beatles DJ Ken Michaels will present his interview with Sheridan on the live broadcast of his weekly live and syndicated Beatles radio program "Every Little Thing." The interview took place in November 1992 at a Beatles Getaway weekend at Pines Hotel, Catskills, NY. Sheridan along with Billy J. Kramer were guest speakers and performers that weekend, hosed and organized by Charles Rosenay.
Ken said, "Looking back on this interview all these years later, I'm very proud of the topics we discussed, especially specific songs he recorded with the Beatles. My favorite of those songs is the ballad 'Why' in which he corrected me that he wasn't the co-writer of the song as it's been written on various packages of the recordings he made with the Beatles, he was THE writer. I've always loved that song, which has a true 50's feel to it."
Ken also talked with Tony about "Nobody's Child," and "Take Out Some Insurance On Me Baby," the importance of the British TV "Oh Boy" which gave him national exposure, and what it was like meeting the Beatles for the first time, working with Bert Kaempfert as a producer, and that he was offered to be a permanent member of the group. In a very revealing moment, he admits that he couldn't have handled the level of fame that the Beatles achieved.
The interview will be broadcast on 88.7 WNHU, West Haven, CT, 8-10pm (est,) which can be streamed at www.wnhu.net. Most of the interview will be posted shortly after this broadcast on Ken's own website, www.kenmichaelsradio.com.
This March, Ken will mark his 31st Anniversary since starting his weekly Beatles radio programs, which have been heard on many commercial stations, plus satellite radio (XM,) internet, public and college radio stations. Ken's website features interviews with people connected to the Beatles, including Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison, Todd Rundgren, Billy J. Kramer, Pete Best, Peter & Gordon, and others, along with weekly Beatles trivia in which you can win the latest Beatles/solo CDs, DVDs, books, and more.
» More Info: Tony Sheridan
Beatlefan magazine publishes 200th issue
[Posted by Adam Forrest on Tuesday, 02/19/13 10:21 am] [Permalink] [Tweet] [Facebook] Beatlefan magazine reaches a special landmark this week with the publication of their 200th issue, with a special front and back cover designs by Steven Prazak.
Inside Beatlefan issue #200 is Bruce Spizer's in-depth 50th anniversary look back at the "Please Please Me" album and The Beatles' first U.S. single. Also included is the story of the creation of the "Please Please Me" cover, which took a lot longer to come together than the album itself did, and some 200th issue retrospectives by longtime contributors Al Sussman, Rick Glover, Kit O'Toole and Wally Podrazik.
The Beatlefan reviews section in issue #200 includes reports on Jim Berkenstadt's "The Beatle Who Vanished," the 12.12.12 concert, the Los Angeles production of "Backbeat" and more. Issue #200 also has exclusive news of the upcoming "Wings Over America" reissue, an on-the-scene report from the Ravi Shankar memorial, a look at Beatles apps for Android phones, and discussion of some mystery photos with Norm & Shake.
A sample issue costs $7 in the U.S. or $10 abroad. U.S. funds only. For the latest issue, be sure to specify #200. A year's subscription in the U.S. costs $30.50 for six issues or $35 if sent First Class Mail in an envelope. Canadian and Mexican subscriptions cost $40 per year. International subscriptions to all other countries around the globe are $51. Call 404-713-6432 or e-mail goodypress@mindspring.com.
For moe info, visit www.beatlefan.com. You can also follow Beatlefan on Twitter and become a fan of Beatlefan on Facebook.
Reminder: We don't use his name
[Posted by Adam Forrest on Monday, 02/18/13 2:46 pm] [Permalink] [Tweet] [Facebook] As it is in the news today that there is some stuff for sale related to John Lennon's killer, I think it's appropriate to remind everyone that we do not ever mention the name of the man that murdered John Lennon.
At the time of John's death, both Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono made a simple request to John Lennon's fans. Never repeat the name of his killer. Doing so would only give his killer the fame and notoriety he was seeking.
While we can't control the content of the other news sources we link you to here at Beatles News, I hope you notice that, in the descriptions of the stories we've linked to, we never use his name.
To honor John, and to honor Paul and Yoko's request, I hope everyone remembers, and tries not to ever speak the name of John's killer. Together, we can keep the memory of John Lennon alive, while his killer fades into obscurity.
George Harrison birthday celebration moved due to conflict with Oscars
[Posted by Adam Forrest on Thursday, 02/14/13 1:22 pm] [Permalink] [Tweet] [Facebook] A public gathering to celebrate the 70th birthday of George Harrison will take place on Monday, February 25 at George's Hollywood Walk of Fame star in front of the Capitol Records tower building in Hollywood.
The celebration, originally planned this year for February 24, is being held on Monday, February 25 due to logistical considerations regarding the Academy Awards ceremonies taking place on Sunday. Some claim George was born on February 24, others say it was February 25. George always said it was February 25.
The special event is free to the public. Fans of George Harrison and the Beatles are invited to bring candles and flowers to place around Harrison's star. The highlight of the event will be a public cake-cutting ceremony at 6:30 PM led by Chris Carter, radio host of Breakfast With the Beatles.
Fans at the event will also be invited to sign a large "George Harrison 70th Birthday Message Card", which will be sent to George's wife Olivia Harrison.
Jerry Rubin, one of the organizers of the event, said, "It would be a good thing for fans, wherever they may be, to play George Harrison and Beatles songs and share some birthday cake with friends and family on both days in loving remembrance of 'the quiet Beatle' on his special 70th birthday."
The event takes place Monday, February 25, 2013, George Harrison's 70th birthday, at 6:00PM (until 8:00PM), at George Harrison's Hollywood Walk of Fame Star in front of the Capitol Records tower building, which is located at 1750 N. Vine Street in Los Angeles.
For further info, call 310-399-1000 or email JerryPeaceActivistRubin@earthlink.net.
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