I’m the biggest Beatles fan in the world – or so I thought until I met the fans that are in my book. Their stories gave me chills, brought tears to my eyes, and made me envious of their encounters with our lads.
Beatles fans are as you hope they would be – generous and kind. It’s a worldwide Beatles family
This book is about how The Beatles, their music ,their legacy, and their message have affected people’s lives, loves, and careers 60 years on.
There are some well-known names in the book. Such as Laurence Juber who was a lead guitarist with Wings, he said Paul not only influenced his music career, but he and Linda were positive role models on how family life should be. Music Producer Peter Asher (Jane’s brother.) Jane was Paul’s first fiancee. Paul lived in the Asher family home for two years. He and John wrote “I Want To Hold Your Hand” on an upright piano in the family’s basement. Peter was the first person ever to hear that iconic song. Mark Featherstone-Witty, the co-founder of Paul’s Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts tells the incredible story of how this school came to be.
Then there are the fans:
A pregnant mom delayed her emergency C-section by a full day just to ensure her baby would be born on Paul’s birthday.
A small town in Arkansas, aptly named Walnut Ridge, was saved from bankruptcy in 2010, simply because The Beatles changed planes there in 1964. Only 300 people were on hand to see it. The lads got out of a truck, got on the small plane, and took off. That was the whole thing. But the marketing committee parlayed this event into a Beatles Convention, a Guitar Walk, and a statue to honor the boys. The town is now thriving with new shops and restaurants moving in and Beatles tourists arriving daily. The current Mayor was just 10 years old at the time, but his Dad took pictures on his Brownie Instamatic. You can see those rare photos in these pages.
A Superfan from Massachusetts follows Paul’s tours around the world, subsisting on peanut butter sandwiches and sleeping in airports. Her wedding was all Beatles all the time, from invitations to life-size cardboard cutouts for guests to take photos with. She actually got to meet her idol at a book signing and every detail is burned into her memory.
There are the lucky few who got to get up onstage with Paul and get him to autograph them somewhere on their body and now sport the tattoo.
There are first-generation fans who saw The Beatles live onstage. Tribute Bands who have been together much longer than The Beatles were and have fans of their own.
https://www.amazon.com/Beatlemania-Lives-Superfans-21st-Century/dp/1476690286