Former Beatles Associate Tony Sheridan Dead At 72
Posted by Joseph Lee on 02.18.2013
He was with the band briefly...
The Daily Telegraph reports that Tony Sheridan has passed away at the age of 72. He was a guitarist and singer who was backed by The Beatles during their very first recording session.
His family made the news public on a Facebook post last Saturday. It read: "Our beloved father and friend! Thank you for your love and inspiration. You left us today at 12.00 pm."
Sheridan met The Beatles (which then included Pete Best on drums) in the early 1960s in Hamburg, Germany. This is also the same location where Sheridan died. While a well-known figure in the Hamburg clubs, he joined the band for several songs including 'My Bonnie', 'Ain't She Sweet' and 'When The Saints Go Marching In'. They recorded under the name Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers.
McCartney called Sheridan "The Teacher". Sheridan was the one who created the band's pre-fame look of leather bomber jackets and cowboy boots. He also introduced them to American R&B records by artists like Little Richard.
Sheridan was often unpredictable at the Top Ten Club. Sometimes he would show up drunk, fall off stage and moon the fans. The Beatles showed up to watch him play every night. They then became his backing band at the club, playing for up to seven hours a night.
Sheridan's last album was Vagabond in 2002. He made a rare live appearance in 2012 at Beatlefair in San Diego, California. This was just a few weeks before he had heart surgery in Germany.
