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>>Press Release. >> >> >>45th ANNIVERSARY OF MERSEY BEAT. >> >>When Brian Epstein Discovered The Beatles And Cilla >>Black Got Her Name. >> >> >>On July 6 1961, 45 years ago, art student Bill Harry >>and his 17-year-old girlfriend Virginia, borrowed £50 >>and launched a newspaper which was to radically affect >>the future of popular music. >> >>Bill coined the phrase Mersey Beat as a name for the >>paper, based on his image of the entire area of >>Merseyside he?d cover. The name has now become an >>established phrase internationally. >> >>The previous year Bill, together with John Lennon, >>Stuart Sutcliffe and Rod Murray, as ?the Dissenters?, >>made a vow to make Liverpool famous. John was to do it >>with his music, Stuart and Rod with their painting and >>Bill with his writing. >> >>John succeeded beyond anyone?s dreams with the >>Beatles, Stuart died tragically at the age of 21, but >>his artwork has survived and is internationally >>recognised, and Bill succeeded with his creation of >>Mersey Beat. >> >>He launched the first issue with a story he?d >>commissioned John to write, which Bill titled ?Being A >>Short Diversion on the Dubious Origins of Beatles, >>Translated From the John Lennon.? This was John?s >>first published work and included the story of a man >>coming down on a ?Flaming Pie?, which inspired Paul >>McCartney to compose his album and single ?Flaming >>Pie? decades later. John also spelt Paul?s surname as >>?McCartrey.? We?ll never know whether this was a >>mistake or an example of John?s sense of humour. >> >>Bill also collected a fashion piece from his friend >>Priscilla White and also wrote a feature on her in the >>first issue. Working into the early hours of the >>morning he forgot her surname, but remembered it was a >>colour, so he wrote, ?Cilla Black is a Liverpool girl >>starting on the road to fame.? Cilla came into the >>office to tell him he?d got her name wrong, but said >>she liked it so much she was going to keep it, despite >>her Dad?s objections!. >> >>5,000 copies of the first issue were printed and Bill >>took it round to all the clubs and record shops. He >>asked to see the manager of NEMS record store, Brian >>Epstein, who took a dozen copies, but found the demand >>in his store so enthusiastic that he ordered 12 dozen >>copies of Issue No 2. >> >>This was the issue in which the entire front cover was >>dominated by the headline ?Beatles Sign Record >>Contract?, with the full story of their German >>recording of ?My Bonnie,? together with Astrid >>Kircherr?s first published photograph of the black >>leather Beatles in Hamburg. >> >>Epstein was so impressed with the newspaper that he >>became the record reviewer from Issue No. 3 on August >>3 and his advertisements for Nems appeared on pages >>with the Beatles articles. Brian invited Bill to lunch >>at the Basnett Bar on a few occasions to ask all about >>the local scene, particularly the group who seemed to >>dominate the paper ? the Beatles. >> >>Bill featured the Beatles every issue which led Cavern >>disc jockey Bob Wooler to approach him to tell him >>that all the other groups were so annoyed at the >>saturation coverage that he should re-name the paper >>?the Mersey Beatle.? Instead, he later introduced a >>regular ?Mersey Beatle? page. >> >>Bob also approached him with a group called the >>Mavericks to ask permission to name them after the >>newspaper, as Bill has registered the name. He agreed, >>and the group changed their name to the Merseybeats. >> >>John Lennon was so delighted with seeing his work in >>print that he came to the office and gave Bill >>everything he?d ever worked on ? around 250 stories, >>poems and drawings, saying he could have them to do >>with what he will. >> >>Bill decided to use the stories as a regular column in >>Mersey Beat using the pseudonym ?Beatcomber?, stories >>such as ?Small Stan?, ?Around and About? and >>?Liddypool.? The writings were to inspire his first >>two books ?In His Own Write? and ?A Spaniard In The >>Works.? >> >>Mersey Beat immediately sold out and Bill and Virginia >>moved from their tiny attic office to the floor below, >>but during the move all of John?s works were lost. >>When they told John in the Blue Angel club, he cried >>on Virginia?s shoulder. >> >>Paul McCartney was also closely involved in Mersey >>Beat and wrote to Bill whenever he travelled. He wrote >>about the Beatles backing a stripper called Janice, >>his trip to Paris with John to celebrate John?s 21st >>birthday and the Beatles first visit to Hamburg, which >>Bill also featured as columns, illustrated with >>photographs by Mike McCartney. >> >>The full page feature on the Beatles by Bob Wooler in >>the 31 August issue, describing them as ?rock >>revolutionaries, and ending with the words ?Such are >>the fantastic Beatles. I don?t think anything like >>them will happen again.? Probably the most prophetic >>article about the group ever written. >> >>Brian Epstein?s story that he first heard of the >>Beatles in October of that year when a young lad came >>into the store to ask for a copy of the record which >>Mersey Beat had been promoting is apocryphal. >> >>As Paul McCartney was to write: Brian knew perfectly >>well who the Beatles were ? they were on the front >>page of the second issue of Mersey Beat, the local >>music paper. Brian sold twelve dozen copies of this >>issue, so many that he invited the editor, Bill Harry, >>into his office for a drink to discuss why it was >>selling so well and to ask if he could write a record >>review column for it. >> >>?He is unlikely to have missed the ?Beatles Sign >>Record Contract? banner headline, reporting their >>session with Tony Sheridan for Bert Kaempfert nor, >>with his penchant for rough boys, is it likely that he >>passed over the photograph of the leather-clad Beatles >>without giving them a second glance.? >> >>In fact, as Epstein himself admitted, he phoned Bill >>Harry to ask him if he could arrange to smooth the way >>for him to visit the Cavern to see the Beatles during >>a lunchtime session. Bill contacted cavern owner Ray >>McFall to arrange it. >> >>Towards the end of the year, Bill held a poll in >>Mersey Beat to determine who the leading group in >>Liverpool was. Counting up the votes, Bill and >>Virginia found that the outfit with the most votes was >>Rory Storm & the Hurricanes (with drummer Ringo >>Starr), but they cancelled 40 of those votes to make >>the Beatles the No.1 band. >> >>Then they organised a Poll concert at the Majestic >>Ballroom, Birkenhead and when the Beatles appeared on >>stage, Bill presented them with their first-ever >>award, the Mersey Beat Shield ? and the cover of Issue >>No.13 was to become an iconic image with its photo of >>the Beatles under the headline ?Beatles Top Poll!? >> >>A copy of this issue sold in America in March 2006 for >>$25,000! >> >>To celebrate the 45th anniversary Mersey Beat has now >>gone online at www.mersey-beat.com featuring articles >>by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo >>Starr and Pete Best. Brian Epstein writes of the >>Beatles first recording session and their first >>American tour. There are also almost 200 features on >>all the major artists of the era and never-before-seen >>photos of the Beatles and other artists. >> >> >>Bill Harry is available for interview by phoning 07921 >>354903 or e-mail BillHarry@aol.com. Replica copies of >>Issue No. 1 can also be provided, together with images >>of the famous Issue 13 cover and other covers >>featuring the Beatles, the plaque of ?The Dissenters?, >>plus photos of Bill presenting the Beatles with their >>Mersey Beat Shield, Bill with Paul McCartney and Bill >>and Virginia with John Lennon. > > >This is a very interesting, enlightening article! > >I appreciate so much your posting it. > >Would you happen to know anything about how the term >"Northern Soul" was coined? > >This is the first I have heard of Bill Harry, although >"Mersey Beat" sounds familiar. > >A very Happy 45th anniversary congratulations >regarding this publication. > >Thank you for your post! > >Kafi C. Sondai

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