Beatles Letter Found in Car Fetches $55K
Author: Brenne
Beatles Letter Found in Car Fetches $55KCan you believe this bit of Beatles trivia? A letter written by Paul McCartney was found in a car during a car boot sale in Liverpool, which ultimately commanded $55,00 at auction. Wow! Imagine that! The hidden letter fetched more money than the car! The auction took place on November 16, 2011. According to Reuters, a handwritten letter by Paul McCartney on August 12, 1960 inviting an unnamed drummer to audition for a place in the Beatles has sold at Christie’s for 34,850 pounds ($55,000).
It is widely believed that the letter was intended for Pete Best, the drummer who Ringo would later replace. However, it is likely that the Beatles were still looking for an alternate drummer to Best, and whereby the letter was not written to Best. According to 1995 interview, Pete Best states that Paul McCartney had called him on the phone and invited him to join the Beatles. As I recall, he was a neighborhood kid whose mother owned a sort of club in the basement of her house, which made practicing convenient for the rest of the Beatles. Pete’s mother, Mona Best, ran The Casbah Club, where they lived in Hayman’s Green. In fact, it was Mona who was responsible for getting the Beatles their first gig at the Cavern Club.
Here’s an audio clip of Pete Best recalling the phone call from Paul McCartney asking him to audition for the Beatles. According to Best, about 10 minutes after his audition, he was officially part of the Beatles and 10 days later off to Hamburg, Germany to tour.
Best Invited to Audition for the Beatles
Pete Best how he would have looked in the Hamburg days.
Ringo Starr was introduced into the Beatles as a stand-in drummer for Best months before he joined. It was the final efforts made by George Martin, the Beatles producer who was instrumental (pun 
in getting Pete replaced with Ringo. Ringo was a well known drummer in Liverpool, already a local celeb in his own right when he was asked to officially join the Beatles during their recording sessions at Parlophone in 1962.
“Beatles Letter Found in Car Fetches $55K” wWas Written by Brenne Meirowitz, BA, MA, MS ©2011 Beatles Rooftop Concert & Brenne Meirowitz. All Rights Reserved.