Charles Newby (18 June 1941 – 22 May 2023) was a British musician who was briefly the bassist for
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
for several gigs in December 1960, while
Stuart Sutcliffe
Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe (23 June 1940 – 10 April 1962) was a British painter and musician from Edinburgh, Scotland, best known as the original bass guitarist of the Beatles. Sutcliffe left the band to pursue his career as a pa ...
was still in Hamburg focusing on his art career.
Career
When the Beatles returned from
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
for the first time, they were in need of a
bass guitarist
A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low bra ...
.
Pete Best
Randolph Peter Best (; born 24 November 1941) is an English retired musician who was the drummer for the Beatles from 1960 to 1962. He was dismissed shortly before the band achieved worldwide fame and is one of several people referred to as a ...
suggested Chas Newby.
Newby had been with The Black Jacks (Best's group), and was now attending university; however, he was on holiday, and so he agreed to play with the Beatles.
Newby appeared with the Beatles for four engagements in December 1960 (17 December,
Casbah Club, Liverpool; 24 December, Grosvenor Ballroom, Liscard; 27 December,
Litherland Town Hall; 31 December, Casbah Club).
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
asked him to go to West Germany for the Beatles' second trip, but Newby chose to return to university.
After Lennon and
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
both declined to switch to
bass guitar
The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
,
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
, who previously played guitar and piano, reluctantly became the band's bass player.
Personal life and death
Newby taught mathematics at
Droitwich Spa High School in
Droitwich Spa
Droitwich Spa (often abbreviated to Droitwich ) is an historic spa town in the Wychavon district in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe. It is located approximately south-west of Birmingham and north-east of Worcester.
T ...
and most recently lived in
Alcester
Alcester ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon District in Warwickshire, England. It is west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 7 miles south of Redditch. The town dates back to the times of Roman ...
, where he played in a charity group, the Racketts. In 2016, Newby began performing as a member of
the Quarrymen
The Quarrymen (also written as "the Quarry Men") are a British skiffle and rock and roll group, formed by John Lennon in Liverpool in 1956, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Originally consisting of Lennon and several school friends, the ...
, the band that was the precursor to the Beatles.
Newby died on 22 May 2023, at the age of 81.
References
External links
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1941 births
2023 deaths
English rock bass guitarists
British male bass guitarists
Musicians from Blackpool
The Beatles members
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