The Beat Ballad Show Tour was a 1960 tour of Scotland by singer

Johnny Gentle John Askew (born 8 December 1936), known as Johnny Gentle, is a British pop singer best remembered for having briefly toured Scotland with the Silver Beetles (later known as the Beatles) as his backing group in 1960. Life and career John Ask ...

, backed by

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

(billed as Johnny Gentle and his Group). It was the first concert tour by the Beatles.

Background

On 10 May, the Beatles competed with other local Liverpool bands in an audition for talent manager

Larry Parnes Laurence Maurice Parnes (3 September 1929 – 4 August 1989) was a British pop manager and impresario. He was the first major British rock manager, and his stable of singers included many of the most successful British rock and roll singers of ...

for a chance to back singer

Billy Fury Ronald Wycherley (17 April 1940 – 28 January 1983), better known as Billy Fury, was an English singer, musician, songwriter, and actor. An early star of rock and roll, he equalled the Beatles' record of 24 hits in the 1960s and spent 332 we ...

on a summer tour called "Idols on Parade". There was also an opportunity for the second-best band to back singers

Duffy Power Duffy Power (born Raymond Leslie Howard; 9 September 1941 – 19 February 2014) was an English blues and rock and roll singer, who achieved some success in the 1960s and continued to perform and record intermittently later. Career Ray Howard w ...

and Johnny Gentle in a tour of Scotland from May 20–28, 1960. However, Beatles drummer Tommy Moore arrived late. Drummer Johnny Hutch was asked to sit in with the band. A rumor has surfaced over the years saying that Parnes and Fury were also unimpressed with bassist

Stuart Sutcliffe Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe (23 June 1940 – 10 April 1962) was a Scottish painter and musician best known as the original bass guitarist of the English rock band the Beatles. Sutcliffe left the band to pursue his career as a paint ...

, and the Beatles were turned down for either spot. Larry Parnes has stated that he found nothing wrong with Stuart Sutcliffe, and that it was the elderly looking drummer Tommy Moore that he thought was wrong for the group. However, a few days later, Parnes contacted Beatles manager

Allan Williams Allan Richard Williams (21 February 1930 – 30 December 2016) was a British businessman and promoter who was the original booking agent and first manager of the Beatles. He personally drove the van to take the young band to Hamburg, Germany, in ...

, as Gentle needed a backing group for a Scottish tour beginning 20 May. The Beatles were the only group Williams could book at such short notice, and they got the job.

The Tour

For the tour, the Beatles adopted stage names—John Lennon became known as "Johnny Lennon", Paul McCartney was "Paul Ramon", George Harrison was "Carl Harrison", Stu Sutcliffe was "Stuart de Staël", and Tommy Moore was "Thomas Moore". The band was very under-rehearsed, barely knowing the songs they were to perform with Gentle. Gentle and the Beatles were friendly with each other on the tour, and Lennon contributed to a song Gentle was writing, "I've Just Fallen For Someone". The exact songs played on the tour are unknown. It is known that the Beatles performed by themselves before Gentle came on the stage. Harrison would remember performing "

Teddy Bear A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy b ...

" and "

Wear My Ring Around Your Neck "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" is a song written by Bert Carroll and Russell Moody, performed by Elvis Presley, which was released in 1958. It was particularly notable for breaking a string of ten consecutive number 1 hits for Presley achieved i ...

" by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

. Other sources report that they played "

It Doesn't Matter Anymore "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" is a pop ballad written by Paul Anka and recorded by Buddy Holly in 1958. The song was issued in January 1959, less than a month before Holly's death. "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" reached number 13 as a posthumous hit ...

" and "

Raining in My Heart "Raining in My Heart" is a song recorded by Buddy Holly on October 21, 1958 at the Pythian Temple on West 70th Street in New York City, with the orchestral backing by Dick Jacobs. The music and lyrics are written by the songwriting team of Fel ...

" by

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

, " I Need Your Love Tonight" by Elvis Presley, "

Poor Little Fool "Poor Little Fool" is a song written by Sharon Sheeley and first recorded by Ricky Nelson in 1958. Background Sheeley wrote the song when she was 15 years old. She had met Elvis Presley, and he encouraged her to write. It was based on her disapp ...

" by

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...

, "

(I Don't Know Why) But I Do "(I Don't Know Why) But I Do" is an R&B song written by Paul Gayten and Bobby Charles (as Robert Guidry), and performed by Clarence "Frogman" Henry. Original version It was Henry's biggest U.S. hit, reaching No. 4 in early 1961. The B-side on ...

" by

Clarence "Frogman" Henry Clarence Henry II (born March 19, 1937), known as Clarence "Frogman" Henry, is an American rhythm and blues singer and pianist, best known for his hits " Ain't Got No Home" (1956) and " (I Don't Know Why) But I Do" (1961). Career Clarence Henry ...

, "

C'mon Everybody "C'mon Everybody" is a 1958 song by Eddie Cochran and Jerry Capehart, originally released as a B-side. Background When Cochran recorded his lead vocal for the song, he also created an alternate version of the song called "Let's Get Together". ...

" by

Eddie Cochran Ray Edward Cochran (; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. Cochran's songs, such as "Twenty Flight Rock", "Summertime Blues", "C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire ...

, and "

He'll Have to Go "He'll Have to Go" is an American country and pop hit recorded on October 15, 1959, by Jim Reeves. The song, released in the fall of 1959, went on to become a hit in both genres early in 1960. Background The song is about a man who's talking by t ...

" by

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville Sound. Known as "Gentlem ...

Dates

Tour band

– vocals * Johnny Lennon – rhythm guitar, vocals * Paul Ramon – rhythm guitar * Carl Harrison – lead guitar * Stuart de Staël – bass guitar *

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...

– drums

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beat Ballad Show Tour, The 1960 concert tours Concert tours of the United Kingdom The Beatles concert tours 1960 in British music 1960 in Scotland May 1960 events in the United Kingdom

Background

The Tour

Dates

Tour band

See also

References

Sources