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General Statements: •Beatles Ltd., divided equally to each Beatle, was a receptacle
for the net earnings from concerts during 1963. •The Silver Beetles backed Johnny Gentle at Forres Town
Hall, Scotland on May 26, 1960. Entrance fee was 5 shillings. Also,
the Silver Beetles had run out of money and left the Royal Hotel
in Forres the following morning without paying their bill (Porter,
A. Before They Were Beatles, p. 108). •Ted Taylor, of Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes taped the Beatles on New Year's Eve '62. He offered to sell the tapes to Brian in '63. Brian offered twenty pounds for the tapes (although the tapes could have technically belonged to EMI because of the recording contract) . Brian turned him down. Taylor gave the tapes to a recording engineer to see if he could clean up the sound. The tapes were forgotten about until '72 when Allan Williams tried unsuccessfully to sell them to George and Ringo. •May 14 1960: The Beatles play an "audition set" in Lathom Hall in Liverpool. They play during a gap in between sets of another band. Several promoters used this method to audition bands.The bands were not paid for the audition, but were considered for a future paying gig. The Beatles were booked by Brian Kelly for 21 May as a paying gig (Porter, A. Before They Were Beatles, p. 106). •Ringo would also have half-understood conversations with Brian about Beatle finance and why he didn't get as much as even George. But at least he was no longer on a hireling's wage (Clayson, p.71). •Although the idea of playing for money was important, the mere fact that they could play for an audience and create electricity between themselves and everyone else who heard them in those early days was more than enough to satisfy their young egos (Lennon, C. Twist, p.40). •John: "Well, we'd been playing 'round in Liverpool for a bit without getting anywhere, trying to get work, and the other groups kept telling us, 'You'll do alright, you'll get work someday.' (Beatles Ultimate Experience). •In early 1961 the Beatles had just three guitars, three amplifiers (sometimes), and one drum kit. More often than not they would use microphones supplied by the promoter which he, in turn, would hire if he couldn't afford to own them himself (Lewisohn. Chronicle). •Although the Beatles were Roy Orbison fans, they still asked to close the show. Orbison recalled: "I was earning three times there money. They approached me and said, 'Let us close the show' (Mackenzie. Every Little Thing, p. 97). A List of Performances and the Fees: •Alan Williams paid "a few quid" at the Jacandara.
But Williams said that they also collected money from •The Silver Beatles were paid 36 pounds for two weeks work for the tour with Johnny Gentle(Goldsmith, M. The Beatles Come to America, p. 41). •Beatles played for one week backing a stripper for 10s
(50p) each per night. Sutcliffe suggested a quid •Bob Wooler convinced Brian Kelly to put the Beatles on
as an extra at a show. They argued over the fee. •The Beatles didn't show up at a gig in May '60 while on
tour in Scotland. The same promoter of the •Beatles first professional gig was for £10. Alan
Williams and a bouncer each received £1 with the £8 •After the Litherland gig the promoter (Brian Kelly) booked for 36 more shows at £6-8 per night. •Beatles were earning £800 week playing one night stands in Britain in late '63. •The Beatle's first fee on Granada TV was £12 each.
Years later £1000 was paid for a program about the •Litherland Town Hall. Jan 5 '61. Paid £7 10s (£7.50).
This performance was booked on December •Beatles earned £30 for a gig at the Royal Lido. The
contract stated that they were not to play within a •Les Dodd paid Allan Williams £10 (£2 each) for the Silver Beatles at Grosvenor Ballroom for June 6, 1960 (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 38). •St. John's Hall. January 6 1961. £6 10s (£6.50) (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 38). •Dec 18-31. Star Club, Hamburg. 750DM (£67) per week per man (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 86). •Sam Leach: I peeled three £5 notes from my back pocket and stuck them on Pete's bass drum. Pete grabbed them in a flash and stuffed them down his t-shirt. [After the show] Pete handed me the three £5 notes he stuffed down his t-shirt and I pulled another fiver from my pocket. 'And here's a bonus', I said happily. 'You're right Paul. You were something else tonight'. The extra cash meant more to Paul than the compliment. 'Great! Twenty quid is twice what we get anywhere else' (Leach. p. 77 and 79). •Brian telephoned Arthur Howes about booking the group. The Beatles had 'Love Me Do' on the charts at the time but were relatively unknown. Howes, one of Britain's leading concert promoters, offered the Beatles £30 a night for the Helen Shapiro tour and wouldn't pay them at all for a performance with Frank Ifield beyond traveling expenses. Brian responded by giving Howes first option on all future Beatle tours (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 62). •The Institute. June 2 '60. The Silver Beetles received
£10 from Les Dodd. £1 went to Alan Williams •Hambleton Hall. January 25. £7 10s ( £7.50) (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 39). •Played Thistle Cafe, West Derby, ten miles from Liverpool, £18. February 1, 1962. This may be the first engagement as an artist contracted by Brian Epstein. •People and Places TV program: £35. •August 6 and 7. Springfield Ballroom. Channel Islands. £1000 (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 118). •June 15 '63. City Hall. Salisbury, Wiltshire. Arranged
in April '63 for £300. Brian Epstein offered Jaybee •Grosvenor Rooms. Norwich, Norfolk. May 17 '63. £250. Arranged in mid-April through London promoter Barry Clayman (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 109). •Bob Wooler called Brian Kelly (12/7/60 @ Litherland Townhall)
to arrange the Beatles to play for £8. •Beatles earned 75 s (Epstein says 68s) per night at Cavern.
This was more than most groups who played •Some of the Beatles' early gigs barely covered expenses
because they played for the fee that was •A '62 performance: £25 at the Barnston Institute. •Cavern Club sessions paid the Beatles £15 evenings
and £5 lunchtime (Lewisohn. Chronicle. •The Silver Beatles were booked for £18 per week per
man (plus part expenses paid: Lewisohn. •In January the Beatles began to play some evening gigs
at the Cavern, as well as at lunchtime, and soon •PAUL: "That was when we felt we were..." •The Beatles were back at the Cass for the Valentine's Night
Rock Ball on the Tuesday following their first appearance. Tickets
were just 4s 6d (22p) and with them on the bill were The Big Three,
Rory Storm and •So, launching my usual advertising blitz, I introduced
lunchtime sessions (at the Iron Door), with no less •I had the Beatles booked again for a lunchtime session
at the Cass the next day, and as you would expect, •Sam Leach: Open-mouthed and worrying what mischief Terry
had been up to, I collared George and •Debut as the Beatles at the Cavern. Lunchtime £5. (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 38). •Aintree. Feb 22 '61. £7 2s (£7.10) (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 38). •St. Paul's Presbyterian Church Youth Club. Church Hall. Tranmere, Birkenhead. March 10 '62. The Beatles were paid £17 and £6 went to the support act (the Searchers). There was an attendance of 357 and a profit of £11 (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 67). •YMCA, Hoylake, Wirral, Cheshire. £30. Feb 24 '62. •Cabaret Club. Duke St. Liverpool. £15. July 25 '62.
An unadvertised performance (Lewisohn. •The Beatles tour of Sweden in October '63 paid them £140 per night (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 126). Relay of Info on Some of the Performances: •Bill Harry: "Most of the promoters at the time were con men who didn't pay the bands their money". •Allan Williams: Those days were known as 'Rock and Dole'. •Millie Sutcliffe: [Stuart] didn't like it at all, but he
needed the money, even though it was only five shillings •Aintree Institute. The promoter pays them in change (£15). Brian walks out and demands a check. •Arthur Howes booked the Beatles for £80 before Please,
Please Me went #1. Brian did not renege and •After John's appearance on Juke Box Jury, he was driven
to Battersea Heliport and flown to Penypund •The Beatles were to play the Rialto in September of '62.
Brian did not want to because the Rialto was a •George describes an instance that led to the Beatles playing
the Cassanova Club for promoter Sam Leach: "Somebody lobbed
a load of stink bombs around the Cavern and Ray's had to close down
for the day. •Lord Woodbine invited the Beetles to play in New Colony
to play when they had nothing better to do in the afternoon. They
could drink free, banter with the girls...For their trouble they
would split four pounds among •When were you aware that there was something special about
the Beatles? •What do you remember of the Beatles' final appearance at
the Cavern on 3rd August 1963? •The Beatles were paid £300, which was quite a bit of money then. We made no money out of it because Brian restricted the audience to 500 and as the admission price was ten shillings, that meant £250 on the door. All the staff had to be paid, and the other groups on the bill too. I can't blame Brian as he had seen how crowded the Cavern got when we had 800 in. The Beatles were very professional that night, there was no larking around and they got on with it. We all felt it was their swan song and that we would never have them again. As it happens, Brian Epstein still owes the Cavern about six dates for the Beatles as he kept pulling them out of lunchtime and evening bookings by saying, "You wouldn't stand in the boys' way, would you, Bob?" (Record Collector magazine, July 1998 (No 227). •Wednesday. March 7 '62. Rehearse and record their debut BBC radio appearance. The Beatles each had a bag with a £40 grey, brush-tweed lounge suit, with pencil-thin lapels and matching tie all bought from bespoke tailor Beno Dorn in Grange Road West in Birkenhead, for which they were measured and paid £3 deposit on Jan 29 '62 (Lewisohn. Chronicle. p. 52). •Ritz Ballroom. Birmingham. This was a rearranged engagement from one postponed on Jan 11 '63. The same fee was charged to the promoter, but the Beatles were now featured in the top three of the singles charts (Lewisohn. Chronicle. p. 100). •Through most of '63 a London promoter could still get the Beatles for £30 per evening. •Plaza Ballroom. St Helens, Lancashire. Brian, in an effort to inspire the group, wrote on a note before this performance that Whetstone entertainment "controlled 16 venues in the Northwest". He did not inform them that 13 of the 16 were bingo halls. The group was paid £25 (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 73). •Sid Bernstein: We made the deal for $6,5000 for two shows after he (Brian) told me he was getting top dollar in England-equivalent to $2,000 a show. I topped that by saying $6,500 for two shows, meaning $3,250 per show. He said, "Wait till I tell the guys at lunch". I said, "I'd like to bring them to Carnegie Hall". And he said, "Oh,my, wait till I tell the boys: Then he told me, "If our group doesn't mean anything by the end of the year [1963], don't hold me to the deal". •Yankel Feather in Liverpool (a basement club) would not consider booking the Beatles because John Lennon would not be allowed in the club for looking too "rough" (Coleman). •The village of Port Sunlight, where the Beatles played on four occasions at Hulme Hall, was created by Viscount Leverhulme in 1888 for the employees of the soap business (now it is Unilever) (Lewisohn. Chronicle. p. 73). •Johnny Gentle: We went out and bought a shirt for George Harrison. We were so broke we couldn't afford to buy a shirt for the drummer so he wore white. •As tickets went on sale for the 19 city tour in '63 the Beatles were second on the bill. But it was soon evident that the Beatles were more popular than the other acts. •The Beatles played all of the previously scheduled £25, £50, and £60 bookings even though they had reached a much higher bracket by the time of some of these performances were scheduled (Epstein). •The Beatles played the Cabaret Artists' Social Club owned
by Allan Williams and Lord Woodbine. •It has been reported that Larry Parnes wanted Stuart Sutcliffe
dropped from the group on the condition •Dick James said that Brian would go into his office and state that the Beatles had just been offered £200 for one night. James told him to ask for double that amount. When Brian came back and said that the increased figure had been agreed upon, James told him to go back and ask for double that again. •Larry Parnes booked the Beatles for October 1960 on a two-week tour with Johnny Gentle. Mr. Parnes stated that he got a call from John on the opening day of the tour asking, "Where's the bloody money?". •Upon returning from Scotland Alan Williams had arranged for the Silver Beetles to play at £10 a night at the Grosvenor Ballroom (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 20). •102 private security guards were hired for the Dodger Stadium performance in Los Angeles. •Grosvenor Ballroom. Saturday. December 24 '60. Derry and the Seniors and The Beatles each receive £10.50 (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 29). •The Beatles were booked into a strip club, by Alan Williams, run by Lord Woodbine because "they were around and they were cheap" (Harry, B. Lennon Encyclopedia, p. 66). •The Beatles first venue where Brian took a commission was Feb 1 '62 at the Thistle Cafe. £18 was his 10% for gas, oil, and miscellaneous expenses. This 10% rate was reduced for this special occasion. Brian convinced the people who leased the hall to call it "The Beatle Club". The Beatles would never play the club again, however (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 64).
•The Beatles got about $ 400 a day + free location, food and travels during these five October days. They did nine concerts. $100 went to the English booking manager and the rest to Brian Epstein (Swedish Newspaper). •One of the biggest problems was the huge equipment. They had several loudspeakers! Normally a band would hire a big American car, but The Beatles had to hire a wagon too. •Brian Epstein was in a bad mood. He didn't like the fact that the English booking agency received 100 pounds a day during the tour. "Much to much", he said. •Duncan McKinnon, Larry Parnes' Tour Manager, wanted the Beatles sacked from the Scottish tour because their appearance was "scruffy". Johnny Gentle donated matching black shirts to the group and the issue was resolved (Porter, A. Before They Were Beatles, p. 108). •The Beatles very first concert in Nya Aulan at a Sundsta school took place at 7:00pm and their second concert started off at 9:00pm. The place was built for 750 people but was only 3/4 filled during both of the shows. The cheapest tickets could be bought for 12 SKr (about $1.50) and the exclusive ones for 20 SKr (just under $3.00) and at that time, that was thought to be very expensive. •When the Silver Beetles returned from the Scottish Tour
they were asked by Alan Williams to play every Monday night at his
Jacaranda Club. Payment was to be free Coke to drink and plates
of beans on toast (Porter, A. Before They Were Beatles, p. 110). |
