John Lennon never seemed like the type of person to ask for anyone’s autograph. However he did make an exception back in 1960 at the Larry Parnes audition. There is photographic evidence of John asking singer Billy Fury for his autograph. The first time I ever saw the photograph of John asking Fury for his signature was in a book of superb early photographs of the Beatles written by the late Gareth Pawlowski and here is a picture of the book that the photograph appeared in. I can remember when I bought this book how amazed I was of all the fabulous rare photos of the early Beatles that Gareth Pawloski had acquired over the years:
How They Became The Beatles
A Billy Fury autograph which I just obtained on Ebay:
Fury’s Autograph
The DM’s Beatle site had posted the photo from the Gareth Pawlowski book of John asking Bill Fury for his autograph:
Ronald Wycherley was Fury’s real name but impresario Larry Parnes changed it to the stage name of Billy Fury.
Billy had many hits in the UK and many young UK musicians aspired to attain the great success that he had (witness John Lennon asking him for his autograph) but unfortunately he had a very weak heart due to having rheumatic fever as a child and he passed away at the young age of 42 in 1983.
As stated on numerous occasions in the past I also love to collect signatures of people that played a notable role or part of an interesting side story to the Beatles tale. I recently acquired these signatures for the collection as a few examples.
Timothy Leary – the Harvard professor that advocated for the therapeutic use of LSD. Mentioned in the song “Give Peace a Chance”, and he and his wife were at the John and Yoko Bed-In where the song was premiered. Leary also asked John to write a campaign song for him which evolved into “Come Together.” Leary was not too pleased with the resulting situation and the track was to become the leadoff track for Abbey Road. Timothy Leary passed away in 1996.
Allen Ginsberg , a friend of Yoko’s and a beat poet of the ’60s. He is also mentioned in “Give Peace a Chance” and was at many of John and Yoko’s happenings. Allen also did an unusual performance with Paul McCartney called “The Ballad of the Skeletons” which has been posted by someone on YouTube.
Here is a signed Ginsberg book that I acquired for my collection:
Allen Ginsberg’s Book
Baseball signed by Beat era poet:
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
A signed poem about baseball written by Lawrence Ferlinghetti that I purchased. The poem is about his passion for baseball and the San Francisco Giants!
Ferlinghetti passed away in 2021 and was over 100 years old at his passing.
A signed baseball poem by Lawrence Ferlinghetti to accompany the signed baseball:
Passing away at the age of 101, Ferlinghetti was one of the most renowned radical poets produced in America. Ferlinghettipublished such well known Beat writers as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg.
Noticed on this online site at the link below that he wrote a poem that mentions about John Lennon dying too soon and not being around anymore to give us the age-old answer to the question of “Why are we all here?”
A poem that mentions John Lennon dying too young “before he got to share “the answer” with all of us.
Royston Ellis – UK beat poet from the early ’60s who passed away in February of 2023. His Wikipedia background which details with the inspiration he gave for the songs of Paperback Writer and Polythene Pam. His friendship with John Lennon is also discussed on the Wikipedia page. Mark Lewisohn has discounted Royston’s claim that it was he who suggested that the Beatles spell their name as BEATLES rather than BEETLES!
Royston Ellis with the Beatles on the island of Guernsey in 1963, three years after the poet and the rockers first crossed paths in Liverpool. (Emmalena Ellis) I assume that Emmalena Ellis is the curator of the Royston Ellis Estate and the owner of the Beatles/Ellid photo. It was during the time that this photograph was taken that the inspiration for Polythene Pam arose. You will need to seek out the answer to that mystery on the internet.
Though not the book “The Primal Scream” that inspired John to write and record the John Lennon “Plastic Ono Band” LP, I recently bought this book because I was able to obtain Arthur Janov’s signature in this book. As you are aware I try to collect the signatures of many of the people that played an important role in the Beatles or solo Beatles lives! Janov’s therapy helped to create what many music critics have called a masterpiece despite it’s lukewarm sales figures due to it’s stripped down production and emotional intensity! Janov died in 2017 at the age of 93. He will always be associated and known for the psychotherapy he provided for both John and Yoko!
From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: lulu – Noun-slang: one that is remarkable or wonderful
I first heard about Lulu when watching her film performance in the wonderful To Sir with Love and hearing her sing the wonderful title song of the movie. There is a quick Beatles reference in the film by the way! Lulu has had many Beatles connections over the years. She appeared in the TV program The Music of Lennon and McCartney, was with Ringo on a Monty Python sketch. She berated John Lennon openly for flirting with Patti Boyd at the party for Magical Mystery Tour. She was married to Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees and they were living near Ringo’s home. Maurice Gibb was a member of the Fut who did the Beatles sendup of “Have You Heard the Word”.
A fascinating article appearing at the Beatles Bible site discussing the seemingly lost 1969 ITV tribute to George Martin which featured both Ringo Starr and Lulu:
Lulu appeared on a radio special done at Abbey Road which was a tribute to John Lennon, years after his assassination, at which she sang a couple of numbers in John’s honor!
Lulu appears on a special album of duets contributing to McCartney’s song, Let Em In.
Here is Lulu’s signed autobiography which I recently acquired: 2002 Publication – Little, Brown Book Group TimeWarner Books
Lulu’s signature in the book:
While browsing Amazon books recently, I also found this book which appears to be independently published from 2020 ironically by a company entitled: Lulu Publishing. Though a small paperback of approximately 60 pages, I bought a copy because it seemed to collect most of the Beatles Lulu associations in a single volume!
Lulu & The Beatles! Paperback – March 10, 2020
by Harry Lime (Author)
March 10, 2020 Lulu Press, Inc.
Lulu and the Beatles!
The back cover of the book:
Lulu with Ringo, Spike Milligan, and Friends
What a conclusion, quite the LULU!
Buzz
Biography
Biographical books about The Beatles or those associated with them
One of the more fascinating aspects of collecting is to own an item not possessed by many other people. (The exclusivity aspect of collecting). However, it must be noted that for me, it expresses more of a feeling of pride to own something like this rather than being boastful with the negative effect of making someone feel bad because the item cannot be obtained by them. Unfortunately, there are many collectors like that in the world.
I’m sure that you may have encountered some of them in your search for Beatles-related items. However, unlike many other limited edition books, this fabulous book about the Beatles solo years and the recordings that were made was issued to the mass audience in a more affordable softcover copy so that if you wanted one, you could find and purchase it quite easily. With a book as well-researched and documented such as this, over time, the prices that even the softcover copies demand are becoming increasingly more expensive and the best option for many is to purchase the digital pdf copy of the book which has many updates by Chip and Mark.
The book you see pictured below is the special hardcover edition of the work of Chip Madinger and Mark Easter, and it is a special edition indeed as there are only 9 copies of this hardcover edition in existence. The book presented here is copy #2 of the 9 copies that were printed. It will always hold a special place in my Beatles library.
Eight Arms To Hold You
This hardcover edition was also signed by the two authors!
The Signed Copy of the Book
A summary of the contents of the book is on the back cover:
Back Cover of Eight Arms To Hold You
Do you have a favourite Beatles book that is rare or is a particularly treasured possession? Let me know in the comments.
The following photos of this limited edition signed Paul McCartney “Blackbird Singing” represent a sad story in my life in regards to collecting. These are saved old archived photos of the book title that I took once the book had arrived and they represent a very sad reawakening of the character of someone that I had called a friend and trusted. As it turns out my faith and trust were unfortunately misplaced.
When my mom passed away, the friend assisted in the cleanup of her home to get the 2 family house in proper shape for our family to sell the home. Well, a few items disappeared from my collection as a result and this was one of those items. When a sacred trust is broken, it cuts to the bone. Unfortunately, my collection was so massive, that I did not notice the item was missing until much later when I also discovered my former friend had passed away.
I hate to bring people down with sad tidings but one of the things we need to deal with in life is to learn how to deal with big disappointments and to find a way to cope with our losses both with people and things! You also learn that there are some people that you can trust and others you can not. Above you heard an example of mistrust of one individual but here is a better part of the story and it involves a “true” friend:
This item held a special memory for me as the person who was my best man at my wedding, who also happened to be my boss was also a big Beatles fan. I was the type of fan who always kept us up-to-date with the latest Beatles news. I had learned that Mark Lapidos of the Fest for Beatles Fans had arranged to sell copies of a signed and numbered edition of Paul’s poetry book “Blackbird Singing” and he gave the time they would go on sale in his regular newsletter, and unfortunately we would both be at work at that time of the sale. My friend said, don’t worry John, and when the time arrived for the book sale, he got through on his cell phone and ordered us two copies. I quickly compensated him for his trouble and the cost of my copy of the book. My dear friend who was kind enough to order the 2 books has since passed away from a respiratory problem.
The lesson I learned from all of this, without trying to be too preachy, is to be grateful for what you have as things are fleeting but true good friends are with you always. Hopefully, this story did not depress anyone! I hope you enjoy the photos that remain of the book…
The First is a real exclusive !! Nigel Pearce is with the help of John “Buzz” Bezzini, and David Bedford, is going to release a book on the history of the actual Building No. 3 Savile Row. It is going to be a one-off special pressing release detailing the history of the building from its construction to the present day.
This will include its base for the British Admiralty, events coming from that, being the home of several British notables, and its link to The British Bowler Hat. We also will be printing a full Brochure detailing the building when put up for sale in the early 1900s. This will include complete details of the structure and rooms at the time.
When Number 3 Closed
We will be mentioning the purchase for The Beatles to be the base for Apple Records etc. as well as a little section on the Get Back sessions. We will also re-printthe affidavit submitted to the High Court by Alen Klein, for the famous case of Paul McCartney versus the other three Beatles and Apple Corps.
We will also reprint the full page published detailing the judgement given by QC Mr. Justice Stamp, who was presiding over the proceedings.
This publication again will be issued from documents held in my personal collection, and again many of which have been forgotten, or never seen. Discussions are being held now with publishers, and they are apparently very keen. More will be revealed.
A Rare Apple Record from Nigel’s Collection
There is going to be another “Inside Number Three” Book titled ‘Deeper Inside Number Three‘ where we will take you further inside this colourful and magical world, which still fascinates, and mystifies so many Beatles and Music fans today nearly 60 years after the project started. Apple Records is a music phenomenon and is still an organisation of mystery and intrigue, but more will be revealed, as the famous song said in 1963 “It Won’t Be Long”.
Inside Number Three – The Illustrated History of Apple Records
Inside No3 takes you through that famous door, deep into the minds of all who worked there at Apple Records. This is done also in a very different way. This is not a kiss-and-tell diary, it is through fan adulation and understanding via a personal collection of artifacts and memorabilia that author Nigel Pearce has built up over the last 50 years.
