Sixties City presents a wide-ranging series of articles on all aspects of the Sixties, penned by the creator of the iconic 60s music paper  Mersey Beat

Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Who appears on the album cover?

Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
When the album was untitled and recording began, it was said to have a theme of The Beatles’ childhood memories of Liverpool. In December 1966, three tracks for the proposed album were recorded: ‘When I’m Sixty Four’, ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ and ‘Penny Lane.’ The last two tracks evoked memories of Liverpool. As it turned out, recording sessions were taking longer than in the past and EMI needed a new Beatles single in February 1967. As a result, George Martin decided to issue ‘Penny Lane’ and ‘Strawberry Fields’ as a double 'A' side.

He regretted the decision of making the single a double ‘A’ because this split sales as far as the system of compiling chart statistics were concerned and it became the first single since ‘Please Please Me’ not to reach the Number 1 spot, being kept off that position by Engelbert Humperdinck with ‘Release Me.’ The theme of Liverpool reminiscences was then dropped.

The new theme concerned a mythical band, which led to it being called the first ‘concept’ album. A Beatles associate, Tony Bramwell, said that at one time the group were considering calling the album, ‘One Down, Six To Go,’ in reference to the number of albums they had committed themselves to record under a new contract. This is likely to have been just an example of the Beatles humour.

The name ‘Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ was devised and the album took five months and almost 700 hours of studio time to record. It is said that Paul McCartney thought up the original idea. He’d suggested, “Why don’t we make the whole album as though the Pepper band really existed, as though Sgt Pepper was doing the record?’

Paul at one time also suggested that The Beatles wear Salvation Army type uniforms to promote Sgt Pepper, but the others talked him out of it and the costumes they wore for the promotion were made by Maurice Burman’s, the theatrical costumiers.

The music was so intricate, complex and innovative that it staggered other artists who had been seeking to outdo The Beatles. Even more remarkable is the fact that this tour de force was recorded entirely on a four-track machine. George Martin was to comment, “Technically, it was a bit of a nightmare. If I’d had eight or sixteen track recording facilities I could have done a much better job. I only had four tracks and I had to stretch it to the limits.”

Another innovation was to segue the tracks on the album. John Lennon said, “It makes the whole album sound more like a continuous show. We’ve put everything in a sequence, which is balanced just like a programme of stuff for a concert. It should be listened to all the way through so there’s no point in having a silence every few minutes.”

Brian Epstein disagreed and told the Beatles’ publicist Tony Barrow, “People still want to drop the needle on to a favourite bit and play it more often than the rest of the album.”

The cover of ‘Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ is the most famous cover of any music album and one of the most imitated images in the world. The original idea of having a host of celebrities, living and dead, featured on the cover was, once again, Paul McCartney’s. He said, “We want our heroes together here. If we believe this is a very special album for us, we should have a lot of people who are special to us on the sleeve with us.”
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Both EMI and Brian Epstein disagreed with Paul’s idea for the sleeve as they felt it didn’t give enough prominence to The Beatles themselves. In fact, Epstein hated the idea. When he was due to return to London from New York by plane, he suddenly had a premonition that the airplane would crash and he would be killed, so he wrote a note and gave it to his attorney Nat Weiss. The note read: “Brown paper jacket for Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” Robert Fraser, a prominent figure in the London arts scene was brought in to advise on the album package and welcomed Paul’s idea, at the same time suggesting that another design, in a psychedelic style, submitted by the design group The Fool, would soon appear dated.

Fraser, together with sleeve designer, the artist Peter Blake, sent The Beatles a sheet of paper recommending that they write down their twelve most popular heroes from throughout history. A number of characters originally chosen by The Beatles didn’t actually appear in the finished design. They included Brigitte Bardot, Rene Magritte, Alfred Jarry, the Marquise de Sade, Nietzsche, Lord Buckley, Richmal Crompton and Dick Barton. Two of John Lennon’s suggestions, Adolph Hitler and Jesus Christ, were vetoed as it was considered their appearance would offend people.

When Sir Joseph Lockwood, head of EMI, arrived on the set he asked for the figure of Mahatma Gandhi to be removed as he thought it would offend record buyers in India – and India was a big market for EMI. In an early layout of the set, Gandhi had been placed behind the figure of Diana Dors, there was a figure of Bette Davis, in her Elizabeth 1 costume, behind Ringo and also an Albert Schweitzer.
Since there were so many living figures featured on the cover, EMI insisted that permission be obtained from each of the persons represented. This was an extremely complex and time-consuming job and Brian Epstein commissioned his former secretary Wendy Hanson to undertake the task.

A large set was assembled at photographer Michael Cooper’s studio in Flood Street, Chelsea, and the tableau was created by artist Peter Blake and photographed by Cooper. As it turned out, the full cast of figures probably does not reflect the individual heroes of each member of The Beatles completely. Ringo didn’t bother to make a list, a lot of John and Paul’s suggestions were either vetoed or simply omitted and George chose mostly Indian gurus.

Fraser included numerous American painters who were clients of his and there were a number of film stars who probably had no influence on The Beatles whatsoever. There was certainly no representation of their original musical influences – Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent and Carl Perkins, for example. Even Paul McCartney couldn’t figure out why his choice of Brigitte Bardot – the favourite of each of The Beatles in the early 60s – wasn’t included, yet Diana Dors was.

Not every figure on the album cover has been identified as some figures are almost obscured by other cut-outs. The ornate drumskin in the centre of the album cover was conceived by Peter Blake and The Beatles, who commissioned a genuine fairground artist, Joseph Ephgrave, to paint it.
Madame Tussauds lent a total of nine waxworks for the cover photograph – all four Beatles, Diana Dors, Lawrence of Arabia, George Bernard Shaw and Sonny Liston. The likelihood is that because Tussauds had those waxworks not on display and available for use on the tableau, the Dors, Lawrence, Shaw and Liston were included on the cover and were unlikely to be part of The Beatles individual choices.
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Other interesting features on the cover include some stone statues from the gardens of individual Beatles; a garden gnome; a flower display spelling ‘Beatles’; flowers in the shape of a guitar; a cloth figure of Shirley Temple and a doll with a knitted jumper with the words '‘Welcome Rolling Stones’ on it. Despite rumours, there are no marijuana plants on display – they are actually pepperonia plants.

‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ was the first album to have a gatefold sleeve – was the first to include a full set of printed lyrics and it also came with a cardboard sheet of cut-outs of a moustache, a picture card, stripes and badges. The Beatles were photographed in front of the tableau in their Sgt Pepper uniforms with Paul holding a cor anglais, Ringo holding a trumpet, John holding a French horn and George holding a flute. A bizarre rumour sprang up in America in October 1969 that Paul McCartney had died, that led to fans seeking ‘clues’ in The Beatles songs and on album covers which could back up the theory.

On the ‘Sgt Pepper’ sleeve it is alleged that the hand raised above Paul’s head was an Indian symbol of death and that the flowers represented a symbolic grave. In the centrefold of the album, Paul is wearing a badge with the initials OPP, which fans suggested meant ‘Officially Pronounced Dead.’ (A fold makes it appear as OPD). The patch on Paul’s sleeve does sport such initials, but they stand for Ontario Provincial Police. Paul was given the official patch while The Beatles were appearing in Toronto on Tuesday 17th August 1965.

Incidentally, one of the members of the security force guarding The Beatles at the time was called Sergeant Pepper. The back cover has George, John and Ringo with a back view of Paul. Fans said that this was because someone substituted for the dead Paul. This wasn’t so, as other pictures from the same session reveal that it was Paul in the photograph.

The first airing of the album on the radio took place at 5.00pm on the evening of Friday 12th May 1967, when the pirate station Radio London broadcast the tracks. Although American stations had broadcast tracks prior to this time, Radio London claimed a ‘world exclusive’ because they said they were the first to play the album in its entirety as ‘Album of the Week.’ A special press launch for the album was held at Brian Epstein’s house in Chapel Street, Mayfair, on Friday 19th May 1967.

When EMI released the album on Parlophone PCS 7027 on Thursday 1st June 1967 the reaction was staggering. It sold 250,000 copies in Britain during the first week and topped the half million mark within the month. It was issued in America on Capitol SMAS 2653 on Friday 2nd June 1967 with advance orders of over a million copies and it sold over two and a half million copies there within three months. It also topped the charts all over the world. The album was No.1 in Britain for 27 weeks and topped the charts for nineteen weeks in America, remaining in the charts there for a total of 113 weeks. The album received four Grammy Awards during the year of release: (1) Best Album. (2) Best Contemporary Album. (3) Best Album Cover. (4) Best Engineered Album.

In 1977 the British Phonogram Industry announced a special award to celebrate 25 years of British music: Best British Pop Album 1952-1977. It went to ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. The album tracks were:

Side One: ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’. ‘Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds’. ‘Getting Better’. ‘Fixing A Hole’. ‘She’s Leaving Home’. ‘Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite’.
Side Two: ‘Within You, Without You’. ‘When I’m Sixty Four’. ‘Lovely Rita’. ‘Good Morning Good Morning’. ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise)’. ‘A Day In The Life’.
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

The album was eventually issued as a compact disc on Monday 1st June 1987. It came in a luxury box presentation with an extra booklet and tracks re-mastered by George Martin. There were advance orders of 75,000 which immediately launched it into the No.3 position in the British charts.

Click for larger image
Click on image for larger picture
 Who is on the cover?
The identifiable figures are:

1. Sri Yukteswar Giri
One of four Indian gurus selected by George. Yukteswar was Sri Yogananda’s guru and author of the treatise ‘The Holy Science’, which deals with the underlying unity of the Bible and the Hindu scriptures.
2. Aleister Crowley
A British magician, specialising in the black arts, who was known as ‘The Great Beast.’ He was once the subject of a novel by W. Somerset Maugham called ‘The Magician.’ During his life he was involved in many scandals and was referred to in the press as ‘the most evil man in Britain.’ He was a practitioner of ‘sex magic’ and wrote many books on the occult.
3. Mae West
The legendary film star who, during the Second World War, had a life-saving device named after her – an inflatable rubber jacket. Her films included ‘My Little Chickadee’ in which she starred with W. C. Fields, who is also featured on the cover. Ringo Starr appeared with Mae in the film ‘Sextette’ and Beatles aide Derek Taylor was once employed to handle her publicity. When first approached for permission to use her image, Mae turned down the request, stating, ‘What would I be doing in a Lonely Hearts Club?’ The Beatles wrote to her, each signing the letter, and she then agreed.
4. Lenny Bruce
An American comedian who gained a cult following because of his abrasive comedy routine which shocked audiences with its liberal use of four-letter words. He died of drug abuse and was the subject of a film biopic, which starred Dustin Hoffman, and a book by Albert Goldman.

5. Karl Heinz Stockhausen
A contemporary German composer, born in 1928, who was noted for his use of electronic sounds.
6. W. C. Fields
He was one of Peter Blake’s choices. Fields was an eccentric American screen comedian. Born Clarke William Duckenfield in 1880, his films included ‘Never Give a Sucker An Even Break’ and ‘My Little Chickadee.’ He was the subject of a film biopic that starred Rod Steiger.
7. Carl Gustav Jung
A prominent psychiatrist, born in Switzerland, who studied dreams, the I Ching and various esoteric subjects. His theory of ‘synchronicity’ intrigued Sting of The Police who named one of the group’s albums after it. During the 1930s Jung had a dream in which he claimed he saw the future. In his dreams he was in Liverpool, which he called ‘the city of light.’
8. Edgar Allen Poe
He was John Lennon’s choice. Poe was an American author, creator of the modern detective novel and several classic horror tales, including ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ and ‘The Pit and the Pendulum.’ He died of a weak heart in 1849, caused by excessive drinking.
9. Fred Astaire
Hollywood’s premier star of the dance musical, his films include ‘Top Hat’ and ‘Funny Face.’ He was featured in John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ film.
10. Richard Merkin
A contemporary American painter, one of several featured on the sleeve. Most likely a choice by Robert Fraser.
11. The Vargas Girl
A pin up by the artist Alberto Vargas.
12. Leo Gorcey
Leo Gorcey was selected to appear on the Sgt Pepper tableau and is, in fact, featured on some of the preliminary cover photographs. However, when he was approached for permission to use his image, he insisted on receiving a fee of £500 for it, so his image was taken out.
13. Huntz Hall
A screen comedy actor who starred in dozens of 'Dead End Kids' and 'Bowery Boys' movies in the 1930s and 1940s. He was an original member of the Dead End Kids, who also included Leo Gorcey, Gabriel Dell, Billy Halop and Bobby Jordan. Hall died in Hollywood on 1st February 1999, aged 78.
14. Simon Rodia
A minor folk artist who was also a sculptor and designer. In 1954 he completed the famous Watts Tower, an unusual architectural structure of pottery and cement on a steel framework. Not likely to have been one of the Beatles’ choices.
15. Bob Dylan
America’s leading solo artist on the Sixties and a friend of The Beatles. His real name was Robert Zimmerman.
16. Aubrey Beardsley
One of the most controversial artists of the Victorian age whose career was almost ruined by a scandal caused by his series of erotic drawings (John Lennon’s erotic drawings also caused a scandal!). He suffered from ill health from the age of six and died at the age of 25.
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
17. Sir Robert Peel
A former Prime Minister of Great Britain who originally formed the Conservative Party. Born in Bury, Lancashire in 1788, he died in 1850. Apart from repealing The Corn Laws, he established the police force in Britain; hence early policemen were nicknamed ‘peelers.’
18. Aldous Huxley
A noted British author whose most famous work is the novel ‘Brave New World’. He explored the use of hallucinogenic drugs in his book ‘The Doors of Perception’, a non-fiction work which inspired Jim Morrison to call his group The Doors. John Lennon was very influenced by him and this is arguably one of John’s choices. Huxley died in 1963.
19. Dylan Thomas
A Welsh poet who died in New York in 1953. He was also a playwright and wrote works such as ‘Under Milk Wood’.
20. Terry Southern
A friend of photographer Michael Cooper, and was one of Robert Fraser’s choices. The American author penned ‘Candy’ and ‘The Magic Christian’, both of which were filmed featuring Ringo Starr. He was 71 years old at the time of his death in 1995.
21. Dion
Peter Blake’s choice. An American teen singing idol whose hits included ‘Runaround Sue’ and ‘The Wanderer’. He originally fronted the Belmonts, who had a major international hit with ‘Teenager In Love’. He was certainly not one of The Beatles’ seminal influences.
22. Tony Curtis
Peter Blake’s choice. He was an American film star, born in Brooklyn, who became a teen idol in the 1950s and later appeared in comedy roles. His hair style was much copied and in Liverpool, early members of The Beatles wore the D.A. (duck’s arse) hairstyle. He was one of the guest stars in Mae West’s ‘Sextette’, in which Ringo Starr and Keith Moon also appeared.
23. Wallace Berman
Robert Fraser’s choice, another contemporary American artist, based in Los Angeles. He died in 1976.
24. Tommy Handley
A Liverpool comedian who died in 1949. He became famous for his long-running radio series ‘I.T.M.A. (It’s That Man Again)’.
25. Marilyn Monroe
Paul McCartney owns a sculpture of this famous Hollywood screen star who tragically died of an overdose of sleeping pills in 1962. Although regarded as one of the screens ‘sex goddesses’, she was an under-rated comedienne and her films included ‘Some Like It Hot’ and ‘The Misfits’.
26. William Burroughs
A Paul McCartney choice. An American writer, born in 1914, whose novels gained a cult following, particularly in the 1960s when several groups named themselves after the titles of his books, which included ‘The Soft Machine’ and ‘Nova Express’. He died in 1997.
27. Sri Mahavatara Babaji
Another Indian guru selected by George.
28. Stan Laurel
The Lancashire-born comedian who moved to Hollywood and found fame in partnership with Oliver Hardy. He died in 1965.
29. Richard Lindner
Robert Fraser’s choice. A German-born artist who fled to America in 1941 to escape Nazi persecution. Originally a concert pianist, he took to painting the sordid low life of New York. He died in 1978.
30. Oliver Hardy
Together with his screen partner, Stan Laurel, he created one of the classic film comedy duos – Laurel & Hardy. ‘Trail Of the Lonesome Pine’, a song from their film ‘Way Out West’, provided the pair with a posthumous chart hit in the 1970s. He died in 1957.
31. Karl Heinrich Marx
This German-born political theorist developed a system of social philosophy based on his experiences in London’s East End. The pamphlet he co-wrote with Friedrich Engels, ‘The Communist Manifesto’, had a profound effect on the course of 20th Century history. He died in 1883.
32. Herbert George (H.G.) Wells
The British novelist who created many enduring science fiction classic novels such as ‘The War Of the Worlds’, ‘The Time Machine’, ‘The Invisible Man’ and ‘The Island of Dr Moreau’. His book ‘The War of the Worlds’ was adapted into a successful rock music album by Jeff Wayne. He died in 1946.
33. Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
The first great Indian master to live in the West for a long period of time. He was instrumental in introducing Indian thought and practice to America. Mahasaya Paramahansa was the author of ‘Autobiography Of A Yogi’, a copy of which George presented to Henry Kissinger. George also dedicated two songs on his ‘33 1/3’ album to the guru, ‘Dear One’ and ‘See Yourself’.
34. Anonymous
This was a hairdresser's dummy.
35. Stuart Sutcliffe
The original fifth member of The Beatles who played bass guitar with the band. He remained in Hamburg after The Beatles had performed there and tragically died of a brain haemorrhage in 1962.
36. Anonymous
This was a hairdresser's dummy
37. Max Miller
A controversial British music hall comedian, born in Britain in 1895, who was known as ‘the cheeky chappie’ because of his risqué comedy routine. He died in 1963.
38. Lucille Ball - 'Petty Girl'
A famous Hollywood comedienne, known as ‘the Queen of Comedy’. The drawing of the actress on the sleeve was executed by George Petty, an artist who, like Vargas, specialised in painting pin-ups. Lucille died on 26th April 1989.
39. Marlon Brando
A Hollywood superstar who studied the ‘Method’ style of acting in films such as ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’. His other films ranged from ‘Julius Caesar’ to ‘Superman’ and the controversial ‘Last Tango in Paris’. An apocryphal story is that a band of bikers in his film ‘The Wild One’ inspired the name The Beatles. This is completely untrue as the film was banned in Britain until 1968 and no member of The Beatles could possibly have seen it. Brando died in 2004 at the age of 80.
40. Tom Mix
One of the most famous Western actors of the silent screen. A former working cowhand, he became a stunt man and then a star. He died in a car accident in 1940.
41. Oscar Wilde
John Lennon’s choice. An Irish playwright noted for his witty epigrams. He was involved in a major scandal due to his homosexuality and served a jail sentence before dying in ignominy in Paris in 1900.
42. Tyrone Power
A Hollywood leading man who appeared in many swashbuckling roles. His films included ‘Captain from Castile’, ‘The Eddy Duchin Story’ and ‘Son of Fury’. He died of a heart attack in 1958 while filming ‘Solomon and Sheba’.
43. Larry Bell
A contemporary minimalist American artist, born in Chicago in 1939. He based himself in Little Venice in California and became a leading light in the Los Angeles art world. He began to concentrate on creating glass sculptures from 1964.
44. Dr. David Livingstone
A Scottish missionary and explorer who died in Africa in 1873.
45. Johnny Weissmuller
A prominent athlete who became the American swimming champion, winning five gold medals in the Olympics. This led to offers from Hollywood and he became the screen’s most popular Tarzan. He died in 1984.
46. Stephen Crane
A talented American author who died from tuberculosis in 1900 at the age of 28. His novels included ‘The Red Badge of Courage’ and ‘The Outcasts of Poker Flat’.
47. Issy Bonn
A noted British radio and music hall star of the 1940s and 1950s.
48. George Bernard Shaw
Waxwork. The Irish-born playwright whose works included ‘Man And Superman’, ‘Pygmalion’ and ‘Major Barbara’. Paul McCartney appeared as the inquisitor in a school play production of Shaw’s ‘St Joan’ when he was attending the Liverpool Institute. He died in 1959.
49. H.C. (Horace Clifford) Westermann
Peter Blake’s choice. A noted American sculptor. He died in 1981.
50. Albert Stubbins
A former soccer player with Liverpool FC. This was John’s choice, although he didn’t know anything about him. He’d chosen him because his father had been a fan. He died in December 2002 at the age of 83.
51. Sri Lahiri Mahasaya
Another of George’s Indian guru selections, whose aphorisms included ‘You belong to no one and no one belongs to you.’ He died in 1895.
52. Lewis Carroll
John Lennon’s choice. Born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson in Cheshire, near Liverpool, in 1832. He was a teacher who was author of such classic works as ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Through the Looking Glass’. John was inspired by his works, as is evident from songs such as ‘I am The Walrus’. He died in 1898.
53. T.E. (Thomas Edward) Lawrence
Waxwork. He rose to fame during the First World War when he united the Arab nations and led the fight against the Turks. He became disillusioned when the British reneged on their promises to the Arabs and later enlisted anonymously in the RAF. He wrote several books including ‘The Seven Pillars of Wisdom’ and died in a motorcycle accident in 1935.
54. Sonny Liston
Peter Blake’s choice. Liston was an American boxer who became Heavyweight Champion of the World when he knocked out Floyd Patterson in 1962. He died alone in 1970, his body being discovered a week after his death. This is a waxwork figure that Blake brought from Madame Tussauds.
55. The Petty Girl
Another image by artist George Petty - possibly Binnie Barnes.
56. George Harrison
Waxwork model.
57. John Lennon
Waxwork model.
58. Shirley Temple
Peter Blake’s choice. There are actually three images of Shirley on the cover. The Californian actress rose to fame as a child star in such films as ‘Wee Willie Winkie’ and ‘The Little Princess’ and was later to become an American Ambassador. She visited The Beatles in their dressing-room at The Cow Palace, San Francisco in 1964. When initially approached about permission to use her image she insisted on hearing the record first before she gave her approval.
59. Ringo Starr
Waxwork model.
60. Paul McCartney
Waxwork model
61. Albert Einstein
The scientific genius, born in Germany in 1879. He spent the last twenty years of his life at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton University in America. He revolutionised scientific thinking with his ‘Theory of Relativity’. He died in 1955.
62. John Lennon
Seen holding a French horn.
63. Ringo Starr
Seen holding a trumpet.
64. Paul McCartney
Seen holding a cor anglais.
65. George Harrison
Seen holding a flute.
66. Bobby Breen
A former child actor and lead singer with a British dance band. He moved to America and opened a talent agency in Florida.
67. Marlene Dietrich
The Berlin born film star whose films included ‘The Blue Angel’, ‘Destry Rides Again’ and ‘Shanghai Express’. One of The Beatles’ drinking haunts in Liverpool was called The Blue Angel and Marlene appeared on the same bill as The Beatles at the Royal Variety Show on 4th November 1963. She died in May 1992.
68. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Sir Joseph Lockwood, head of EMI, asked for the figure of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi to be removed as he thought it would offend record buyers in India – and India was a big market for EMI.
69. American Legionnaire
From the Order of the Buffalos
70. Diana Dors
Waxwork. A British film actress who was touted as a screen sex star of the 1950s. She became a popular character actress in British films and TV. She died in 1984.
71. Shirley Temple
There are actually three images of Shirley on the cover.
72. Figure
A cloth grandmother figurine by Jann Haworth, an American pop artist and a pioneer of soft sculpture.
73. Shirley Temple
A cloth figurine by Jann Haworth, wearing a sweater that reads "Welcome The Rolling Stones".
74. Mexican ornament
A ceramic Mexican ornament known as a Tree of Life from Metepec
75. Television
 A 9-inch Sony television set
76. Stone figurine of a girl
 77. Stone figure
78. Statue
From John Lennon's house, used by Peter Blake as the model for the cut-out of Sgt Pepper.
79. Trophy
80. Indian doll
A four-armed doll of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi
81. Drumskin
Painted by Joe Ephgrave.
82. Hookah
83. Velvet Snake
84. Figurine
A Japanese Fukusuke china figure
85. Snow White
Stone figure
86. Garden gnome
87. Euphonium



Mersey Beat Magazine Bill Harry attended the Liverpool College of Art with Stuart Sutcliffe and John Lennon and made the arrangements for Brian Epstein to visit The Cavern, where he saw The Beatles for the first time. Bill was a member of 'The Dissenters' and the founder and editor of 'Mersey Beat', the iconic weekly music newspaper that documented the early Sixties music scene in the Liverpool area and is possibly best known for being the first periodical to feature a local band called 'The Beatles'. He has worked as a high powered publicist, doing PR for acts such as Suzi Quatro, Free, The Arrows and Hot Chocolate and has managed press campaigns for record labels such as CBS, EMI, Polydor. Bill is the critically acclaimed author of a large number of books about The Beatles and the 60s era including 'The Beatles Who's Who', 'The Best Years of the Beatles' and the Fab Four's 'Encyclopedia' series. He has appeared on 'Good Morning America' and has received a Gold Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.

Article Text Bill Harry       Original Graphics SixtiesCity      Other individual owner copyrights may apply to Photographic Images

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