When the news was released last year that Pete had left the Beatles - it became the talking point of the year, and is still a frequent topic of discussion.

Naturally, there were repercussions. Pat Delaney, a supervisor at the Cavern club for several years, comments: "Before the Beatles recorded, Pete was inclined to be more popular with the girls than any other member of the group. There were several reasons why I believe he was so popular. Girls were attracted by the fact that he wouldn't smile, even though they tried to make him. They also tried to attract his attention on stage, but he wouldn't look at them. When he left the Beatles there were exclamations of surprise. 'The Beatles will never be the same without him'...'he was the Beatles'...'they've taken away the vital part' were comments I heard. When he left them he was lost to the scene. When he joined the All Stars, the limelight he had with the Beatles seemed to go."

We believe that one of the chief factors in the success of local groups such as the Beatles and the Dennisons lies in the fact that they communicate with the audience, talk to their fans from the stage - and the youngsters feel 'they are just like us!' We also think Pete Best provided a very subtle and balanced contrast to the group. His seeming aloofness and 'James Dean-like manner' is comparable to the appeal of major film stars. Hero-worship can be built up when a star is a 'familiar stranger', someone who is seen, yet retains an air of mystery. This is one of the factors that has built up the Presley legend - who knows, if Presley had toured frequently in Britain, would he still be as big?

Petitions with hundreds of names were sent to Mersey Beat demanding that Pete be reinstated with the group. The whole Merseyside scene was buzzing with endless discussions, debates and theories...and the fans were in an uproar. In fact, Pete had been with the group since the beginning, had shared their hardships - and had genuinely deserved any fruits of success that the other members of the group were entitled to. The Beatles were established and on the brink of fantastic national success - and Pete had been faithfully with them on the long, hard road from the days of playing in small cellar clubs to topping the Mersey Beat poll.

Since joining the All Stars he has almost passed into obscurity. Has this been due to the fickleness of the public, or plain bad luck? Certainly it is true that with the right handling, Pete could had retained his fantastic popularity.

However, the All Stars are no longer with Lee Curtis - and Pete may once again return to the limelight if the group remains in Liverpool to play the local venues again.

Editor's note: John Lennon himself considered that the Beatles played their best music when Pete was a member of the band. Although he did play with them at the Jacaranda immediately prior to their German debut, he wasn't with them at the earlier Jacaranda appearances when the girls had the broom handles. In the case of the Manchester radio trip, this took place at the Playhouse Theatre for a programme called 'Teenager's Turn.' Virginia and I were with them on this trip. The fan club had organised a coach which was parked outside the Art College/Liverpool Institute. Apart from the fans, the Beatles themselves were present, along with Brian Epstein and Jim McCartney. Pete Mackey, a member of the Art College student's union was also on board with instructions to discover what had happened to the art college amplifiers which the Beatles had taken. He approached John Lennon about it, but didn't have much joy! Pete Mackey became bass guitarist with the Roadrunners. The coach didn't actually leave without Pete Best, it drove around the block and we then picked him up. When he got inside the coach Mr McCartney gave him a telling off, accusing him of trying to hog the limelight. There was some dispute in Liverpool between Ron Appleby and Bob Wooler about who announced the Beatles for the first time on stage in Liverpool. When he joined Lee Curtis & the All Stars, a recently formed group, they went straight into the Mersey Beat Poll results at No.2, directly behind the Beatles: an example of Pete's popularity at the time. 

Brian Epstein had issued me with an official statement from the Beatles which I printed, alleging that it had been an amicable parting. I liked Pete and was determined to help him in any way I could via the pages of Mersey Beat, placing him on the front cover with his new group, writing about his activities, and giving him the opportunity to give his own side of the story. Strange, though, a writer in recent years, who wasn't actally there, tries to imply that I printed the Beatles statement because I was in Brian Epstein's pocket, a totally outrageous and unfounded allegation. I was fiercely protective of Mersey Beat's independence at the time and actually had an argument with Brian Epstein when he threatened to pull out his advertising if I didn't put the Big Three on the cover. I'd promised the cover to Lee Curtis and told Epstein he could take out his advertising as Curtis was going on the cover and that was that. Brian was later to write me a letter of apology and invited me to his office for a drink and a continuation of a mutually beneficial relationship. The Best family were appreciative of my continued support of Pete and Mona Best sent a copy of the article to an American TV programme which was booking Pete and at the side of which she'd written: "This article which I send along with photo's of Pete's own group the Original All Stars may help the programme I Have A Secret', sorry, I've Got A Secret.' What is written is the truth, no make believe. Hope it helps out. All the best, Mona Best."
Here is Pete Best's story in his own words:

My Beatle Days

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