Before They Were Beatles

About the Book

Liverpool, England, October 1956. Schoolboy John Lennon and his best friend, Peter Shotton, decide to start a skiffle group as “a bit of a lark.” Four years later John, now accompanied by Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best, leaves Liverpool to start a series of near legendary gigs in Hamburg, Germany. His group now performing under their newly acquired name – THE BEATLES.

This is the story of those four years. The story of how one of thousands of amateur schoolboy skiffle bands evolved into the beginnings of the greatest band in popular history. It’s a story of hope, creativity and exploring musical boundaries. It’s also a story of tragedy, coincidence and at times just sheer luck. This is a story of beginnings, the story of John, Paul, George and Ringo - Before They Were Beatles.

About the Author

Alan J. Porter was born and raised on the banks of the River Mersey, just a short 30 miles upstream from Liverpool. Thanks to a local TV show, The Beatles entered his life on October 18th 1963 and have been a constant source of enjoyment and inspiration ever since. In the intervening years he has become a regular writer on various aspects of popular culture with books, magazine articles and web-site columns appearing in the US, Europe and Australia. He now makes his home in Maryland USA with his wonderful wife, two great daughters and three mad cats.