Everyone knows John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and sometimes even Pete Best (first drummer of the Beatles), but not all people know the story of Jimmie Nicol - maybe the most bittersweet story of the Beatlemania period. Imagine waking up and being part of one of the most famous group of people on the planet at that time for just 10-11 days, only to go back to being a complete stranger when you became useless
The Emergency
The Beatles while nearing (it will be another couple of years until that) the peak of the Beatlemania, their first world tour is approaching and, as they are packing up things, during a Photo shoot in the morning for the Saturdays Evening post in Barnes, South London, on June 3, 1964, Ringo collapsed on the floor due to tonsillitis and pharyngitis. He was rushed to University College Hospital there he was ordered to take some rest even though the world tour was due to begin, the then-manager of The Beatles Brian Samuel Epstein and the then-record producer Sir George Henry Martin began to panic about what to do, they couldn't cancel the world tour; it would have put financial strain on the band and It would have disappointed the fans, faced with this crisis and wanting to maintain the momentum of Beatlemania, Brian Epstein hatched a plan, hiring a substitute and then Sir George Martin proposed James 'Jimmie' George Nicol as a temporary substitute, even though guitarist George Harrison was against it, but in the end, Martin and Epstein managed to persuade Harrison to accept Jimmie
Why Jimmie?
Born on August 3, 1939, in Barnes, South London, Jimmie Nicol was chosen by Sir George Martin for obvious reasons. Martin had already worked with Nicol on a recording for another artist. Jimmie also worked for the EMI at the time and was a well-known session drummer in the London music scene. Furthermore, he had recorded several Beatles covers - meaning he already knew how to play most of their songs, before becoming a Beatle. He was chilling at home when, at 2 P.M; he received a call from Martin. He was asked if he wanted to be a temporary substitute drummer for the Beatles. By 3 P.M., he had rushed to the Abbey Road Studios, where he performed his first rehearsal, which lasted only about an hour, playing six songs; they didn't record the rehearsal, aside from some brief footage for the ITN news.
After the rehearsal, he was given a "Mop-top" haircut and Ringo’s grey Chesterfield suit (which was a bit too tight for him). Jimmie packed his bags and flew out with the band the next morning
Beatlemania bubble
for the next couple of weeks, Jimmie flew around the world for the tour, from Scandinavia to Netherlands (recording a performance for the dutch TV: "this one"), then Hong Kong, Australia, and in the end New Zealand (the biggest one being Adelaide in Australia with over 12,000 ppl attendance and Blokker in the Netherlands), His first concert was in Copenhagen on June 4 at "KB Hallen" Jimmie said, reflecting on his brief and small piece of global fame, "The day before I was a Beatle, girls weren't interested in me at all. The day after, with the suit and the Beatle cut, riding in the back of the limo with John and Paul, they were dying to get a touch of me. It was very strange and quite scary." He felt like an outsider even though the rest of the band as he said, they were quite nice to him, He adapted himself so well that many fans didn't even notice that Jimmie wasn't Ringo
The end
on June 14, his fame came to an abrupt end when Ringo recovered and joined the band in Melbourne, Australia, he even didnt say goodbye to the rest of the band because Jimmie flew back to London while they were all asleep, Jimmie didn't want to disturb them, so at the Melbourne airport, Epstein gave him a cheque for £500 (adjusted for inflation about $12,798 in 2023) and a gold watch with an inscription that read: "From the Beatles and Brian Epstein to Jimmy – with appreciation and gratitude"after having been a Beatle for only nine days, Jimmie declared bankruptcy in 1965 with a debt of £4,066. Seeing this, Paul McCartney tried to help him by recommending him to "Peter and Gordon" for a 1965 England tour
Jimmie's Legacy
Jimmie’s story is IMO one of the most unique and bittersweet in music history. he never wanted to make money just because he had played with the Beatles, as he stated in a rare (he did another interview in 1984 in a Beatles convention in Amsterdam) 1987 interview: "Anyone can write a book about someone who is famous that they met or knew. There is so much trash written about the Beatles and not one shows their good side. I guess I could very well write a book. Lord knows." He wanted to continue his career with his own bands, such as The Shubdubs, even though they ultimately didn't lead anywhere, and he was broken and unhappy as also said in the 1987 interview: "Standing in for Ringo was the worst thing that ever happened to me. Until then I was quite happy earning £30 or £40 a week. After the headlines died, I couldn't settle down again" After that 1987 interview, he disappeared in 1988. rumors began to circulate about his death, but these were later denied by a newspaper in 2005. he reportedly still lives in London today maybe retired after being involved in house renovation business, one of the phrases he frequently said while touring with them, "It’s getting better all the time" (it cant get worse) this later inspired Paul to write the song "Getting Better" for the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album
--- Lucidewi ---