Many people have been given the title "the fifth Beatle." Record
producer George Martin is high on that list, as are manager Brian
Epstein, keyboard player Billy Preston and New York disc jockey Murray
the K, who did much to promote the Fab Four when they first invaded
these shores in the early 1960s.
Author, publisher and music historian Jim Berkenstadt has yet
another nominee: Jimmie Nicol, the drummer who replaced a
tonsillitis-stricken Ringo for 13 days when the Beatles embarked on
their first world tour in 1964.
The book, "The Beatle Who Vanished" (WIN THIS BOOK HERE IN BEATLES MAGAZINE), painstakingly follows the life of Nicol, before, during and
after his brush with the Beatles. He understandably winds up with a
love/hate relationship regarding his brief glimpse of musical
immortality.
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Berkenstadt, 56, who lives in Madison, Wis., and who bills himself
as "the rock 'n' roll detective" became a Beatles fanatic ever since he
saw them on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964.
The one-sentence mention of Nicol in Beatles trivia books caught
Berkenstadt's eye and riveted him. Nicol had been a popular session
drummer on the London scene for record labels such as Decca and Pye in
the early '60s. When he received the famous phone call on Wednesday,
June 3, 1964 from George Martin, he had no idea how much it would change
his life. He would perform with the Beatles in the Netherlands,
Southeast Asia and Australia, a total of 10 shows in 13 days.
"I always wondered why this footnote in Beatles history had never
been fleshed out more in Beatles books and not at all in British rock
books," he said on the phone from his home in Madison.
"I thought it would be an interesting exercise to unravel the mysteries behind the little drummer."
Through copious research, which included trips to England, Australia
and the Netherlands, the author became ever more curious about this
enigmatic and somewhat tragic character.
"It was amazing to find that he dealt with his post-Beatles 15
minutes by vanishing whenever he wanted to restart his career or life.
Always, without saying goodbye to friends and family. And he sometimes
left false trails. Very mysterious, considering everyone loved the guy."
The London pop music scene of the early '60s was a small world.
Cleveland-based artist manager David Spero recently recalled asking
Ringo how Nicol had been selected. "We were all mates," Ringo told him.
After returning from his whirlwind two weeks with the most famous
rock band in the world, Nicol tried to capitalize on his shining moment
in the celebrity sun. He got a record deal, formed a band with the
unfortunate name of The Shubdubs, and bought a new Jaguar sports car he
couldn't afford.
Within the year he was broke, unemployed, divorced and living with
his mom. This would begin a pattern of extreme ups and downs that would
repeat throughout his life. The more Berkenstadt discovered, the more
sympathetic he became.
"I came to appreciate what enormous pressure he went through to help
keep the Beatles first world tour afloat," he said. "It wasn't hard to
understand the difficulty one must have dealing with having 'touched the
sun' with the Beatles and having to fall back to earth as an everyman."
Nicol was squeaking out a living playing with the still-popular
Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames when he got a call from a Swedish pop
band called the Spotnicks.
Two world tours with the Swedes would eventually land Nicol in
Mexico City where the band would fire him for alleged drug use. Nicol
fell in with another musician named Eddie Quinn, and the two convinced
Mexican record executives to sign them for a record deal that would
produce the forgettable concept album entitled "Los Nicolquinn."
"It was no 'Sgt. Pepper,' " laughed Berkenstadt.
What Nicol lacked in talent he made up for in energy and ambition.
He crisscrossed continents looking for new musical opportunities,
sometimes attending Beatles conventions, and eventually fell back on a
remodeling business.
Berkenstadt plays a bit of a cat-and-mouse game with the reader
about whether Nicol is currently dead or alive. There will be no
spoilers here. This explains the title "The Beatle Who Vanished." But
can someone for whom no one is really looking actually vanish?
Late in the book there is talk about a book deal in which Nicol
would write about his life. "The Beatle Who Vanished" will have to do
for now. And it does quite well, telling the story about a fascinating
asterisk in Beatles history.
But along with George Martin and Billy Preston, does Jimmie Nicol qualify for the title? Maybe more than the others.
"For one day in Melbourne," said Berkenstadt, "when Ringo returned and Jimmie was present, he was a 5th Beatle in photos."
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