BEATLES – Day By Day – 10/28/61
Saturday, 28th October, 1961
The Beatles played an evening gig at the Aintree Institute today.
However the most significant event of the day for The Beatles may have happened earlier and without their involvement. For, according to Brian Epstein’s autobiography, it was on this day that a teenager named Raymond Jones walked into Epstein’s NEMS music store and requested a copy of the single “My Bonnie” by The Beatles (The Polydor recording, done in Hamburg, was actually released under the names of “Tony Sheridan and The Beat Boys”). According to Epstein’s now legendary, and possibly apocryphal story, this was the first time that he had heard the name “The Beatles.”
However many Beatles historians doubt the accuracy of the story. As Mersey Beat editor Bill Harry points out, he claims to have discussed The Beatles and other local groups with Epstein well before this date, and he adds that Epstein was already writing record reviews for “Mersey Beat” and selling copies of the paper in his shop. Further, Epstein was also selling tickets to Sam Leach’s “Operation Big Beat” concert scheduled for November 10th, and The Beatles’ name was at the top of the list of groups on the advertising poster.
