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The News
Today - Archive
3 December 2013 The GreyTones perform encore presentation of the songs from the Beatlemania album at Maxwell's Bistro on Dec 17, 2013.
On November 25, 2013, Jonesey’s 50th Anniversary Beatlemania! Show opened to a packed house at the Rainbow Bistro. This enthusiastic response has prompted a reprise of the show, with a new twist, as Jonesey’s Beatlemania Christmas Show, on December 17, 2013, at 7:30 P.M., at Maxwell’s Bistro and Club, 340 Elgin Street. This show will harken back to the annual Christmas shows the Beatles performed starting in 1963. Come join Jonesey and the GreyTones for a little Merseybeat and a whole lot of Beatlemania! to kick off the festive season.
Contact: Paul Johanis, pjohanis@rogers.com Jonesey bio and website: www.jonesey101.com
Video from the show (8 mins) Photos from the show
November 2013
25 Nov 2013, 7:30 - 9:30 pm
October 2013
29 May 2013
28 May 2013
March 27, 2013
Saturday Dec 22, 2012
August 22, 2011 THE ULTIMATE FORM OF FLATTERY FOR A TRUELY GREAT SONG...
April 30, 2011 PAUL McCARTNEY’S CLASSIC SOLO RECORDINGS McCARTNEY AND McCARTNEY II GET DELUXE TREATMENT JUNE 14th, 2011
The day Beatlemania hit Vancouver by John Mackie for the Vancouver Sun (originally published on August 21, 2004)
At the height of Beatlemania, 70 million people watched the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show (see video). The band simultaneously held the top five slots in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and John, Paul, Ringo and George played Empire Stadium in Vancouver.
Sunday is the 40th anniversary of that Aug. 22, 1964 show. Jim Allan
remembers it like it was yesterday -- although you could barely hear the
band through the screaming of teenage girls.
To read the full report, click here.
April 22, 2011 How the Beatles Changed the World from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Quick Beatles News Picks: George Martin: From here to eternity by The Guardian; John Lennon letter to McCartney's about Beatles split up for auction by the Telegraph; Fight on over Beatle Harrison's film 'Time Bandits" by Thomson Reuters; Companion book for George Harrison documentary coming this fall by Steve Marinucci of the Examiner; Ringo Starr to play Poland this June by Polskie Radio; McCartney Returns to South America by Pollstar; Paul McCartney's 'Up and Coming Tour' headed to Las Vegas by SoundSpike.
April 10, 2011 Ottawa's Richard Patterson: Esquire drummer signed to Capitol Records of Canada passes away by John Whelan, special report to the Ottawa Beatles Site
They called themselves The Esquires and they were from Ottawa. Formed in 1962, the band copied the musical style of Cliff Richard and the Shadows. They were managed by Sandy Gardiner and their first concert venue was held at the Rockcliffe Air Base Teen Club. In 1963, they joined the Musicians' Union. The Esquires became weekend regulars under contract at the Pineland Dance Pavilion in Ottawa.
The Esquires "attracted the attention of Montreal singer Marty Hill. They were asked to back Montreal singer Andy Kim for his performance during Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars in Montreal, where the band played on the same bill as Gene Pitney, The Dovells, Paul and Paula and The Tymes," writes Wikipedia.
In 1963, The Esquires earned the distinction of being the first Canadian pop group signed to Capitol Records of Canada
Sandy Gardiner, Ottawa Journal music columnist who had been quoted by Capitol Records Canada for the "Beatlemania - With the Beatles" LP in 1963, had developed a good relationship with Paul White (the A&R man) of Capitol Canada. At Sandy Gardiner's urging, Paul White signed The Esquires to Capitol. "The Beatles made us so much money that it meant for the first time I was able to go out and sign Canadian acts. That was a major fringe benefit. The challenge was to get our salesmen to push the stuff. They'd say 'why do I have to go out and promote The Esquires when all I have to do is walk into Sam's and sell 500 copies of Beatlemania?' But eventually, they too saw that Canadian records could sell."1
The first two Esquire singles released by Capitol Records in 1963 were: "Atlantis / I've Lost My Little Girl" (Capitol 72176) and "Man From Adano / Gee Whiz, It's You" (Capitol 72137). These singles featured Bob Harrington as the B-side vocalist with musicians Gary Comeau, Clint Hierlihy, Paul Huot and Richard Patterson. Both A-sides were exciting instrumentals that sounded very much like The Shadows.
Bob Harrington was later dropped from the line-up and was replaced with Don Norman. He became the featured vocalist on the LP simply called "The Esquires" (Capitol T-6075.) Capitol Records continued to release more singles: "So Many Other Boys / Oldest Story" (Capitol 72193) circa 1964; "Cry Is All I Do / We Got A Future" (Capitol 72219) circa 1965; "Loves Made A Fool of You" / Summertime" (Capitol 72277) circa 1965.
It was the release of "So Many Other Boys" which proved to be The Esquires biggest hit that won them the "Red Leaf Award - predecessor of the Juno - for Best Vocal And Instrumental Group in 1964" writes The Esquire Official website.
After this run of Capitol releases, the music company stopped issuing new material. This is because a legal snafu arose when Don Norman "had an acrimonious break with the Esquires in the summer of '65, leading to a lawsuit when he named his new band Don Norman and the Esquires. He gave up the Esquires name, but his departure from the band cost the original Esquires their contract with Capitol. The band he formed became Don Norman and the Other Four: Gary Comeau lead guitar, Bill Hellman bass, Ron Greene organ and Brian Dewherst on drums. With the addition of John Matthews on sax, the Other Four were five!"2 Because of contractual problems, The Esquires signed on to Columbia Records in 1965.
With the Red Leaf Award under their belt, the band changed managers. They brought on board Harvey Glatt, "Ottawa's leading Pop Concert producer and owner of the City's number one record store chain The Treble Cleff."3 But long before the change over in managers, to his credit "Sandy Gardiner had kept them busy during this time and landed them prestigious dates with some of the 1960's biggest rock and roll stars such as The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, Dave Clark Five and Roy Orbison."4
When Sir Mick Jaggar skipped to loo
This writer was lucky enough to have met Richard Patterson several times in person at the Ottawa Record Conventions. Richard is a very amicable and talented drummer. He is also very funny guy! He related a story to me how his band were one of the opening acts for the Rolling Stones and how he ended up meeting Mick Jaggar at the same concert. Doing a little research, I discovered that Earl McRae had covered the exact same story in the Ottawa Sun. Here is how it unfolded:
You can see what I mean by Richard's sense of humour.
Coming back to Columbia Records, in 1966 The Esquires issued two singles on the Columbia label: "It's A Dirty Shame / Devoted to You" and "Love Hides A Multitude Of Sins / Why Should I Care?" The Esquires failing to make any further in-roads in the music industry disbanded in 1967. Richard Patterson joined The Children (a folk-rock group) for a brief spell and then with Three's A Crowd which comprised of Bruce Cockburn, David Wiffen, Dennis Pendrith and Colleen Peterson. Esquire band members continued "their musical career in such bands as The Staccatos (later reformed as The Five Man Electrical Band), The Townsmen, The Modern Rock Quartet, Canada Goose, and James Leroy and Denim" writes Wikipedia website on The Esquires.
Richard Patterson of the Canada Goose performs for President Richard Nixon
Canada Goose was a band comprised of Gary Comeau, Barb Bullard, Paul Huot, Wayne Leslie, Richard Patterson and Val Tuck. A photo of them from my scrapbook makes them dawn the look of hippies from the early 70's with frilly suede jackets and long bell bottom pants. How it came that Canada Goose got to play for President Richard Nixon is an interesting one. Here is how it was revealed in an Ottawa Citizen article:
The report went on to say that the group is in demand both in Ottawa and out of town and the groups first single "Higher and Higher" was selling well. Richard Patterson described their style of music as "country-folk-rock" doing excellent cover versions of "Carry On" and "4 and 20" by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. The Canada Goose "got together as the New Esquires and attracted a lot of fans to the Beacon Arms Hotel. They went over so strong at the hotel in October 1969, that they became the "house band" and can often be found there whenever they are in Ottawa."7 In the same write-up, Canada Goose "hope to experiment with numerous ideas including some organ, acoustic guitar, and perhaps some violin and brass."8
Richard Patterson was always concerned about the historical accuracy of The Esquires and their musical legacy to the Canadian music industry, hence his grand wisdom in convincing Capitol Records of Canada to re-issue the Esquires LP in 2001 which contained an excellent write up about the band from a book called "Fifty Years of Music: The Story of EMI Music Canada" (published by Macmillan Canada, an imprint of CDG Books Canada, and written by Nick Jennings.) He was not only concerned about his own historical accuracy for music, but for other groups as well. Upon Richard Patterson's passing, Piers Alexander Hemmingsen of the Capitol 6000 website had this to say: "Richard Patterson died in Ottawa this week after a lengthy illness. He will be missed by all those who knew him. Not just for the fact that he was an excellent drummer in the "pre-Beatles" era with The Esquires and later with Threes A Crowd and Canada Goose ... but over the years, Richard was very helpful with the background research for the two Beatles Canadian Discography books, I interviewed him several times for those and he provided such wonderful stories. We will miss his sense of humour and candour, along with his little drawings. My own memories of Richard go back to the 1960s when I used to see him "hanging out" at The Treble Clef record shop on Sparks Street in Ottawa."9
Throughout his life, Richard Patterson kept a steady hand in the Ottawa music scene. Sadly, he will be missed.
Postscript: EMI will release a new CD of the Esquires singles and other material on May 31.*
On Sunday, April 17th at 8:00 p.m. on CKCU-FM, "The Sixties" radio host Dave Sampson will present a musical tribute on Richard Patterson featuring The Esquires, The Children, Three's A Crowd and Canada Goose. Some rare unreleased sides will also be featured.
If you miss the show, it will be archived later in the week by clicking on this link.
Bibliography:
1. "Fifty Years of Music: The Story of EMI Music Canada" (published by Macmillan Canada, an imprint of CDG Books Canada, and written by Nick Jennings. Comments appeared on the liner notes that accompanied Capitol Records re-issue of The Esquires, 2001. 2. Don Norman and the Other Four by Chas Kit, September 10, 2007, at the Garagehangover website. 3. The Official Esquire website. 4. Jam Showbiz: The Canadian Pop Encyclopedia on The Esquires. 5. When Sir Mick skip to loo by Earl McRae, Ottawa Sun, May 11, 2005. 6, 7, 8. Canada Goose flying 'Higher' - Even Nixon likes the sound of our 'Geese', by Terry Rielly, the Ottawa Citizen 9. Piers Alexander Hemmingsen, the Capitol 6000 website.
Other website: Wikipedia on The Esquires.
News Link:
"Drummer remembered as 'very important' part of Ottawa's music scene" from the Ottawa Citizen, April 5, 2011. * His whole life was entertainment by Ken Rockburn, the Ottawa Citizen, April 10, 2011.
March 26, 2011 Replay the Beatles will perform at the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa
Tour dates:
April 15 - Salle Jean Grimaldi (JPGR). Click here for details.
April 23 - St-Eustache. Click here for details.
April 30 - Rialto (JPGR). Click here for details.
May 13 - The Canadian Tulip Festival Ottawa (JPGR). Click here for details.
May 18 - Victoria Hall, Westmount. Tickets and info, click here.
March 25, 2011 Bruce Spizer to release new book: Beatles For Sale on Parlophone Records Beatles News Exclusive
Campaigners fail to save Ringo Starr's birthplace
Campaigners in Ringo Starr's hometown have failed in their bid to preserve the Beatles drummer's birthplace, with local authorities pressing ahead with plans to demolish the house where he was born.
The musician's former family home in Liverpool, England has been under threat of demolition since 2005 as local councilors made plans to rejuvenate the area.
Fans have been fighting to save the property at 9 Madryn Street and have it turned into a local landmark, but after years of campaigning they have lost the battle with the council. (to read the full report, click here.)
March 19, 2011 Ringo Starr to tour the UK
June 2011...
Story to tour announcement, click here.
3D 'Yellow Submarine' sunk by spiraling costs by Guy Adams in Los Angeles for the Independent
An updated version of the psychedelic cartoon, made using performance-capture technology by the Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis, was due to be released during a wave of Anglophilia which is expected to sweep the globe prior to the 2012 London Olympics.
But the project has foundered amid concerns about its spiralling budget and difficulty in securing the permission of the surviving Beatles and their heirs to use 16 of the band's songs, including "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "All You Need is Love", on the soundtrack.
A final nail in its coffin came at the weekend, when the movie Mars Needs Moms, another 3D motion-capture film by Zemeckis, opened to just $7m (£4.4m) at the box office. The film had cost between $175m and $210m to make and market, according to industry estimates. Submarine's demise was confirmed late on Monday.
The failure of Mars Needs Moms is evidence of a growing backlash against 3D movies. Zemeckis, the director of Back to the Future and Forrest Gump, has some soul-searching to do. A decade ago, he abandoned a hugely successful career in live-action film-making to devote his energy to performance-capture films. But the style has recently failed to resonate with audiences.
February 27, 2011 Quick Beatle News Picks
Beatles Monument in Siberia (from the Voice of Russia news services); Remembering George Harrison on His Birthday (from BeatCrave); Paul McCartney writing his first ballet score for New York City Ballet (from AHN All Headline News); Roll over Tango, Beatles museum hits Argentina (from AFP news service).
 February 19, 2011 Kemptville Ontario folk artists will host a musical birthday tribute to George Harrison
On Friday Feb 25th, a George Harrison birthday tribute will be hosted by Ben Mullin and Chef Bruce featuring Ray Harris, Greg Kelly, Lisa Poushinsky, David Boschaart, Jon Laurie-Beaumont, Dave Scully, David Shanahan, Doug Hendry, Katie Nolan, Shawn Yakimovitch, and Christo Graham...7:30pm, no cover...dinner reservations recommended.
Venue: The Branch Organic Restaurant, 15 Clothier St.E., Kemptville, http://www.thebranchrestaurant.ca/
February 13, 2011 The Beatles' Stereo Box Set + Paul McCartney each win Grammy Awards
The Beatles' Stereo Box Set Wins GRAMMY Award - 16CD+DVD Collection of Band's Remastered Studio Albums Earns Historical Album Award for its Producers and Engineers
(Reuters) - Former Beatle Paul McCartney won his first solo Grammy in 39 years on Sunday for a live recording of "Helter Skelter."
McCartney took home the solo rock vocal performance statuette for the 42-year-old Beatles tune, which he dusted off for his 2009 live album "Good Evening New York City."
It marked his 14th Grammy, of which 10 were Beatle-related, spanning 1965 to a reissue project in 1997.
As a solo artist, he last won a Grammy in 1972 for his arrangement of "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey." He followed that with a pair for Wings, his post-Beatles vehicle, in 1975 and 1980.
McCartney, 68, frequently lands Grammy nominations -- 11 since 2005 alone -- but has been bested by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Amy Winehouse and Justin Timberlake.
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were handed out at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. January 26, 2011 Canadian singer is the first Liverpool Beatles graduate
A Canadian singer has become the first person in the world to graduate with a Masters degree in The Beatles.
Former Miss Canada finalist Mary-Lu Zahalan-Kennedy signed up for the course at Liverpool Hope University when it launched in March 2009.
The 53-year-old, who has recorded three albums, was the first to graduate of the 12 full-time students who joined the Master of Arts course.
She said: "I am so proud of my achievement."
"The course was challenging, enjoyable and it provided a great insight into the impact The Beatles had and still have to this day across all aspects of life," she added.
"The faculty and students at Liverpool Hope University were crucial in providing an unforgettable experience and their support was invaluable."
As well as examining the studio sound and composition of The Beatles' back catalogue, the course looks at how the city of Liverpool helped to shape their music.
Award Nomination
The significance of their music and how it helped to define identities, culture and society is also examined.
Mike Brocken, founder and leader of the Beatles MA course, said: "This programme is the only postgraduate degree programme in the world of its kind.
"Mary-Lu now joins an internationally recognised group of scholars of Popular Music Studies who are able to offer fresh and thought-provoking insights into the discipline of musicology."
Ms Zahalan-Kennedy is a professional singer and actress who was nominated for a Juno award for Most Promising Female Vocalist in Canada in 1983.
Audio interview: click here. January 14, 2011 John Lennon's Rolls-Royce is now in the lobby of the Royal British Columbia Museum until June 2011
January 3, 2011 Lennon's Abbey Road suit gets $46K at US action by the CBC News A John Lennon fan started the New Year off with a deal, snagging at a Connecticut auction an iconic outfit worn by the slain Beatle: the white, custom-made, two-piece suit from the Abbey Road album cover. An anonymous bidder successfully bought the tailored, wool-blend, Ted Lapidus suit — famously worn by Lennon as he led his Beatles bandmates across the zebra crossing outside Abbey Road Studios in 1969 — for $46,000 US at Braswell Galleries' annual New Year's Day auction on Saturday.
The new owner, who entered the winning bid online, triumphed amid a standing-room-only crowd. (read more)
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