Author looking for people who saw The Beatles in Sutton Coldfield
The show, in February 1963, was the only time The Beatles played Sutton Coldfield and took place just as their second single Please Please Me was storming up what was then known as the hit parade.
Richard Houghton is hoping to trace members of the audience from that night in 1963 to share their memories of seeing John, Paul, George and Ringo for what he is terming a ‘people’s history’ of the group.
Richard said:
“There have been lots of books about The Beatles but I’m trying to tell the story of their shows from the point of view of the audience. Britain was a very different place then to what it is now and I’m hoping to capture the memories of the people who were probably teenagers then and who are probably grandparents now so that their recollections can be captured for all time. The show in Sutton Coldfield at what was also known as St Peter’s Church Hall was one of the earliest The Beatles performed in the UK outside Merseyside.”
Richard is the author of You Had To Be There: The Rolling Stones Live 1962 – 69, which tells the story of the Stones early concerts in the words of their fans. Now he is looking to repeat the exercise with his book about The Beatles.
Source: Sutton Coldfield Local
