By Vanessa S. Holt, Managing Editor
BORDENTOWN CITY — In the early 1960s, there were four lads from Liverpool named John, Paul, George and Pete. They were a tight rock ’n’ roll band that played for hours every night at the Cavern Club in Hamburg, Germany, and even scored a recording session or two as they worked tirelessly to make it big.
Music history has recorded what became of John, Paul and George after a fellow named Ringo joined their ranks. The name of Pete Best has been known to Beatles fans as the band’s first drummer, who was dismissed from the band in 1962 for reasons that Mr. Best has said were never really explained to him.
Today, he is on the road with his own band, touring the U.S. to promote an album — “Haymans Green” — rooted in the same history and influences that gave the world The Beatles.
Most exciting of all to local music fans, the Pete Best Band has two gigs planned at The Record Collector on Farnsworth Avenue, this Sunday and Monday.
“The tour’s been great, the response has been fantastic; we always put on a great show,” Mr. Best said in a recent phone interview in his unmistakable Liverpool accent.
“It’s so heartwarming to see the original material because we all co-wrote it; it’s so well received by the public and DJs,” he said.
The Pete Best Band has been touring the U.S. since early September and has existed in its current form for six or seven years, with Mr. Best’s brother, Roag Best, playing drums alongside him.
“He’s been with me since 1988, when I did a one-off concert in Liverpool,” he said. “They’re all Liverpool lads, (we) all knew one another, all knew my story, all different ages. It’s great fun playing on stage … we work well as a unit and individually.”
Haymans Green is the name of the street where the Best boys grew up, and where the famous Casbah Coffee Club was formed by his mother, Mona Best, in her basement. The Quarrymen performed at that club (now recognized as a historical site), as did The Beatles in their very early days.
After he left the band in 1962 Mr. Best continued to play in local bands for a few years in the 1960s, then got married and lived the life of a civil servant for the next 20 years before responding to an invitation to perform in the late 1980s. His Beatles’ legacy was finally recognized with the legitimate release of tracks that he drummed on, with the Beatles Anthology, Volume One on CD in the 1990s.
Being included in the Anthology was something of a surprise, he said. He appears on 10 of the 60 tracks on that set.
“It shows the period of time, the essence of it; it still holds up recording wise, the simplicity…the sound has transposed itself well over the years,” he said.
As for his return to the music world, that was also something of a surprise, he said.
“I had no plans to get back into it,” said Mr. Best. “Maybe it was karma, (my) family’s big believers in karma. I didn’t know it at the time.”
“Something magic happened out there,” he said. “People wanted me to tour…(I) had to put a regular band together, (they) wanted me to go into the studio.”
Since then, Mr. Best has worked on a documentary book and DVD, “The Beatles: The True Beginnings” documenting his years with the legendary band. The CD is the third part of the trilogy.
“The 11 tracks cover different moments of my life, it jumps around; I wanted it to be a good sounding album,” he said.
He said the music has been described as “Beatlesque” but grew from diverse influences among the band members.
“It’s five great musicians, with great ideas,” he said.
“You have to be aware of different things, and bring those influences to bear within the music,” he said.
The music they perform live recalls the early 1960s stomping rock ’n’ roll with a spirit similar to that the audiences in the Cavern Club might have enjoyed.
“We’re the Pete Best Band, we play it from the heart — ferocious, powerhouse, savage. It makes people want to dance and scream and shout and that’s what music is about.”
Although Mr. Best has also done speaking tours, the current tour is mainly music — though at the end of the show they do a “meet and greet,” signing autographs and talking to fans.
“The universal reaction has been incredible, North Americans have supported us very well, they like to show their emotions; they join in, we’ve been well received. We’re getting that in other parts of the world too.”
The original Casbah Club has reopened in Liverpool as a historical monument, recognizing its importance in music of the 20th century.
“We’ve always said Mona was the unsung hero,” said Mr. Best. “It’s nice to see after so many years people have realized the Casbah (and) the Merseybeat sound. She was the driving force.”
Mr. Best has been married for 40 years and has two adult daughters and two 10-year-old grandsons back in Liverpool.
“One is dabbling on drums, he wants to be like pop,” he said with a laugh. “The other 10-year-old plays guitar.” He said there’s no family pressure to pursue music, but the boys are welcome to pursue it if they enjoy it.
To prospective audience members, Mr. Best had a message:
“Thank you for your support. I hope it continues to grow; (we have) many friends and we hope that continues as well. It’s a fun show; for those of you who haven’t seen it, come have some fun. Music is a great healer. Enjoy yourselves.”
The Pete Best Band will perform on Sunday, Oct. 12, and Monday, Oct. 13, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at The Record Collector, 358 Farnsworth Ave., Bordentown City. Tickets are $22.50. To purchase tickets, call 609-324-0880 or visit the store. For more information visit www.the-record-collector.com. For more information about the Pete Best Band, visit www.petebest.com.

