Come along on a magical, mystery tour through the songs The Beatles shared with their contemporaries!
‘Whispering’ Bob Harris and Colin Hall’s UK tour comes to Wareham on April 19th. In an intimate evening they will present ‘The Songs The Beatles Gave Away’.
‘Whispering’ Bob Harris
- a national treasure!
Bob Harris is considered by many to be a legend of British broadcasting. He is a well respected figure, whose warm, knowledgeable and familiar voice has been entertaining audiences across the airwaves for more than half a century!
A passion for music
Born in 1946, he has always had a passion for music, embracing the spirit and energy of 1950’s rock ’n’ roll. Inspired by the likes of Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry, Bob wanted to spread the joy of this fantastic, life-changing music.
He became a DJ in the late 60’s, introducing music giants such as Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Elton John and a whole new wave of rock n roll inspired performers to audiences at gigs across London and beyond. He also co-founded the internationally renowned ‘Time Out’ magazine in 1968 to further support the music he loved.
The BBC and the 'Old Grey Whistle Test
“His excitement and love of music and his infectious enthusiasm to bring his audience the rhyme, reason and sounds of a new world is a work of heart”
Robert Plant
His career soon led him to get the gig of his dreams, broadcasting on BBC national radio, which became his home for over fifty years! Here he established a worldwide reputation as one of the most trusted and influential tastemakers of his generation.
Many will remember him as the host of the award-winning BBC TV show ‘Old Grey Whistle Test’ from 1972 to 1979. Interestingly the Old Grey Whistle Test was commissioned by Sir David Attenborough when he was the BBC’s Director of Programming. At its peak the show was watched by over five million people.
Bob introduced some of the greatest musicians ever, giving first broadcasts to icons who still dominate the charts today.
He has also compared some of the biggest-ever rock concerts and filmed with some of the greatest stars in the world, including John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and Queen!
Country Show and OBE!
“He’s not just a national treasure, he’s a global treasure”
Kimberly Schlapman, Little Big Town
Today Bob still works tirelessly, discovering and promoting emerging artists and collaborating with world-class stars. Recently he has been spending time in Nashville, immersing himself in the culture of Music City, while presenting his Country Show on BBC Radio 2.
He has won a number of awards and is a four-time winner of the CMA International Broadcaster of the Year Award! In 2011 he was awarded an OBE in recognition of his services to British music and culture.
“Bob Harris is a straight-up legend”
Chris Martin, Coldplay
Bob Harris has said that his interview with John Lennon was probably his most memorable. Apparently John insisted on being paid in chocolate biscuits for his appearance on the show!
Colin Hall, Beatles expert, author and speaker
Colin Hall was born in Liverpool in 1949 . After studying law he changed career to teaching.
In 2004, he became custodian at John Lennon’s childhood home ‘Mendips’. Yoko Ono had purchased Mendips in 2002 and donated the building to the National Trust.
Colin was custodian for twenty years and has welcomed a number of famous people around Mendips – including Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Debbie Harry and Glen Burke from Blondie, Jackson Browne and Star Wars legend Mark Hamill!
Colin’s connections to The Beatles does not end here however, for many years his wife Sylvia was the custodian of the former home of Paul McCartney. In 2017 Colin along with his wife Sylvia were awarded Tourism Stars of the Year at the 2017 Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards.
Colin Hall has written two books about The Beatles and presented a BBC Radio 4 documentary with Alexei Sayle titled ‘The Lennon Visitors’. He has won two awards for his work at Mendips and was part of the successful WBBC production company with Bob Harris & Trudie Myerscough-Harris who won a Sony Award for the BBC Radio 2 documentary ‘The Day John Met Paul’.
Colin Hall was custodian of ‘Mendips’, John Lennon’s family home for 20 years. Incredibly, Colin was present in the audience at the Village Fete where John was first introduced to Paul in 1957!
A special tour for a special friendship
Friends for years, legendary ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris and Colin Hall are currently on a UK speaking tour, based around their shared appreciation of the Beatles. Both Bob Harris and Colin Hall have very strong connections to The Beatles. Bob has interviewed all four members of The Beatles and the Fab Four are his most-played artist on radio.
Author, Colin has also interviewed Sir Paul and for 20 years was the custodian of ‘Mendips’ John Lennon’s childhood home. Together they have worked on several projects including the upcoming film Pre:Fab (which focuses on the band’s early days as The Quarrymen), a WBBC production of ‘The Songs The Beatles Gave Away’ and 2007’s Sony Award winning ‘The Day John Met Paul.’
What is ‘The Songs The Beatles Gave Away’ all about?
By 1963 Lennon and McCartney had written so many songs they simply couldn’t all be accommodated on just their own Beatles releases, so it made artistic and economic good sense to be offered to other artists for recording. The Merseybeat boom of 1963 & 1964 gave them a tailor-made outlet in artists such as Cilla Black, Billy J. Kramer and Tommy Quickly.
The evening will explore the story behind those songs, the hits, the misses and the demos that the group never released. Songs like Cilla Black’s 1968 hit Step Inside Love, Jackie Lomax’s Sour Milk Sea and Peter and Gordon’s chart-topping A World Without Love.
The tour includes rarely heard interviews with John Lennon and Paul McCartney from Bob Harris’ archive collection as well as early recordings of stars performing songs written by the pair.
It’s sure to be a fascinating look into this important part of British music history.
The ‘Songs The Beatles Gave Away’ an evening with Bob Harris and Colin Hall will be at The Purbeck School in Wareham on Friday 19th April.
So don’t miss out on this fantastic event….
