My Bonnie was a 1962 album by Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers, better known as the Beatles.

History

On the Beatles' first visit to Hamburg, Germany in 1960, they met rock and roller Tony Sheridan, and became friends with him. On their second visit, in 1962 (now minus Stu Sutcliffe), the Beatles backed Sheridan in a series of stage performances. It is sometimes said that German Polydor agent Bert Kaempfert personally saw Sheridan with the Beatles, but others suggest that a friend of Kaempfert's suggested that he bring them in to put down some recordings. While they recorded a number of songs together (as well as alone), few of them actually made it on to the album, with Sheridan re-recording many of them. The Beatles are known to appear on "My Bonnie" and "The Saints" (this pair was also released as a single, see below), and it's possible they appear on "Swanee River" also.

Track listing

1. "My Bonnie" (Traditional)
2. "Skinny Minny" (Haley/Keefer /Gabler /Cafra )
3. "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On" (Williams /David )
4. "I Know Baby" (Sheridan)
5. "You Are My Sunshine" (Davis/Mitchell )
6. "Ready Teddy" (Blackwell /Marascalco)
7. "The Saints" (Black /Purvis )
8. "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" (Charles)
9. "Let's Twist Again" (Mann/Appell/Buchenkamp)
10. "Sweet Georgia Brown" (Bernie/Pinkard/Casey)
11. "Swanee River" (Foster)
12. "Top Ten Twist" (Homsen/Bones/Sheridan/Lüth)

Singles

The recording sessions with Tony Sheridan spawned a number of singles, three of which weren't released until the Beatles had gained fame, and interest in the previously unreleased material grew. "My Bonnie"/"The Saints" was the first of the album's singles, and reached #5 in the German Hit Parade. After the Beatles gained fame, "Ain't She Sweet"/"Nobody's Child" received a release, on which Sheridan was not featured at any point. Next came "Sweet Georgia Brown"/"Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby", on which the credit of "Sweet Georgia Brown" is sometimes disputed, as it has not been proven either way whether the Beatles play on this version. However "Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby" is known to feature the Beatles, and was recorded in the same session as "Ain't She Sweet". Finally, "Why"/"Cry For A Shadow" was released, on which "Why" was performed by Sheridan, with the Beatles on backup, and "Cry For A Shadow" was a Harrison/Lennon instrumental, the only one credited in this way. Numerous compilations of these early recordings have been released to the public, both officially and unofficially, most conclusively in Polydor's .

References

• Daniels, Frank (1998, 2000, 2001) The Beatles with Tony Sheridan, retrieved Jan. 3, 2005
• PayBack Productions (2001, 2002) 7 Inch, retrieved Jan. 3, 2005
• Dermon, Dave III (1997-2004) History of the Beatles' Singles, retrieved Jan. 3, 2005