When They Were Boys (33 page)

The Beatles at the Indra Club on August 17, 1960, their first night in Hamburg. (L-R) John, George, Pete, Paul, Stu Sutcliffe.

Stu (left) and John onstage with the Beatles at Hamburg's Top Ten Club in 1961.

The glow of love surrounds Stu Sutcliffe and Astrid Kirchherr in April 1961, photographed in Hamburg by another influential Beatles friend, Jürgen Vollmer.

Mersey Beat
publisher Bill Harry (right) presents the boys with their very first award, the
Mersey Beat
Popularity Poll Shield.

Lovebirds Bill and Virginia Harry. She gave him the loan to start
Mersey Beat
; he gave her the ring.

Mona Best, a powerful force in the Beatles early years, is photographed with her son Pete in December 1961, the day the Beatles signed a contract with Brian Epstein.

The
Mersey Beat
edition featuring the controversial poll results declaring the Beatles the Number One band in Merseyside.

Flashing his signature smile, early Beatles promoter Sam Leach reunites with Paul McCartney and wife Linda in Liverpool, 1984.

Beatles' manager Brian Epstein in his London office, 1965. The handsome chief executive propelled the Beatles to success while hiding a complex personal life.

A personal hero to each of the Beatles, Lonnie Donegan, “The King of Skiffle,” was a superstar in Great Britain whose impact was felt for decades.

Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas. John Lennon was so fond of Billy that he urged Kramer to record several Lennon and McCartney compositions. (Clockwise from top left) Mike Maxfield, Billy J. (center), Robin MacDonald, Ray Jones, Tony Mansfield.

Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, with Ringo Starr on drums, at the Tower Ballroom in 1961. Storm's gyrating, athletic, and magnetic stage presence greatly influenced the Beatles and brought him praise in Merseyside and Hamburg. (L-R) Johnny “Guitar” Byrne, Rory, Ringo, Lou Walters, Ty O'Brien.

Gerry Marsden has been loved in Northern England for decades. (L-R) Gerry, Les Chadwick, Les Maguire, Fred Marsden.