Before They Were Beatles – Details, episodes & analysis

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Before They Were Beatles

Megrin Entertainment

Music

Frequency: 1 episode/66d. Total Eps: 30

In Seasons 1 -3 we uncover the story of how one of the thousands of amateur schoolboy skiffle bands evolved into the beginnings of the greatest band in popular history. In Season 4 we take a look at the stories of The Forgotten Beatles - the often-overlooked artists who at one point shared the stage or the studio with The Beatles.

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🇫🇷 France - musicHistory
25/07/2026
#85
🇫🇷 France - musicHistory
24/07/2026
#70
🇫🇷 France - musicHistory
23/07/2026
#53
🇫🇷 France - musicHistory
22/07/2026
#38
🇫🇷 France - musicHistory
21/07/2026
#34
🇫🇷 France - musicHistory
20/07/2026
#27
🇫🇷 France - musicHistory
19/07/2026
#18
🇨🇦 Canada - musicHistory
29/06/2026
#81
🇨🇦 Canada - musicHistory
28/06/2026
#53
🇨🇦 Canada - musicHistory
27/06/2026
#43

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https://beforebeatles.substack.com/
48 shares
https://www.petebest.com
2 shares
https://www.stereodinner.com/events/beforetheywerebeatles
2 shares

https://www.youtube.com/@AlanPorterWriter
30 shares

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RSS feed quality

Good

Score global : 73%

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Episode 4 - “Eddie Clayton” aka Eric Clapton

Season 4 · Episode 4

Wednesday, April 24, 2024 • Duration 11:55

This month we turn the spotlight on on the man on the weeping guitar originally credited as “Eddie Clayton” perhaps better known as Eric Clapton

*******

Thanks for listening to this episode of Before They Were Beatles Presents: The Forgotten Beatles. If you would like to leave a rating or review on your favorite podcast platform that would be great and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes.

If you would like to make a comment or ask a question you can follow the podcast Twitter account at @BeforeBeatles or you can email me at alan@beforetheywerebeatles.com

Don’t forget to join us next month when we turn the spotlight on the story of The Quarrymen’s Rod Davis

**************

BTWB Newsletter

You can also subscribe to the monthly Before They Were Beatles newsletter at https://beforebeatles.substack.com/.

The news and updates sections each month will be FREE to all subscribers.

Each month paid subscribers will get:

Exclusive first look at in-progress updates to the updated and expanded 20th Anniversary edition of Before They Were Beatles
Author's notes
Play List Suggestions
Recommended Reads

—---------

Some Other Guy performed by The Savage Young Beatles is used with permission.

The Before They Were Beatles podcast series is a production of Megrin Entertainment, a division of 4Js Group LLC.

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Episode 3 - Calandra, The Chants, and Chapman

Season 4 · Episode 3

Wednesday, March 6, 2024 • Duration 16:02

This month we turn the spotlight on n Vince Calandra, The Chants, and Norman Chapman

If you want to know more about Vince Calandra he did a four-hour interview for the Television Academy on his career which is available in their online archives. There are a few extracts from it on YouTube that refer to the Beatles' Ed Sullivan appearance.

For info on The Chants, I recommend the Sixties City website which includes links to their full discography. There is also an extract on YouTube from the documentary "Get Back: The City That Rocked The World", with Joe Ankrah talking about meeting Paul and being invited to the Cavern.

You can read more of Norman Chapman’s story in The Fab One Hundred and Four by David Bedford, and Finding the Fourth Beatle by David Bedford & Gary Popper.

*******

If you would like to make a comment or ask a question you can follow the podcast Twitter account at @BeforeBeatles or you can email me at alan@beforetheywerebeatles.com

Don’t forget to join us next month when we turn the spotlight on the story of ‘Eddie Clayton” (aka Eric Clapton)

Episode 20 - Decca Demos

Season 3 · Episode 20

Wednesday, January 11, 2023 • Duration 19:58

It’s early 1962 and John, Paul, George, and Pete, are headed down to London to audition for a major record label. Will they land that much desired recording contract?

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This is the story of how one of the thousands of amateur British schoolboy skiffle bands in the mid-1950s 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.

It is a story of beginnings, the story of John, Paul, George, and Ringo - Before They Were Beatles.

The music heard in this episode included:

The Beatles - Money (Intro from Decca auditions)
Beatles - Memphis Tennessee (Decca auditions)
Brian Poole & The Tremeloes - Do You Love Me
The Beatles - Like Dreamers Do
The Beatles - Hello Little Girl
Dick James - The Adventures of Robin Hood
Temperance Seven - You’re Driving Me Crazy

You can find full versions of the music heard in this episode in the dedicated Before They Were Beatles Podcast YouTube channel - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP0CDQdLe-G141LlqyBu8rC8ap6voBhZe.

If you would like to make a comment or ask a question you can follow the podcast Twitter account at @BeforeBeatles

You can also find copies of the original Before They Were Beatles book on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle editions

The Before They Were Beatles Podcast is a production of Megrin Entertainment, a division of 4Js Group LLC.

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Episode 5 - The Boys Began To Play

Season 1 · Episode 5

Monday, August 16, 2021 • Duration 22:44

It's 1957 and the boys start to take the stage with the first public performances by the Quarrymen (John), The Rebels (George), and the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group (Ringo).

It is a story of beginnings, the story of John, Paul, George, and Ringo - Before They Were Beatles.

The music heard in this episode includes:

The Quarrymen - In Spite of All The Danger
The Merseysippi Jazz Band - Snake Rag
George Harrison & Eric Clapton - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
The New Rebels - Young Blood
Elvis Presley - All Shook Up

You can find full versions of the music heard in this episode in the dedicated Before They Were Beatles Podcast YouTube channel -

If you would like to make a comment or ask a question you can follow the podcast Twitter account at @BeforeBeatles, or email me at alan@beforetheywerebeatles.com

You can also find copies of the original Before They Were Beatles book on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle editions

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Episode 4 - "Quarrymen old before our birth"

Season 1 · Episode 4

Tuesday, June 8, 2021 • Duration 19:18

It's fall 1956 and a return to school means new friends and new ideas for John Lennon - and one idea, in particular, that will be the catalyst for everything that follows - the formation of a schoolboy skiffle group - The Quarrymen.

It is a story of beginnings, the story of John, Paul, George, and Ringo - Before They Were Beatles.

The music heard in this episode included:

The Quarrymen - In Spite of All The Danger
The Vipers - Don’t You Rock Me Daddy’O
The Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys - Worried Man Blues
Paul McCartney - I Lost My Little Girl
Lonnie Donigan - John Henry

You can find full versions of the music heard in this episode in the dedicated Before They Were Beatles Podcast YouTube channel -

If you would like to make a comment or ask a question you can follow the podcast Twitter account at @BeforeBeatles, or email me at alan@beforetheywerebeatles.com

You can also find copies of the original Before They Were Beatles book on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle editions

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Episode 2 - Ken Brown

Season 4 · Episode 2

Wednesday, February 7, 2024 • Duration 14:45

This month we turn the spotlight on guitarist Ken Brown of The Quarrymen and The Blackjacks

If you want to know more about Ken Brown’s story I recommend, The Beatles: The True Beginnings, published by Thomas Dunne Books in 2003

*******

Thanks for listening to this episode of Before They Were Beatles presents: The Forgotten Beatles. If you would like to leave a rating or review on your favorite podcast platform that would be great and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes.

If you would like to make a comment or ask a question you can follow the podcast Twitter account at @BeforeBeatles or you can email me at alan@beforetheywerebeatles.com

Don’t forget to join us next month when we turn the spotlight on the stories of honorary Beatle Vince Calandra, vocal group The Chants, and drummer Norman Chapman.

**************

BTWB Newsletter

You can also subscribe to the monthly Before They Were Beatles newsletter at https://beforebeatles.substack.com/.

The news and updates sections each month will be FREE to all subscribers.

Each month paid subscribers will get:

Exclusive first look at in-progress updates to the updated and expanded 20th Anniversary edition of Before They Were Beatles
Author's notes
Play List Suggestions
Recommended Reads

—---------

Episode 3 - George, Paul, & Richie

Season 1 · Episode 3

Wednesday, May 12, 2021 • Duration 23:08

Our journey continues as we meet the teenage George Harrison, James Paul McCartney, and Richard Starkey, plus take a side trip to discuss the impact on British rock of guitar virtuoso Bert Whedon.

This is the story of how one of thousands of amateur British schoolboy skiffle bands in the mid-1950s 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.

It is a story of beginnings, the story of John, Paul, George, and Ringo - Before They Were Beatles.

The music heard in this episode included:

The Quarrymen - In Spite of All The Danger (Harrison & McCartney)
Burt Weedon - Guitar Boogie Shuffle
The Beatles - extract from A Day in the Life (Lennon & McCartney)
Louis Armstrong - When The Saints Go Marching In (trad.)
Gerry & The Pacemakers - Ferry Across the Mersey (Gerry Marsden)

You can find full versions of the music heard in this episode in the dedicated Before They Were Beatles Podcast YouTube channel

If you would like to make a comment or ask a question you can follow the podcast Twitter account at @BeforeBeatles, or email me at alan@beforetheywerebeatles.com

You can also find copies of the original Before They Were Beatles book on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle editions

Episode 2 - Beginnings: Elvis, Lonnie & John

Season 1 · Episode 2

Wednesday, April 14, 2021 • Duration 22:00

We begin our journey in January 1956, with the rise of Elvis and the beginnings of rock-n-roll, the British skiffle craze, and the impact they had on the young John Winston Lennon.

It is a story of beginnings, the story of John, Paul, George, and Ringo - Before They Were Beatles.

The music heard in this episode included:

The Quarrymen - In Spite of All The Danger
Bill Haley - Rock Around The Clock
Lonnie Donegan - Rock Island Line
Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel
Fats Domino - Ain’t That A Shame
Little Richard - Long Tall Sally

You can find full versions of the music heard in this episode in the dedicated Before They Were Beatles Podcast You Tube channel

If you would like to make a comment or ask a question you can follow the podcast Twitter account at @BeforeBeatles, or email me at alan@beforetheywerebeatles.com

You can also find copies of the original Before They Were Beatles book on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle editions

Episode 1 - Strawberry Fields - Introduction

Season 1 · Episode 1

Wednesday, March 17, 2021 • Duration 10:30

In 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, left 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 the 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.

It is a story of beginnings, the story of John, Paul, George, and Ringo - Before They Were Beatles.

The first introductory episode covers host Alan J. Porter's personal connections with Strawberry Fields and how the genesis of his original Before They Were Beatles book.

The music heard in this episode includes:

The Quarrymen - In Spite of All The Danger
John Lennon - Strawberry Fields For Ever (acoustic)
Various voices - Imagine (John Lennon)
Lonnie Donegan - Rock Island Line

You can find full versions of the music heard in this episode in the dedicated Before They Were Beatles Podcast YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP0CDQdLe-G141LlqyBu8rC8ap6voBhZe

If you would like to make a comment or ask a question you can follow the podcast Twitter account at @BeforeBeatles, or email me at alan@beforetheywerebeatles.com

You can also find copies of the original Before They Were Beatles book on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle editions

Episode 1 - Pete Best

Season 4 · Episode 1

Wednesday, January 3, 2024 • Duration 16:43

Welcome to the first episode of Before They Were Beatles presents: The Forgotten Beatles in which we turn the spotlight on drummer Pete Best

If you want to know more about Pete Best’s story we recommend,

Beatle! The Pete Best Story - Plexus Publishing - Pete’s autobiography (although it is going for crazy money these days - if you can find a copy it is well over $200 for the paperback)
The Beatles: The True Beginnings is a nice illustrated hardback on the history of the Casbah Club by Roag Best published by Thomas Dunne Books in 2003
Finding the Fourth Beatle by David Bedford and Gary Popper, published in 2013 is a great book on the various Beatles drummers (many of whom we will be covering in this podcast series) and includes an in-depth study of Pete’s drumming technique.
And of course, there’s Mark Lewishon’s mammoth volume on The Beatles’ early years, Tune In, which covers Pete’s time with the group in Liverpool and Hamburg in great detail
Pete also has his own official website at https://www.petebest.com and on Twitter / X @BeatlesPeteBest

*******

You can check out some of Pete's post-Beatles recordings, plus enjoy his appearance on the Have I Got A Secret TV show on The Forgotten Beatles You Tube playlist.

*******

Thanks for listening to this episode of Before They Were Beatles presents: The Forgotten Beatles. If you would like to leave a rating or review on your favorite podcast platform that would be great and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes.

If you would like to make a comment or ask a question you can follow the podcast Twitter account at @BeforeBeatles or you can email us at

Before They Were Beatles – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

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Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Before They Were Beatles – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other18

Youtube16

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other18

Youtube16

Amazon17

Apple Podcasts

Spotify