Post by yerblues1968 on Jul 16, 2008 15:32:30 GMT -5
Pete Best, George Harrison, Paul McCartney
and John Lennon of The Beatles.
FIFTH BEATLE PETE BEST RELEASES FIRST SOLO ALBUM 40 YEARS ON
telegraph.co.uk
By Caroline Gammell
Last Updated: 1:05PM BST 16/07/2008
The 'fifth Beatle' Pete Best is to release his first solo album - more than 40 years after he was famously kicked out of the band.
Haymans Green is a collection of songs about his life as the original drummer in the Fab Four before they reached worldwide acclaim.
One track - Broken - describes his pain at being ejected from the most successful band in history.
Best said: "On the verge of success and international stardom, I had the dreams I helped build with my band mates snatched away.
"I was left to crash and burn, broken. I chose to stand tall. When I'm beat you won't see me down, when I'm beat I'll turn it around, or at least I'll try. I think I did."
Left is Pete Best and Bruce Channel third from right
in the blazer. The man standing next to John Lennon is
Delbert McClintock who played the distinctive harmonica
on Channel's hit Hey Baby. Photo Mike McGear
(Paul McCartney's brother).
Best, now 66, was replaced in 1962 by Ringo Starr, provoking a storm of protest from Beatles fans. One particularly angry follower headbutted George Harrison in The Cavern in Liverpool, giving him a black eye.
The sacked Beatle went on to form The Pete Best Band and regularly toured the US, but in his day job he became a civil servant.
The release of his debut solo album, due in September, was greeted enthusiastically by Arnie Holland, chief executive of Lightyear Entertainment.
"What can I say? This album far outreached my wildest expectations, I just didn't expect what I received," he said.
"It's as good as anything The Beatles did at their peak, unbelievable. I'm blown away."
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/2303581/Fifth-Beatle-Pete-Best-releases-first-solo-album-40-years-on.html
Pete Best Official Websites:
www.petebest.com/
Listen to 3 tracks of the Pete Best Band Haymans Green album: Broken, Step Outside, and Around and Around
www.myspace.com/thepetebestband