Toronto Beatles Celebration - Toronto, Canada

Toronto Beatles Celebration - Toronto, Canada
September 16-17, 2006

http://www.torontobeatlescelebration.com/index.html

The Toronto Beatles Celebration 2006 is being held at two adjacent locations:
The main exhibits and presentations are located in the Queen Elizabeth Exhibit Hall on the grounds of Exhibition Place on Toronto’s downtown waterfront.
Two performances by 1964 The Tribute® – the world’s best Beatles tribute band – will take place in the immediately adjacent Queen Elizabeth Theatre. A self-contained concert hall with excellent acoustics, it has seating for 1316. Seating for the concerts will be on a first come, first served basis.


Guests:
*Pete Best
Pete Best was the original drummer for The Beatles, and was replaced by Ringo Starr in 1962. Pete has had a varied and active recording and performing career with the Pete Best Four, the Pete Best Combo and the Pete Best Band, among others. A frequent visitor to Toronto, Pete has a loyal and appreciative following.

Pete will host a 1-hour audio-visual presentation of his life and times. This is the first time it will be presented in Canada.

*May Pang
While she was working at ABKCO Industries, The Beatles’ management company, John and Yoko chose May to be their personal assistant. In June 1973, Yoko explained to May that she and John needed a break from each other, and that she would henceforth be his 'companion'. Their 18-month relationship is known as the “The Lost Weekend." May later worked for Island Records and United Artists Music, and published a memoir, Loving John. She also took up acting, and appeared in several television shows and the film Fatal Attraction.

May will be interviewed on her life with John, and will be available for sales and signings.

*Fred Seaman
Fred Seaman was John Lennon’s personal assistant in the last two years of John’s life. He is the author of The Last Days of John Lennon: A Personal Memoir.

*Denny Doherty
Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Doherty formed his first folk trio, The Colonials, in 1959. Following the break up of the renamed Halifax Three, Denny joined Cass Elliot as a member of her groupThe Big Three. Inspired by The Beatles, the band recruited Zal Yanovsky and John Sebastian and changed its name to The Mugwumps. When that band split, Sebastian and Yanovsky formed The Lovin' Spoonful and Cass and Doherty joined up with fellow folkies John and Michelle Phillips to become The Mamas and the Papas, one of the most revered bands in popular music. Denny has wonderful tales to tell of his relations with The Beatles:

" I'm just sitting at Dolly's in London in 1966, drinking alone, and this guy comes in and sits down beside me and . . . "Oh my God . . . It's John Lennon. Am, ah, ah . . ." Well, he looks at me and goes: "Aren't you . . ." and I looked at him and went: "Aren't you . . ." and he looked around and said, "We are, aren't we" So, we started drinking and a little while later Paul McCartney showed up with a bag of weed and I took them both back to our place and woke Cass up: "Cass, I've got a present for you." See Cass had this thing. She loved John Lennon."

*Terry Sylvester
Terry Sylvester was born on the 8th January 1947 in Liverpool, England. His father James, a jazz trombone player, introduced him to music at an early age. He was brought up in the Allerton area of Liverpool, and lived in the next road to Paul & Mike McCartney. He left school just before his 15th birthday and worked for one year as an apprentice panel beater for Peter Harrison, (George Harrison's brother). At 16 he was sharing the stage with the Beatles regularly in and around Liverpool and at the world famous Cavern Club, fronting his own group the Escorts. When the Beatles appeared at the Cavern for the last time on the 3rd August 1963, Terry & the Escorts were invited by the Beatles to be on the same bill.

Terry went on to gain world wide acclaim as a member of the Swinging Blue Jeans and The Hollies


*Peter Bennett
Following the death of Brian Epstein in 1967, Pete Bennett was hired as Promotional Manager for the Beatles and Apple Corps.

His first promotion was Hey Jude, followed by Magical Mystery Tour, the Beatles, (White Album) Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road and Let it Be.

After the band's breakup, Pete became the Promotion Manager for all four of the Beatles individually: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Cited by Billboard Magazine as the man who “made unknowns into stars and stars into superstars,” he has the distinction of being the only Promotions Manager to work simultaneously with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Elvis, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett.

*Shaun Weiss
Shaun is a highly respected Beatles expert and Business Manager for The Pete Best Band. He holds the distinction of being the only person to have been in attendance at both the 1964 Ed Sullivan Beatles tapings and the Beatles London rooftop concert. Shaun will present and discuss his remarkable collection of photographs, many of which have never been on public display.

*Bruce Spizer
Bruce Spizer is the acclaimed author of 7 books focusing on the story of The Beatles in America. His works contain the complete history of the writing and recording of Beatles’ songs, the selection of singles in America, the compiling of the unique American albums and the marketing of The Beatles to America. Each book is filled with hundreds of images of valuable and unique Beatles memorabilia, many of which are from Bruce's extensive Beatles collection.

Bruce will be interviewed on his extensive knowledge of all things Beatle.


*Russ Lease
Russ is a manufacturer and retailer of perfect, stitch-for-stitch replications of the stage suits made famous by The Beatles, including the Ed Sullivan and the Shea Stadium suits.
Russ will be displaying his collection of original Beatles suits as well as his replica suits. (www.Beatlesuits.com)

*Jim Cushman
has one of the world’s finest and most interesting personal collections of Beatles memorabilia, including strands of hair from all four of The Beatles, snippets of hotel bedsheets and towels, a piece from John Lennon and Yoko Ono's bedspread, John Lennon’s hat, several Stuart Sutcliffe hand written letters, and a tie worn and signed by Ringo, and donated to an auction run by Princess Diana.

For the Toronto Beatles Celebration, Jim will be displaying items such as John Lennon's worn straw fedora hat from 1980; a guitar case used by George Harrison; a pair of sticks owned and used by Ringo in 2000; some silverware owned and used by Lennon; handwritten notes from Lennon and McCartney; sketches from Stu Sutcliffe; a piece of a mural painted by Stu Sutcliffe on a wall of The Jacaranda Club in Liverpool in 1960; a small piece of the stage from The Star Club in Hamburg where The Beatles played in 1962; a "Piggies" print signed by George Harrison; a small piece of the floor from St. Peter's Church where John met Paul on July 6,1957; 4 small framed displays of hair from The Beatles; and hundreds more.

*Frank Caiazzo
Frank is the founder and owner of The Beatles Autographs. He has a personal collection of over 8,000 examples of Beatles handwritten material, and is the number one Beatles handwriting expert in the world.

Frank will display his world class collection of Beatles hand written material.

*Paul Saltzman
Working on a National Film Board of Canada film in India, Paul received a Dear John letter from his girlfriend. Heartbroken, and on the advice of a friend, he went to study meditation at the ashram of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh in 1968. As it happened, so were The Beatles. Paul took more than fifty intimate photos of the band and recently discovered the snapshots in a cardboard box that had been left undisturbed for 30 years.

Paul will present his photos and be available for sales and signings.

*Tom Halley
Tom worked as an Animator for both the Saturday Morning Beatles Cartoon Television series and The Beatles Animated Feature Film Yellow Submarine. He will present his collection of Beatle character drawings and sketches from both shows. He will be on hand to answer any questions and chat with all Beatle fans. This will be a treat for any young Beatle fan.

*Mitchell Axelrod
Mitchell Axelrod is the author of "Beatletoons: The Real Story Behind The Cartoon Beatles." The book is a highly acclaimed look at the ABC Saturday morning "The Beatles" cartoon show that had its debut in September 1965. He is also the President of Unseen Photos, who premiered their first suite of limited edition Beatles photographs as part of The Mark Hayward Collection in March, 2006. Mitchell will appear with Beatles animator Tom Halley.

*Jerry Levitan
As a 14-year old from Dufferin Heights Junior High in Toronto, using the guise of a reporter from the non-existent “Canadian News”, Jerry managed to visit with John and Yoko during their peace mission visit at the King Edward Hotel in May, 1969. John gave him an autographed copy of Two Virgins, along with original sketches, and a further personal interview later the same day. Jerry will tell his now legendary story and display his Lennon memorabilia.

EVENTS:
The Beatles Marketplace
A designated area where dozens of vendors from across North America will sell and discuss Beatles goods, memorabilia and collectibles.

The Celebrity Tables
Tables where our presenters and performers will be available for photographs, signings, autographs and discussion.

The Singalong Pit
You know the words. Settle into some comfy couches and join in with our singalong host and your fellow Beatlemaniacs.

The Media Panel
The best Canadian journalists and rock experts will weigh in on their memories and perceptions of The Beatles phenomenon.

The Museum Exhibits
Meet exhibitors with museum quality exhibits such as Beatle autographs, clothing and replica outfits, and world-class personal memorabilia collections.

1960’s Fashion Show
Experience the bell bottoms, Beatle boots and tie dyes, or wear them yourself.
Presented by Modraphelia, The Official Mod Store of Toronto, 256a Queen Street West. (modraphelia@hotmail.com)

The Visual Exhibits
Meet Beatles experts who will display and speak to their Beatles photographs and slides.

The Magical Mystery Bus
Ride about town on our guided Magical Mystery Bus Tour, taking in all the Toronto Beatles landmarks. (There are more of them than you think)

PERFORMERS:
1964 The Tribute® on the Theatre Stage…
Fab Four on the Convention Stage

1964 The Tribute
Rolling Stone Magazine calls them "the number one Beatles show in the world." Alistair Taylor, the former President of Apple Records said, "They sent shivers down my spine, they were so spot on." Dick Clark describes them as "magical." Louise Harrison, George's sister, says, "The look ... the sound ... is incredible."
Following on their successful performances across North America and at Carnegie Hall in New York, 1964 The Tribute® (www.1964thetribute.com) will be performing two shows in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre at the Toronto Beatles Celebration:

Saturday, September 16, 2006 at 8pm. Doors open at 7.
Sunday, September 17, 2006 at 4 p.m. Doors open at 3.
Tickets are available by calling 1-888-493-7655.
No reserved seating. All seating is on a first come first served basis.
All tickets $45.

The FabFour
The FabFour is an entertaining musical and historical re-enactment of the life of one of pop music's most revered and influential bands. We are delighted that they are the headline performers on the Toronto Beatles Celebration convention stage.

Based in southern Ontario, Canada, The FabFour take pride in accurately re-creating live performances of the vast repertoire of The Beatles. Never relying on any recorded backing tracks, a FabFour show is always a totally live and unique experience. The band is noted for its attention to detail in terms of song arrangements, costumes and even instrumentation. Indeed, The FabFour's vintage gear collection has been featured in the world renowned Beatlology Magazine.

The FabFour will perform 6 sets representing different stages in the musical evolution of The Beatles. All performances are free with admission! www.thefabfourlive.com

Hal Bruce
A Nova Scotian, Hal is unique in The Beatles world for his one-man non-stop rendition of 214 Beatle songs. Hal is a 9-time award winner who has performed around the world, and is a five time feature performer at Beatle Week in Liverpool. www.halbruce.com
David Wildsmith
A Toronto-based guitarist and singer who has been performing internationally for more than twenty-five years. A former member of the bhangra group Dhamak, he performs solo and with The David Wildsmith Band. He portrays Carlos Santana in The Spirit of Woodstock; he is a member of the Eagles tribute band, Hotel California; and he performs his own Kiss tribute. David will serve as the Singalong Pit facilitator. www.davidwildsmith.com

TICKETS:
Toronto Beatles Celebration

Queen Elizabeth Exhibit Hall
Saturday, September 16 and Sunday, September 17, 2006
10 am to 10 p.m.

Tickets are available by calling 1-888-493-7655.
Visit us soon for information on our online ticket option.

Advance Tickets:
Single day pass: $20.

Tickets at the Door:
Single day pass: $25.

Kids under 13 are free.
All passes permit all day readmission.

1964 The Tribute® in Concert

Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Saturday, September 16, 2006 at 8pm. Doors open at 7
Sunday, September 17, 2006 at 4 p.m. Doors open at 3

To purchase tickets, call 1-888-493-7655.
Visit us soon for information on our online ticket option.
All tickets $45.
No reserved seating. All seating is on a first come first served basis.

It sounds great. Is this held every year, or is it the first time that Toronto is having this Beatles celebration?

Thanks You! for the info. I plan on attending.

Thanks for the info I am the Palrus......

I hope I can go to this!

Originally Posted by Starry-eyed

It sounds great. Is this held every year, or is it the first time that Toronto is having this Beatles celebration?

I think it's the first time.....or the first time in a long time, because I've never heard of anyting like this in the time that I've been a fan.....well actually a few summers ago there was a free photo exhibit down at the B.C.E place building......but thats about it I think.

I'm actually surprised that "The Beatlemania shoppe" isn't doing anything.....well if you go to the festival, check out that store, they really ncie there, and they have awesome merchandise it's on adelaid streer I believe, or you can just google it.

Leo, yw for the info. actually, the folks @ The Beatlemania Shoppe, Peter Miniaci & Cherie Lees, are on the organizing committee for the Toronto Beatles Celebration. So, yes, they are actually doing something with it, if not being part of the brains behind it.
If you go here, you will see who is on the staff for the TBC:
http://www.torontobeatlescelebration.com/team.html

Originally Posted by I am the Paulrus

Leo, yw for the info. actually, the folks @ The Beatlemania Shoppe, Peter Miniaci & Cherie Lees, are on the organizing committee for the Toronto Beatles Celebration. So, yes, they are actually doing something with it, if not being part of the brains behind it.
If you go here, you will see who is on the staff for the TBC:
http://www.torontobeatlescelebration.com/team.html

Oh okay! Good to know the good folks of the Beatlemania Shoppe are envolved

This sounds like a blast! Wish I could go!

Originally Posted by DizzymissLizzy909

This sounds like a blast! Wish I could go!

Roadtrip?

Hope to see you there! I'm a last minute addition. See elsewhere in the Forum regarding a Canadian Press' "Fans Remember Fab Four's Final Stop in Toronto". Thanks to I am the Paulus!

Paul McCartney Thanks Toronto Beatles Celebration

TORONTO, Aug. 16 /CNW/ - Sir Paul McCartney has sent written greetings
and thanks to Beatles fans in Toronto and to the organizers of the Toronto
Beatles Celebration. The Celebration will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall
and Theatre at Exhibition Place in Toronto on September 16-17, 2006. It
features Beatle experts, educators, exhibitors, and performers, including the
world's best Beatles tribute band - 1964 The Tribute - as well as the largest
collection of museum-quality Beatles memorabilia ever assembled in Canada.

In a letter addressed, "Dear Beatles Fans," the former Beatle writes: "I
would like to welcome you to the inaugural Toronto Beatles Celebration,
celebrating the 40th anniversary of our last Beatles concert in Toronto. I
wish I could be there celebrating the legacy of the Beatles with you. Thank
you for all your love and support." The final Toronto Beatles concert was held
forty years ago tomorrow, on August 17, 1966.

Goodwill Ambassador for the Adopt-A-Minefield Campaign to rid the world
of landmines, Mr. McCartney is a passionate supporter of the cause, and
appreciative of the selection of Adopt-A-Minefield and the Canadian Landmine
Foundation as the charity of the Celebration.

"We were stunned and touched by Paul's wonderful letter," said
Celebration spokesperson David Goyette. "To the best of our knowledge, this is
the first time that Mr. McCartney has publicly recognized a Beatle convention.
It is also the first time that a convention like ours has decided to help
raise and donate funds to the landmines cause."

Said Scott Fairweather, President and CEO of the Canadian Landmine
Foundation, "We rely on local efforts from Canadians to play our part in
creating a world free of the suffering caused by landmines. This is the kind
of commitment in action that truly makes a difference."

The letter can be viewed at www.torontobeatlescelebration.com.

For further information: David Goyette, Toronto Beatles Celebration,
(416) 484-8564, davidgoyette@bellnet.ca, www.torontobeatlescelebration.com;
Scott Fairweather, Canadian Landmine Foundation, (416) 365-9461 ext. 22,
scott@canadianlandmine.org

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/a.../16/c5597.html

Hi Karla,

Hope to see you at the Celebration!

i'll be looking for you, along! what an event line-up---an absolutely dizzying array of beatlicious happenings!

Good Morning Karla!! Hope to be wearing a t-shirt with this on it...whad 'ya think? IT WAS 40 YEARS AGO TODAY!!!!!!!!!! August 17, 1966 4[IMG]TShirt???.jpeg[/IMG] 0 Years ago right now I'm taking the commuter train into Toronto's Union Station after an excited, sleepness night!

If the image isn't attached (first time attempting this) pls help me, ok?

Stephen

i couldn't see the image, stephen, but i'm on a mac (running...ugh!...OS9), so i don't always see the images posted here. another ugh!!!

er, I'm Mac too. Have you attached an image before? Any pointers? Many Thanks!

before the mods jump in, i think i'll post a mac query in "tell me why." i think 62hofner is a mac user, as well.

here's the link to the toronto beatles celebration again:
http://www.torontobeatlescelebration.com/program.html

there have been some changes since it was first announced, but i'm sure if you're planning on attending you've already bookmarked the site. if you're not going, you might just want to see what's going on.

stephen (along): please let us know details---day(s), times, venues, etc.---of your appearance!

Anyone who's going, kick Fred Seaman in the knees for me.