BEATLES TOP MERSEY BEAT POLL AGAIN
For the second year in a row, the Beatles were at the top of the Mersey Beat popularity poll. The group had won the poll the prior year with Pete Best on drums.
As usual, there was little time for celebration as Brian had booked the Beatles with an eight days a week performance schedule. On Sunday, December 9, 1962, the group played its regular Sunday night show at the Cavern. This time, George Martin was in attendance. On Monday, the Beatles were back at the Cavern for a lunchtime concert. On Tuesday, the group played the La Scala Ballroom in Runcorn, before returning to the Cavern the next day for lunchtime and evening shows.
On Thursday, December 13, the Beatles headed south for a concert at the Corn Exchange in Bedford, Bedfordshire. The next evening the group played the Music Hall in Shrewbury, Shropshire.
On Saturday night, December 15, the Beatles played an evening concert at the Majestic Ballroom in Birkenhead. Then they played at the Majestic as part of the concert bill for the first Mersey Beat poll awards show, which started at midnight. As the headliners for the show, the Beatles did not finish their set until 4:00 a.m. They were presented an award for topping the poll by Mersey Beat publisher Bill Harry. After sleeping through a good part of Sunday, the Beatles were back at the Cavern for their regular Sunday night gig.
Today’s questions pertain to Mersey Beat magazine.
1. Which Beatle wrote an article on the origin of the Beatles for the first issue of Mersey Beat magazine?
2. What is the connection to that article and the title song of an album recorded by Paul McCartney?
3. What group finished second to the Beatles in the first Mersey Beat poll?
4. According to Mersey Beat publisher Bill Harry, what group had the most ballots at number one in the first Mersey Beat poll, but did not finish first because 40 votes were disqualified?
5. Why was Pete Best present at the first Mersey Beat poll awards show held at the Majestic Ballroom on December 15, 1962?
1. John Lennon wrote an article for the first issue of Mersey Beat that Bill Harry titled “Being A Short Diversion on the Dubious Origins of Beatles, Translated From the John Lennon.”
2. In the article, John claims that the group’s name came in a vision when a man appeared in a flaming pie and said “From this day on you are Beatles with an ‘A’.” The title song to Paul’s 1997 album was Flaming Pie.
(174 customer reviews)3. Gerry & the Pacemakers were the official runner up to the Beatles in the first Mersey Beat poll.
(5 customer reviews)4. Rory Storm & the Hurricanes got the most ballots for number one in the first Mersey Beat poll, but Bill Harry disqualified 40 votes that were all written in green ink by the same person. Without those 40 votes, the group fell from first to fourth place. (As far as we know, the drummer for Rory Storm & the Hurricanes, namely Ringo Starr, did not own a green ink pen at the time!)
5. Pete Best was at the first Mersey Beat poll awards show held at the Majestic Ballroom on December 15, 1962, in his role as the drummer for Lee Curtis & the All-Stars. The group was the runner-up to the Beatles that year.
Return to Main Trivia Page for more trivia
Other posts of the series
- 2012: THE YEAR OF 50TH ANNIVERSARIES (May 8, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles Commercial Test at Abbey Road (June 5, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles First Visit to Abbey Road Studios - More (June 11, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles First Visit to Abbey Road Studios - Continued (June 18, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles First Proper Recording Session (September 4, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: The Beatles 2nd Recording Session for their 1st Single (September 12, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: EMI Prepares for Release of First Beatles Single (September 25, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: EMI Releases First Beatles Single (October 3, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: The Beatles First Television Appearance (October 16, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles played at Queen’s Hall (October 23, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles leave for Hamburg (October 30, 2012)
- 50 years ago: The Beatles and James Bond (November 6, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: Another full week of concert appearances for the Beatles (November 21, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: The Beatles Record their Second Single (November 27, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: A Rare Beatles Stage Show Flop (December 4, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles Top Mersey Beat Poll Again (This post) (December 11, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles Leave for Final Hamburg Club Dates (December 18, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles spend Christmas in Hamburg (December 24, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles Ring in New Year in Hamburg (December 31, 2012)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles in Scotland (January 7, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles Promote Please Please Me Single (January 15, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles Promote Please Please Me Single (January 22, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles Gearing Up for First National Tour (January 29, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: Please Please Me Single Released in America (February 5, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles Record First Album (February 11, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles Continue Promoting 2nd Single (February 19, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: George Martin Prepares Album; Beatles Resume Helen Shapiro Tour (February 26, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles Record From Me To You (March 5, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles on Tour with Tommy Roe & Chris Montez (March 12, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: First Beatles Album Released (March 18, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles Conclude Roe/Montez Tour (March 25, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles at the BEEB (March 28, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles Release and Promote Third Single (April 9, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles Play Royal Albert Hall & Empire Pool (April 16, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles Continue With Concerts (April 22, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: While the Beatles on Vacation, Singles Chart (April 30, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: Beatles Please Please Me LP Tops the Charts (May 7, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: CONCERTS, CHILDREN’S TV AND TOURS (May 12, 2013)
- 50 Years Ago: Touring with Orbison and their own Radioshow (May 13, 2013)
