Fab One Hundred and Four

Book excerpt: When one considers The Beatles' musical influences, several names naturally come to mind: Harold Phillips, Ian James, Vinnie Ismael, Michael Hill, Marie Maguire and Arthur Pendleton. What's that you say? Never heard of them? Well, surely these names from the Fab lineup strike a chord: Norman Chapman and Ronnie the Ted. No? Well, remember when the boys were joined onstage by household names like Tanya Day, Royston Ellis, Simone Jackson and Janice The Stripper? Hmmm. Don't ring a bell? This is the entire point of Liddypool author David Bedford's newest historical romp, The FAB One Hundred and FOUR, a meticulously-researched, lavishly-illustrated and thoughtfully-written volume that addresses the important, but largely unknown or forgotten players in the evolution of that little band from Liverpool known as The Beatles. So much has been written about the group, one would think there's little left to cover. But Bedford has ventured into uncharted territory, fleshing out the lives of the unsung heroes – and heroines – of The Beatles' incredible beginnings and rise to fame.