15 October 1960 was the first occasion on which John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr recorded music together – a version of the George Gershwin classic ‘Summertime’.
They were the backing group for Lu Walters, whose real name was Walter Eymond although everyone knew him as Wally. Walters was the bassist in Rory Storm’s band The Hurricanes, which also featured Starr on drums.
We also recorded with Lou Walters. He was Rory Storm’s bass player. He was a guy who thought he was a singer. He paid to have the record made himself, as we had done in Liverpool with ‘That’ll Be The Day’.
Anthology
The recording was made in the small Akustik studio by the railway station at Kirchenallee 57, Hamburg, where members of the public were able to record messages for family and friends and have them pressed to 78rpm acetate discs. The discs had spoken word advertisements on the b-sides.
Stuart Sutcliffe was present at the recording but didn’t play. Also at the studio was The Beatles’ manager Allan Williams, and guitarists Johnny Byrne and Ty Brian of The Hurricanes.
In addition to ‘Summertime’, Starr, Walters, Byrne and Brian are also believed to have recorded ‘Fever’ and ‘September Song’. Around six copies of ‘Summertime’ were pressed onto acetate disc, though none are known to have survived.
The Beatles are said to have wanted to record some songs on their own – though whether this would have been with Sutcliffe and Starr is unknown. Furthermore, their drummer at the time, Pete Best, was not present. Either way, Williams feared they would be late for their 8pm start at the Kaiserkeller, and so put a stop to the session.
Paul McCartney recorded a solo version of ‘Summertime’ in July 1987. It was released in 1991 on the international edition of Choba B CCCP.
Also on this day...
- 2015: Paul McCartney live: Bryce Jordan Center, Pennsylvania
- 2014: Paul McCartney live: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
- 2014: Ringo Starr live: North Charleston Performing Arts Center, South Carolina
- 2013: US album release: New by Paul McCartney
- 1968: Mixing: Happiness Is A Warm Gun, I’m So Tired, Cry Baby Cry
- 1964: Live: Globe Cinema, Stockton-on-Tees
- 1963: Live: Floral Hall, Southport
- 1962: Live: Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead
- 1961: Live: Hambleton Hall, Liverpool
- 1961: Live: Albany Cinema, Liverpool
- 1960: Live: Kaiserkeller, Hamburg
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
“Walters was the singer and bassist in Rory Storm’s band The Hurricanes”
If Lu Walters was the singer and bassist, Ringo was the drummer and Johnny Guitar was the lead guitarist, what did Rory Storm do? There’s only rhythm guitar left and that hardly makes you the leader of the band.
Good point. It was a badly-written sentence. I meant to say that Walters was the singer here, and was also the bassist in the Hurricanes. Rory Storm was the singer and leader of that band.
Anyways, Alan Parsons didn’t sing or play a damned thing in the Alan Parsons Project! And what about Dave Clark?
er….kinda like john lennon?
No, because John Lennon was indeed one of the main singers in the Beatles. I was correct, as Joe noted.
lou walters known as wally is an amazing individual ,because the music world does not realise the two remaining original beatles are bass mccartney drums pete best,the two remaining hurricaines are bass lou eymound drums ringo starr ,how incredible .from the super aerobatic display wingwalker roger devonside.
Why does the above information differ from the research of Hans Olof Gottfridsson?
He reports that it’s not exactly ascertained as to whether George played on Summertime, as it could have been Ty Brian.
Also reports differ as to whether Stuart Sutcliffe was actually present (that’s not important as he didn’t actually play anyway)
Also reports on the number of acetates cut – which is all guesswork, but 9 copies would seem to be too many considering that at most only 8 people were present and it’s not known whether they all bought a copy.
on 22nd of january 1969 allan williams payed a vist to the beatles while they were recording the get back sessions , and can be heard telling ringo that he still had the 78 summertime disc !!!!!!!!!!!!!! i whonder if allan family still have it !!!!
Mark Lewishon says that Alan Williams brought it down to London to let Ringo hear it and he left it in the cab and its gone forever! they talk about it on a podcast in discussion with Chris Shaw I believe. Media links via Marks website
Where i can listen to this record?
If no copies are known to exist, where did you get the image of the label?
In 1981 I started work as a student nurse in the West Cheshire Hospital, Chester. my very first day on a ward a staff nurse told me that he ‘knew the Beatles’. I thought, ‘Oh yeh, typical Merseyside story, EVERYONE knew the Beatles.’ He was Wally Eyemond AKA Lu Walters.
Lu Walters as Wally Eyemond went on to pursue a career in mental health nursing. You can hear him singing at the start of this video and see him at 11.14. Also appears at 28.56 being interviewed. Date is late 1980s.
Yes these copies do exist, I’m walters grandson there is a label company which has his record an the bands record I did find it but I’d have to look again.
Well Rhys, that’s worth rooting for surely.
Hi..wondering if you found a copy? Perhaps you did and posted the label of it?
That would be an amazing find if true
(I also wonder where the label above came from?)
I believe that the label photo is Alan Williams copy, which was lost in a late 60’s. It was most likely stolen so it may still exist in the hands of some unscrupulous collector.
Or it was thrown away by someone who didn’t realize what it actually was.