Peter & Gordon reunite at this year's Fest in New York
by Adam Kane, What Goes On Beatles News
The annual New York area convention for fans of the Beatles takes place the first weekend in April just outside New York City, and this year will be a treat for Beatles fans of all ages and generations with first-ever convention appearances by several people with close associations to the Fab Four.
It will feature the first full U.S. concert appearance in 39 years of legendary British Invasion pop duo Peter & Gordon, who racked up 9 Top Forty hits 1964-1967, including four songs written specially for them by John Lennon & Paul McCartney, "World Without Love", "Nobody I Know", "I Don't Want To See You Again" and "Woman". Their last concert appearances were in 1967 and they broke up in 1968, after which Peter Asher joined The Beatles' company Apple Records as Head of A&R.
Peter and Gordon in 1964
In addition to their performance, Peter Asher and Gordon Waller will appear in-conversation with convention host Martin Lewis.
Also making his first-ever Beatles convention appearance will be legendary Beatles recording engineer Geoff Emerick, who as a young engineer worked closely with the band on their breakthrough "Revolver," "Sgt Pepper" and "Abbey Road" albums. His eagerly-awaited memoir "Here, There And Everywhere" is due to be published in mid-March by Gotham Books.
Other guests at the convention include:
Original Beatles drummer Pete Best, who will talk and play music with his group The Pete Best Band.
Longtime Beatles publicist Tony Barrow, who handled the Beatles' press from 1963 to 1968.
Mark Hudson (formerly one of the Hudson Brothers), longtime record producer for Ringo Starr, Aerosmith and Ozzy Osbourne. Hudson will attend with Gary Burr, a longtime member of Ringo Starr's "Roundheads" studio band.
Former Wings guitarist and solo artist, Laurence Juber
Larry Kane, author of the recent John Lennon biography "Lennon Revealed".
Joshua Greene, author of the new Harrison biography "Here Comes The Sun".
Bruce Spizer, author of multiple books about the US record releases of the Beatles
The conventions were started in 1974, with the personal blessing of John Lennon ("I'm in favor of it, I'm a Beatles fan too!"), by husband and wife team Mark & Carol Lapidos, who have staged 102 U.S. Beatles conventions in the past 32 years.
The Master of Ceremonies for the New York area Beatles convention (since 1991) is humorist-producer-Beatles scholar Martin Lewis, who produced the DVD Editions of "A Hard Day's Night" and "The Beatles On Ed Sullivan." Lewis is a protégé of legendary Beatles publicist Derek Taylor. He's also a longtime pal of Beatles record producer Sir George Martin and has known Geoff Emerick and Peter & Gordon socially for several years, and he helped Fest organizer Mark Lapidos secure their first-ever appearances at a Beatles convention.
The Fest For Beatles Fans 2006 takes place on Friday March 31 through Sunday April 2 at the Crowne Plaza Meadowlands, next to Giant Stadium (15 mins from NYC). Tickets go on sale on today (February 3). For more information call 1-866-THE-FEST.
More information:
• The Fest For Beatles Fans
Published February 3, 2006
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