Legends On Tour - The Pop Package Tours Of The 1960s

Legends On Tour - The Pop Package Tours Of The 1960s by author Martin Creasy contains a special section on The Beatles, featuring all of their UK tours. The book includes some great pictures of John, Paul, George and Ringo and their fans, courtesy of some of Martin's journalistic pals on UK newspapers.

Martin has also tracked down 21 1960s pop stars and dozens of fans to bring the tours to life… and one of the stars interviewed was a lady with a golden voice who topped the bill on The Beatles' first UK tour.

Martin said: "It was amazing talking to Helen Shapiro about her 1963 tour with The Beatles, Danny Williams and Kenny Lynch and hearing at first hand about what those tours were like.

"Helen's got an incredible memory, considering how many years we are going back, and she was happy to recall what was obviously a fun and exciting period of her life.

"It was clear that she loved the company of all of The Beatles and she wasn't shy in mentioning several times the enormous crush she had on John. She spoke of the antics on the tour bus and in the hotels where they stayed, including the infamous occasion when they were ejected from a posh hotel near Carlisle.

"I wanted to secure some unusual pictures of The Beatles rather than rely on the familiar shots we have seen so many times and I was lucky that a few newspaper pals were able to persuade their bosses to open up their files and dust down some old photos.

"There are plenty of pictures that capture the full excitement of a Beatles gig and plenty of funny stories of harassed stewards trying to cope with the legions of girls. There are also some unusual pictures of The Beatles relaxing in the humble cinema and seaside venues they played in those early days."

The rest of the book features seven tours of various artists from 1965-1967- followed across the UK - and they all have one thing in common… they all played the old ABC cinema in Aldershot, 35 miles south of London.

Martin explained: "I work for the local paper in Aldershot and had already started researching these gigs when I discovered a few years back that around 150 photos survive. Hardly any have ever been seen before, and they are amazing. They include about 40 from the incredible night when The Walker Brothers, Cat Stevens, Jimi Hendrix and Engelbert Humperdinck played Aldershot. To think that lot toured the UK together for a month. What a line-up!"

Plenty of other famous faces fill the book, including top Americans like Del Shannon, Gene Pitney and Roy Orbison, and UK stars like The Small Faces, The Hollies and The Searchers.

Martin said: "I thought it would be fun to follow the seven tours across the country, and it was. So many funny stories emerged of what life was like for the stars, the fans and even the struggling cinema staff who often had the responsibility of keeping the show going."

Legends On Tour is out in mid-July, courtesy of Tempus Publications, and Amazon already feature it on pre-sales sites. More information is available on Martin's site at www.martincreasy.co.uk.

Pre-order Legends on Tour: The Pop Package Tours of the 1960s now and save £5.78 (34%)

© 2008 British Beatles Fan Club