Read Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney Online

Authors: Howard Sounes

Tags: #Rock musicians - England, #England, #McCartney, #Entertainment & Performing Arts, #Rock Musicians, #Music, #Rock, #Biography & Autobiography, #Paul, #Genres & Styles, #Composers & Musicians, #Biography

Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney (81 page)

SOURCE NOTES

Some shorthand forms are used in these notes. Paul McCartney and other key characters are referred to firstly by their full name, then by initials. So Paul McCartney becomes PM, John Lennon JL, etc.

When referring to the Beatles’
Anthology
, I indicate in parenthesis whether I mean the documentary, book or CDs (and their liner notes).

Justice Bennett’s March 2008 High Court judgment in the divorce of Sir Paul and Heather Mills McCartney is ‘the Bennett judgment’.

The Times
is the [London]
Times
.

1: A LIVERPOOL FAMILY

Paul McCartney (PM) quote - ‘They may not look much …’ -
Sunday Times magazine
(9 June 1991).

Liverpool history: I consulted
Liverpool 800
(Belchem) and
Liverpool
(Sharples). Thanks also to Richard Farnell at Liverpool City Council.

McCartney-Mohin family history: author’s discussions with relatives including John Aldridge, Ian Harris, Susan Justice (
née
Aldridge), Joan McCartney (quoted), Maria Mohin and Mike Robbins (quoted); the 1911 Census; records of birth, death and marriages;
Up the Beatles Family Tree
(Humphrey-Smith
et al.
);
Thank U Very Much
(Mike McCartney) and
The McCartneys: In the Town Where They Were Born
(Roach).

All Mike Robbins quotes to the author.

Jim played ‘until his teeth gave out’: PM in the
Anthology
(book).

Jim meets Mary:
The McCartneys: In the Town Where They Were Born
(Roach).

Air raids: the booklet
Air Raids on Liverpool
, Liverpool Record Office.

Parents marry: marriage certificate.

Sectarian problems:
Liverpool 800
(Belchem).

Ringo Starr (RS) quoted from the
Anthology
(book).

PM born: birth certificate.

PM baptised: church records at Liverpool Record Office.

Mike McCartney’s birth: birth certificate.

Relations with brother: author’s interviews.

Speke history:
The Illustrated History of Liverpool’s Suburbs
(Lewis). Thanks also to former Joseph Williams pupils Barbara Doran (
née
Eves), Marjorie Knight (
née
Wilson) and Barbara Lyon (
née
Lunt).

Inspiration for ‘Mother Nature’s Son’:
Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now
(Miles).

Mary resigns job:
The McCartneys; In the Town Where They Were Born
(Roach).

Thanks to the current resident of 12 Ardwick Rd, Liverpool, who did not wish to be named.

Jim McCartney’s phrase ‘Put it there’:
Club Sandwich
# 52.

Will Stapleton story: thanks firstly to a McCartney relative who wishes to be anonymous (includes recalled dialogue). The story of the SS
Apapa
is substantiated by reports in the
Liverpool Evening News
(11, 12 and 14 Oct. 1949 ; also 3 Nov. 1949);
The Times
(12 Oct. 1949); and the
Manchester Guardian
(12 Oct./24 Nov. 1949). I also consulted family records to establish the link between Stapleton and Edie McCartney. Many thanks to Kevin Roach at Liverpool Record office for helping me find related press reports.

Will at Scargreen Avenue:
Kelly’s
Street Directories.

McCartneys get their TV:
Thank U Very Much
(McCartney).

Coronation prize: Liverpool Record Office; and the original essay.

The Liverpool Institute: thanks to old boys Bernie Evans, John Duff Lowe, Ian James (quoted), Billy Morton and Steve Norris (quoted). The author visited the school and consulted the admissions register and other documents. Thanks also to the Liobians.

Arthur Askey:
Liverpool 800
(Belchem). Thanks also to Peter Hodgson.

PM on his schooldays: documentary film
Echoes
(MPL, 2004).

Macca nickname bestowed:
Thank U Very Much
(Mike McCartney). In this book, PM’s brother spells the nickname ‘Maca’, but it is commonly expressed as Macca.

Neil ‘Nell’ Aspinall: Liverpool Institute admissions;
Fifty Years Adrift
(Taylor).

PM meets George Harrison (GH)
: I Me Mine
(Harrison); GH quoted from the
Anthology
(book).

Description of 20 Forthlin Road: author’s visit to what is now a National Trust property, the accompanying guide book, author’s discussions with the caretaker John Halliday and neighbours.

Mary McCartney quote - ‘Nothing, love’ -
Thank U Very Much
(Mike McCartney).

Death of Mary McCartney: thanks to Mike Robbins and Joan McCartney (both quoted); also death certificate.

2: JOHN

PM hears his father cry:
Anthology
(book).

Swapped his trumpet: PM on the
South Bank Show
(Jan. 1978). Also a 1964 interview with
Beat Instrumental
, reprinted in
The Beatles Book
(Feb. 2001).

Skiffle/learns guitar/2006 auction of guitar: author’s interview with Ian James (quoted).

Attends Donegan concert at Liverpool Empire: PM in
Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now
(Miles) and
Liverpool Evening Express
(5 Nov. 1956).

First record bought: the
Anthology
(book).

Billy Morton quoted from author’s interview.

First song written:
Club Sandwich
# 41.

John Lennon (JL) background: author’s interviews;
John Lennon: The Life
(Norman) [including Mimi’s affair and quote about Elvis];
Up the Beatles’ Family Tree
(Humphrey-Smith
et al.
); author’s visit to Mendips; also the National Trust booklet about the house, from which I quote Aunt Mimi, ‘John, your little friend’s here.’

Daily Howl
extract: the
Anthology
(documentary).

The Quarry Men: author’s interviews with Rod Davis (quoted), John Duff Lowe and Colin Hanton (quoted). Background:
The Quarrymen
(Davies) and the
Anthology
(book).

Scout camp:
Thank U Very Much
(McCartney).

Butlin’s: author’s interview with Mike Robbins.

Early girlfriends: thanks to Marjorie Knight (
née
Wilson) and Ann Nicholson (
née
Ventre [quoted exchange with PM]).

Sex: Ian James interview; and
Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now
(Miles).

Bill Harry quoted from author’s interview.

Tony ‘Measles’ Bramwell quoted from author’s interview.

John Duff Lowe quoted from author’s interview.

Conversation between PM and JL about poster: recalled by Colin Hanton to author.

Making the shellac disc: author’s interviews; PM quoted from
Anthology
(book and liner notes to CD Vol. 1).

Death of Julia Lennon:
John Lennon Encyclopaedia
(Harry); and the
Anthology
(book).

PM writes ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’: quoted from the
Anthology
(book).

Hanton quits band: author’s interview (quoted).

GH leaves school:
I Me Mine
(Harrison).

The Casbah: author’s visit and
Beatle!
(Best [also Best background]).

PM meets Dot Rhone: Rhone to the
Daily Mail
(11 Oct. 1997).

Stuart Sutcliffe:
The Stuart Sutcliffe Retrospective
(University of Liverpool, 2009); author’s discussion with Pauline Sutcliffe and her book
The Beatles’ Shadow
.

Paul’s 1959 art prize: Liverpool Record Office; and PM’s comments in
Paul McCartney: Paintings
.

Trip to Caversham: author’s interview with Mike Robbins (quotes).

Allan Williams: author’s interview (quotes). Also interview with Howie Casey. Background reading:
The Man Who Gave the Beatles Away
(Williams).

Band name: author’s interviews including Royston Ellis and Bill Harry (both quoted). Thanks also to Ellis for his unpublished memoirs (used with permission), and to Spencer Leigh. PM attributes the final spelling of Beatles to JL in the
Anthology
(book) and elsewhere.

JL on the origins of the Beatles name:
Being a Short Diversion of the Dubious Origins of Beatles
(Lennon), published in
Mersey Beat
(6 -20 July 1961).

Johnny Gentle tour: author’s interview with Gentle (quoted).

Tommy Moore’s girlfriend - ‘You can piss off!’ -
The Complete Beatles Chronicle
(Lewisohn).

PM on Janice the Stripper:
Mersey Beat
(6 Sept. 1962).

Bruno Koschmider meeting: author’s interview with Williams, who says Koschmider was crippled in a fall. Klaus Voormann writes in his book
Hamburg Days
that Koschmider’s leg was shot off. Thanks also to Howie Casey and Horst Fascher.

PM’s exams:
Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now
(Miles) and
Shout!
(Norman).

Leaving Liverpool: author’s interviews. Also
John
(Lennon);
McCartney
(Flippo) and
Shout!
(Norman).

3: HAMBURG

Hamburg: author’s visit and local interviews.

Details of 1943 RAF bombing are from
Churchill: A Life
by Martin Gilbert (London: Pimlico, 2000).

PM - ‘but with strip clubs’ -
Mersey Beat
(20 Sept. 1962).

Horst Fascher meets the Beatles: author’s interviews (quoted).

The Indra: author’s local enquiries and interviews with Howie Casey, Horst Fascher, Ruth Lallemann (later Reeves) and Rosi Haitmann (later Sheridan), both of whom are quoted. Background reading includes
The Complete Beatles Chronicle
(Lewisohn).

Details of Bambi Kino accommodation:
Hamburg Days
(Kirchherr).

Meeting the Exis: author’s interviews with Astrid Kirchherr and Jürgen Vollmer (both quoted from the author’s interviews, except where indicated). Background reading:
The Beatles in Hamburg
(Vollmer) and
Hamburg Days
(Kirchherr and Voormann).

Kirchherr - ‘I thought it was like …’ - her book
Hamburg Days
.

Dialogue about Paul’s hair:
The Beatles in Hamburg
(Vollmer).

Ruth Lallemann and Rosi Sheridan quoted from author’s interviews.

PM - ‘We were kids let off the leash …’ - the
Anthology
(documentary).

GH is quoted on losing his virginity from the
Anthology
(book), and Pete Best from his memoir,
Beatle!

Erika Wohlers quoted from author’s correspondence.

Tony Sheridan quoted from author’s interview.

The fire: Paul’s interviews (various) and his contemporaneous letter reproduced in the
Anthology
(book).

Returning home:
Thank U Very Much
(McCartney) in which is reproduced a letter from Massey & Coggins showing PM was paid to 8 March 1961. Other little jobs: author’s interviews; Miles refers to the post office job in his book
In the Sixties
.

Allan Williams quoted from author’s interview.

The Cavern: author’s interviews with Tony Bramwell, Frieda Kelly and Ray O’Brien (all quoted). Also Willy Russell. Background reading:
The Cavern
(Leigh).

Williams’s regrets:
The Man Who Gave the Beatles Away
(Williams).

PM breaks guitar: a 1964 interview with
Beat Instrumental
, reprinted in
The Beatles Book
(Feb. 2001).

PM’s altercation with Stu: dialogue from
The Beatles’ Shadow
(Sutcliffe). Ruth Reeves and Tony Sheridan quoted from author’s interviews.

GH on fighting Stu:
Fifty Years Adrift
(Taylor).

‘My Bonnie’ makes number 32 in Germany:
Hit Bilanz
(Hamburg: Taurus Press, 1990).

Gerry Marsden quoted from author’s interview.

The trip to Paris: author’s interview with Jürgen Vollmer.

Brian Epstein (BE): background: author’s interviews with E. Rex Makin (quoted) and others. Background:
Brian Epstein
(Coleman), including Queenie Epstein quote.

BE - ‘I was one of those …’ -
A Cellarful of Noise
(Epstein), and BE’s exchanges with GH and PM.

Allan Williams and E. Rex Makin quoted from author’s interviews.

PM’s comment - ‘I hope …’ -
Brian Epstein
(Coleman).

4: LONDON

The contract: the agreement, eventually signed by BE and dated 1 Oct. 1962, was reproduced in the press prior to auction in 2008.

‘Greatest recording organisation …’: EMI publicity material reproduced in
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions
(Lewisohn).

EMI history:
www.emi.com
; also
The Incredible Music Machine
(Lowe); and the Royal Warrant Holders’ Association.

Tony Barrow link and all Barrow quotes: author’s interview.

Aldershot gig: Sam Leach to author; also his book
The Rocking City.

Decca audition: Barrow interview;
The Complete Beatles Chronicle
(Lewisohn) and the
Anthology
(CD Vol. 1 liner notes).

BE quoted from his memoir
A Cellarful of Noise
and
The Beatles Book
(May 1992). Mother sighed:
I Should Have Known Better
(Ellis).

George Martin (GM) personality and background: author’s meeting with; his memoir
All You Need is Ears
and interview with
Melody Maker
(21 Aug. 1962). GM quoted from last two.

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