Beatles Fans and Scholars Rejoice in the Publication of “Charlie Lennon: Uncle to a Beatle”
“Charlie Lennon: Uncle To A Beatle” presents the story of the late singer-songwriter Uncle Charlie Lennon, told in his own words and in tributes by some of those who knew him best. The book is illustrated with 585 photographs, including an astounding collection of previously unpublished photos of John Lennon’s relatives, never before seen by outsiders, that are sure to delight Beatle fans and will keep scholars busy for years to come.
Boston, MA, June 13, 2005 --(PR.com)-- After all that has been written about The Beatles and John Lennon over nearly 50 years, it can be difficult indeed for researchers to find fresh material on the subject. Now both fans and scholars can rejoice in the publication of “Charlie Lennon: Uncle To A Beatle,” a 432-page biography written by Boston journalist-musician Scott Wheeler, that has just been published by Outskirts Press in Parker, Colorado.
“Charlie Lennon: Uncle To A Beatle” presents the story of the late singer-songwriter Uncle Charlie Lennon, told in his own words and in tributes by some of those who knew him best. The book is illustrated with 585 photographs, including an astounding collection of previously unpublished photos of John Lennon’s relatives, never before seen by outsiders, that are sure to delight Beatle fans and will keep scholars busy for years to come.
For the last 20 years of his life, thanks to the legacy of his illustrious nephew, John’s Uncle Charlie, the last of the Lennons in Liverpool, was “uncle to the world,” holding a unique place of honor in the hearts and memories of thousands of fans who were lucky enough to meet him at the annual Beatles conventions in Liverpool, England. By the time of Charlie’s passing in 2002 the Liverpool conventions had blossomed into the largest annual free festival in Britain, drawing nearly half a million fans to the city every year from all over the world.
Charlie retired from the catering trade and moved home to Liverpool in 1982 after receiving a hero’s welcome at the city’s 1981 Beatles convention. For most of the year he lived the quiet life of a pensioner with his cat in his flat near Penny Lane, but at the end of every August, he put on his Beatle badges, donned his John Lennon cap and sallied forth into the bustle of Liverpool’s annual Beatles conventions, where he was always cheered by fans and besieged for autographs and interviews.
“I should think most everyone all over the world has an autograph done by Charlie Lennon,” he wrote to friends after one of the Liverpool festivals. “So long as it made happy a lot of people whom I have met. To meet some member of the Lennon family on his homeground must have meant something to them, as it does to me. I am sure a good time was had by all who came, and that they all went home and slept on their autographs.”
In Part One of the book, “Charlie Lennon In His Own Write,” John’s uncle talks candidly about his childhood days in Liverpool, his combat experiences in the Royal Army during World War II, his memories of John and of John’s son Julian, and his encounters with the fans and the global media, and his unexpected face-to-face meeting with John while in a coma after being struck by a speeding bus.
Charlie also talks in detail about the crucial role he played in John’s reconciliation with his estranged father, Charlie’s elder brother Alfred, in 1967. Charlie wrote John an outspoken letter in which he told John pointedly that Alfred was not solely responsible for the end of Alf’s marriage to John’s mother, Julia, and that John should consult his father for his side of the story before deciding who was to blame for the breakup of the family. That letter led to an emotional reconciliation between John and Alfred, who died of cancer in 1976.
“I let go on John, letting him know the real truth,” Charlie states in the book. “I wrote about 20 pages—I ran out of paper, to tell you the truth. But that letter I wrote him sorted him out! It was me that pushed it, all the way, and Alfred’s widow says, to this day, that it was me that reunited them.”
Scott Wheeler, Charlie’s close friend for 13 years, takes up the story in Part Two of the book, “Travels With Charlie,” chronicling his many adventures traveling and performing with Charlie around Liverpool and Boston during the course of eight years of hectic tours with Scott’s rock and roll band, The Scott Wheeler Band.
In 1964, when he was thirteen, Scott and his parents became the first Beatle fans from America to visit Beatle George Harrison’s parents and brother Peter at their home in Liverpool. “After that,” Scott writes in the book’s introduction, “my clear-cut goal was to forge a permanent relationship with that city, which has become my life’s study and my spiritual home.
“Like many others who were lucky enough to know John Lennon’s Uncle Charlie during his retirement years in Liverpool, I was attracted to him initially because of his close connection to John. But I quickly discovered, as did many (or most) of us, that Charlie was a larger-than life, world-class Lennon in his own right. ... My English friends and I came together over John, but we became a family around Charlie.”
Many other important personalities from John’s past are profiled and pictured in Part Two, including original Beatles drummer Pete Best; George Harrison’s parents, the late Harold and Louise; former Beatles manager Alan Williams; former Beatles chauffeur Alf Bicknell; former Beatles promoters Sam Leach and “Father” Tom McKenzie, and a number of The Beatles’ former playing colleagues, including members of Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Searchers, and John Lennon’s pre-Beatles skiffle group, The Quarrymen. The story touches on a number of locales around Liverpool that loom large in John’s legend, including Penny Lane, Strawberry Field, Eleanor Rigby’s grave, and the famous Mersey Ferries.
In Part Three of the book, “Remember,” the book is rounded out by some warm personal tributes to Charlie by 14 of his friends. Among them is the late Alistair Taylor, one of The Beatles’ closest personal assistants, who served for three years as manager of the group’s business organization, Apple Corps Ltd.
“The longer I knew Uncle Charlie,” Alistair wrote in his tribute, “the more I realized what a lovely man he was. I’m not sure he had an evil bone in his body. We all do—some of us more than others—but Charlie probably had a darn sight fewer.”
“Charlie Lennon: Uncle To A Beatle” provides a uniquely detailed look into John Lennon’s Liverpool roots, a treasure trove of rare photographs, and a vivid portrait of John’s remarkable Uncle Charlie, the self-proclaimed “working-class Lennon” who campaigned to the end of his life for the legacy of his famous family and for the Liverpool’s re-emergence on the world stage after years of neglect.
“We must not let that die,” Charlie says in the book’s conclusion. “It’s a living memorial to my late nephew John. I know he would not agree with me—that was John.”
Author Contact :
Scott Wheeler
(781) 878-1850
scottwheelerband@aol.com
ISBN: 1-59800-009-8
Retail Price: $26.99
Size and Format: 7x10 paperback
Page Count: 432
Availability: Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, B&N.com, www.outskirtspres.com/charlielennon
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“Charlie Lennon: Uncle To A Beatle” presents the story of the late singer-songwriter Uncle Charlie Lennon, told in his own words and in tributes by some of those who knew him best. The book is illustrated with 585 photographs, including an astounding collection of previously unpublished photos of John Lennon’s relatives, never before seen by outsiders, that are sure to delight Beatle fans and will keep scholars busy for years to come.
For the last 20 years of his life, thanks to the legacy of his illustrious nephew, John’s Uncle Charlie, the last of the Lennons in Liverpool, was “uncle to the world,” holding a unique place of honor in the hearts and memories of thousands of fans who were lucky enough to meet him at the annual Beatles conventions in Liverpool, England. By the time of Charlie’s passing in 2002 the Liverpool conventions had blossomed into the largest annual free festival in Britain, drawing nearly half a million fans to the city every year from all over the world.
Charlie retired from the catering trade and moved home to Liverpool in 1982 after receiving a hero’s welcome at the city’s 1981 Beatles convention. For most of the year he lived the quiet life of a pensioner with his cat in his flat near Penny Lane, but at the end of every August, he put on his Beatle badges, donned his John Lennon cap and sallied forth into the bustle of Liverpool’s annual Beatles conventions, where he was always cheered by fans and besieged for autographs and interviews.
“I should think most everyone all over the world has an autograph done by Charlie Lennon,” he wrote to friends after one of the Liverpool festivals. “So long as it made happy a lot of people whom I have met. To meet some member of the Lennon family on his homeground must have meant something to them, as it does to me. I am sure a good time was had by all who came, and that they all went home and slept on their autographs.”
In Part One of the book, “Charlie Lennon In His Own Write,” John’s uncle talks candidly about his childhood days in Liverpool, his combat experiences in the Royal Army during World War II, his memories of John and of John’s son Julian, and his encounters with the fans and the global media, and his unexpected face-to-face meeting with John while in a coma after being struck by a speeding bus.
Charlie also talks in detail about the crucial role he played in John’s reconciliation with his estranged father, Charlie’s elder brother Alfred, in 1967. Charlie wrote John an outspoken letter in which he told John pointedly that Alfred was not solely responsible for the end of Alf’s marriage to John’s mother, Julia, and that John should consult his father for his side of the story before deciding who was to blame for the breakup of the family. That letter led to an emotional reconciliation between John and Alfred, who died of cancer in 1976.
“I let go on John, letting him know the real truth,” Charlie states in the book. “I wrote about 20 pages—I ran out of paper, to tell you the truth. But that letter I wrote him sorted him out! It was me that pushed it, all the way, and Alfred’s widow says, to this day, that it was me that reunited them.”
Scott Wheeler, Charlie’s close friend for 13 years, takes up the story in Part Two of the book, “Travels With Charlie,” chronicling his many adventures traveling and performing with Charlie around Liverpool and Boston during the course of eight years of hectic tours with Scott’s rock and roll band, The Scott Wheeler Band.
In 1964, when he was thirteen, Scott and his parents became the first Beatle fans from America to visit Beatle George Harrison’s parents and brother Peter at their home in Liverpool. “After that,” Scott writes in the book’s introduction, “my clear-cut goal was to forge a permanent relationship with that city, which has become my life’s study and my spiritual home.
“Like many others who were lucky enough to know John Lennon’s Uncle Charlie during his retirement years in Liverpool, I was attracted to him initially because of his close connection to John. But I quickly discovered, as did many (or most) of us, that Charlie was a larger-than life, world-class Lennon in his own right. ... My English friends and I came together over John, but we became a family around Charlie.”
Many other important personalities from John’s past are profiled and pictured in Part Two, including original Beatles drummer Pete Best; George Harrison’s parents, the late Harold and Louise; former Beatles manager Alan Williams; former Beatles chauffeur Alf Bicknell; former Beatles promoters Sam Leach and “Father” Tom McKenzie, and a number of The Beatles’ former playing colleagues, including members of Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Searchers, and John Lennon’s pre-Beatles skiffle group, The Quarrymen. The story touches on a number of locales around Liverpool that loom large in John’s legend, including Penny Lane, Strawberry Field, Eleanor Rigby’s grave, and the famous Mersey Ferries.
In Part Three of the book, “Remember,” the book is rounded out by some warm personal tributes to Charlie by 14 of his friends. Among them is the late Alistair Taylor, one of The Beatles’ closest personal assistants, who served for three years as manager of the group’s business organization, Apple Corps Ltd.
“The longer I knew Uncle Charlie,” Alistair wrote in his tribute, “the more I realized what a lovely man he was. I’m not sure he had an evil bone in his body. We all do—some of us more than others—but Charlie probably had a darn sight fewer.”
“Charlie Lennon: Uncle To A Beatle” provides a uniquely detailed look into John Lennon’s Liverpool roots, a treasure trove of rare photographs, and a vivid portrait of John’s remarkable Uncle Charlie, the self-proclaimed “working-class Lennon” who campaigned to the end of his life for the legacy of his famous family and for the Liverpool’s re-emergence on the world stage after years of neglect.
“We must not let that die,” Charlie says in the book’s conclusion. “It’s a living memorial to my late nephew John. I know he would not agree with me—that was John.”
Author Contact :
Scott Wheeler
(781) 878-1850
scottwheelerband@aol.com
ISBN: 1-59800-009-8
Retail Price: $26.99
Size and Format: 7x10 paperback
Page Count: 432
Availability: Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, B&N.com, www.outskirtspres.com/charlielennon
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