Tag: Love Me Do

Hey Baby And The Beatles

November 4, 2015

heybabyBy Bob Berry

A Keener 13 happy birthday (11/4) to Delbert McClinton, who played one of the great harmonica “licks” of all-time on on Bruce Channel’s “Hey Baby”. And it was those notes that led to a meeting with John Lennon that ultimately influenced the sound of two of rock and roll’s most important songs, “Love Me Do” and  “Please, Please Me“”.

Quick background. Bruce Channel wrote and recorded “Hey Baby“, with McClinton on harmonica, in late 1961. Released on LeCam Records, the song went all the way to Number One for three weeks in March 1962.  “Hey Baby” was a flat-out smash, taking the boys to Europe for a tour of Great Britain with Merseybeat groups managed by Brian Epstein like The Big Three, The Statesmen, and The Four Jays.

And then June 21, 1963 happened, at the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton, England. Added to the show that night was another, if barely-noticed Brian Epstein group, The Beatles. And while popular mythology has Bruce teaching John harmonica while hanging out backstage, that’s not quite accurate. Here’s Delbert and Bruce (in a poorly-titled video), for the record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdXzJaCeHP8

And now, for the song we know, love and have sung at parties, bars and football games. Delbert has come up with one of the great gigs. His annual Sandy Beaches Cruise, with a bunch of his musical friends, playing and partying on a cruise ship. Now in it’s 22nd year, Bruce and Delbert got together in 2003 for a 41st anniversary edition of “Hey! Baby”. Love it.

 

 

 

In The Beginning There Was Love Me Do

October 5, 2015

LoveMeDoBy Bob Berry

October 5, 1962. The Beatles released their first single in the U.K., “Love Me Do“.

Surprisingly, if only in retrospect, it didn’t sell all that well, peaking at #17 on the charts, and it wasn’t released in the U.S. until 1964! And yet within the next year or so, the world would know that the release of “Love Me Do” was a turning point for The Beatles, and in our lives, too.

Ringo, who played tambourine, not drums on the single, said it best:

“….That first piece of plastic. You can’t believe how great that was. It was so wonderful. We were on a record!”

And to think “P.S. I Love You” was only good enough to be the flip side!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaIQfmE_LCQ