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Tony Sheridan

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Tony Sheridan, in full Anthony Esmond Sheridan McGinnity, was an English rock 'n' roll guitarist who lived in Germany for a large part of his life. He was born in 1940 in Norwich. At seven he played violin, later it became guitar. In 1956 he formed his first skiffle band. He played at the 2i's coffee bar in Soho, appeared in 1958 on the television show Oh Boy! and in England accompanied artists such as Gene Vincent and Conway Twitty. In 1960 he toured with Vincent and Eddie Cochran. Johnny Foster was looking for him for Cliff Richard's band, but at the 2i's found Hank Marvin instead of him.

Music and breakthrough

Because Sheridan was considered unreliable in England, he went to Hamburg in 1960, where until 1963 he played with changing backing bands. There the Beatles met him. In 1961 they stood closer to him and sometimes accompanied him, while he reinforced their performances on guitar. On 22, 23 and 24 June 1961 he recorded a series of songs for Polydor under the direction of Bert Kaempfert, including My Bonnie and The Saints, with the Beatles as accompaniment. The sleeve said The Beat Brothers. In this way he became the only non-Beatle to appear as lead singer on a Beatles recording that reached the charts as a single.

Influence

In the mid-1960s Sheridan chose a more blues- and jazz-oriented sound, which disappointed some fans. Later he kept performing in Germany, recorded an album in Los Angeles in 1978 with Elvis Presley's band and released the album Vagabond in 2002. He died in 2013. His name remains linked with the beginnings of the Beatles in Hamburg.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to My Bonnie by Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers. Notice how the Scottish folk song begins slowly and then speeds up into a rock 'n' roll number.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Categories: Artists