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THE QUARRYMEN
John Lennon’s Original Band & A Sneak Preview of the Upcoming New Feature Film
"NOWHERE BOY"
Aspen Filmfest Opening Night – September 29, 2010 at the Wheeler
"An Evening Celebrating the 70th ANNIVERSARY of JOHN LENNON'S BIRTH"
THEN:
Left to Right:
Eric Griffiths (guitar) ‐ [died 2005]
Colin Hanton (drums) ‐ seated at back
Rod Davis (banjo) ‐ partly obscured by John
John Lennon (guitar & vocals) [died 1980]
Pete Shotton (washboard)
Len Garry (tea‐chest bass)
NOW:
Left to Right:
Colin Hanton (drums)
Rod Davis (guitar & banjo)
Len Garry (guitar & tea‐chest bass)
The Band That Became the Beatles – The Quarrymen
In 1956, a 15-year-old Liverpool schoolboy named John Lennon recruited five of his closest friends to join him in a musical group called The Quarrymen. Over a four-year period the group lineup changed and new members joined. Among the newcomers were Paul McCartney (July 1957) and George Harrison (in February 1958). By early 1960, John, Paul and George comprised the nucleus of the band. In the summer of 1960, the teenage trio changed their band name from The Quarrymen to The Beatles. After adding a new drummer in 1962, things turned out quite well for them...
During the four years that the band performed as The Quarrymen (1956-1960) - a total of eight youngsters passed through the ranks as full members - with a handful of others lending an occasional hand. Of those eight full members of the Quarrymen: Three have sadly passed away. Two of its founders: John Lennon and Eric Griffiths - and one of its later members: George Harrison. Another member - Pete Shotton - is unable to travel because of his heart condition.
The three surviving founding members - all hand-picked by Lennon to be in the first lineup of his group - have reformed the band and are celebrating the 70th birthday of their friend and band-mate with a tour of the USA in September/October 2010 - they will play all the key songs that the Quarrymen played with John, Paul & George over the band's four-year run.
• Rod Davis (guitar & banjo). Founder-member. First became friends with John at Sunday School at the age of 5. And then attended grammar school with him through the age of 17.
• Len Garry (guitar & home-made "tea-chest" bass). Founder-member. Longtime schoolmate of Paul who also became very close to John. He played with the band on Paul's first few months with the band and only left the group when he contracted tubercular meningitis.
• Colin Hanton (drums). Founder-member. The Quarrymen's first and only drummer. He played at all the band's live shows till 1959. He also drummed on the band's first two recordings made in 1958.
The Film
NOWHERE BOY captures and conveys the crucial formative teenage years of John Lennon. For the first time on screen, it depicts the events and personal circumstances that led to the formation of the Beatles—and the underlying family currents that shaped and molded the creative and inspirational qualities of John Lennon. Qualities that had a revolutionary impact on the world during his brief 40 years of life—and that continue to have immense effect 30 years after his death. Imagine… John Lennon's teenage years. Liverpool 1955. A smart and troubled fifteen-year-old is hungry for experience and a desire to escape the complexities of his family life and the petty-minded mentality of post-war Britain. In a family full of secrets, two strong women clash over John (Aaron Johnson): Julia (Anne-Marie Duff), the free-spirited mother who for personal reasons gave John away in his infancy—and her sister Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas), the buttoned-up Aunt who stepped in and raised John. John grasps at music as his escape path and in particular the brand-new import from America—rock ‘n' roll. The fledgling musician finds a kindred spirit in the teenage Paul McCartney (Thomas Brodie Sangster) and forms the band that becomes The Beatles. Just as John is embarking on his new life, tragedy strikes. But John channels his anger into creativity and uses his personal pain for his music. The story ends as the young man leaves home and heads to Hamburg with his band. The rest truly is history…
"Nowhere Boy" is being released in the US in October coinciding with worldwide celebrations of the 70th anniversary of Lennon's birth (October 9th). The members of the reformed Quarrymen are all depicted in the film in their teenage years. |
