A handwritten letter by The Beatles inviting a drummer to audition for the band is to be auctioned.
Paul McCartney penned the letter on August 12, 1960 in response to a notice in the Liverpool Echo newspaper from the drummer advertising their availability. At the time, Pete Best was the band’s sticksman and it was not known whether The Beatles were seriously looking for a replacement drummer.
McCartney wrote:
"We would like to offer you an audition for the position of drummer in the group. You will, however, need to be free soon for a trip to Hamburg (expenses paid £18 per week (approx) for two months). If interested ring Jacaranda club and ask for a member of The Beatles."
Three days later, The Beatles traveled as a five-piece, with Pete Best on drums and Stuart Sutcliffe on bass, to Germany. The identity of the drummer is not known, nor if the proposed audition ever took place. Pete Best was eventually "dropped" from the group. Ringo Starr, who knew the band from English and German dates, joined The Beatles in 1962.
The simple letter is one of the strangest ever Beatle artifacts, but is the BBC reports it is expected to fetch up to £9,000 at a London auction on November 15.
Thanks for the report to Michael Leonard, Gibson.com.
