July 2026 |

What If John, Paul, George & Ringo Didn’t Meet?

What If The Beatles Never Met Each Other?

The Beatles: What If?

Why did we write the book? Why another Beatles book?

My friend Andrew and I spent ages at a Fest of Beatles Fans debating various situations when Beatles history could have worked out differently, and by the end of the conversation had agreed to write the book.

Why? Because we all have “What If” moments in our lives, when something happens and it changes the course of our lives, maybe in a small way, or maybe in a big way.

For me, it was being signed off work back in June 2000 for 1 month, which became 3 months then 6 then a year and then I was told I would not be returning to my job. At 35, my working life was over. I had a wife and three young children. It completely changed my life.

However, out of the madness of giving up work, I ended up with this Beatles life which has been incredible. It ended up being a blessing. But it completely changed the lives of me and my amazing family.

What is your “What If” moment or moments?

I am sure when it comes to the life and career of The Beatles, you can think of many career-changing moments, but probably the biggest and most important was the meeting of John and Paul, which only came about because of Ivan Vaughan. If that doesn’t happen, we have no Beatles! What if Paul and George don’t meet on the bus because they were at the same high school? What if Ringo doesn’t join The Beatles and Pete Best stays? What about Stuart Sutcliffe? So many meetings and chances.

Others we will discuss: what if they don’t meet Brian Epstein? What if Decca DOES sign The Beatles? What if they don’t get onto the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964? What if Brian doesn’t die? What if John doesn’t meet Yoko?

The book contains 70 key moments in Beatles history, and we look at four possible outcomes: “Let It be”: nothing changes. “The End”: it would have been the end of The Beatles. “Tomorrow Never Knows”: we can guess but we don’t know the impact of the event/ incident. And “You Can’t Do That”: things they did which could have ended up with The Beatles being finished, but they got away with!

You don’t have to agree with us! But, once you get your mind into ‘What If?”, you will find yourself debating these points with other Beatles fans, and you won’t stop, before you head down many rabbit holes!!

It is meant to be fun, whilst also looking at the incredible story of The Beatles. Only then, as we found when writing the book, we realised that phrases like “destiny” and “written in the stars” don’t even begin to describe what really happened.

This is a unique and fresh look at the story of The Beatles that will have you hooked.

If you haven’t already, get your copy now by clicking below.

Thanks for supporting my work!

David

New George and Judy Martin Garden at Strawberry Field

On 27th June, I was honoured to be invited to the opening of the new Sir George and Lady Judy Martin Rose Garden at Strawberry Field, Liverpool.

There were many special guests there, including George and Judy’s son Giles and daughter Lucy, John’s sister Julia Baird who is honorary President at Strawberry Field, Lady Anne Dodd, Ken Dodd’s widow, Beatles Fan Club Secretary Freda Kelly and Cliff Cooper, CEO of Orange Amps, who has donated the garden.

Giles gave a short, but moving, speech saying how Strawberry Field is a place of nurture for those young people in the Steps to Work program, and how his father nurtured The Beatles in the same way. His mother, Judy, was one of the first honorary Presidents at Strawberry Field with Julia Baird.

The garden consists of a wall with a dedication to George Martin’s contribution to The Beatles and music in general.

There is also a fountain as the centre-piece, and a celebration of the famous records he had produced.

A disc for every hit record from George Martin

Giles and Lucy then planted a rose in the garden for their parents.

Rose Garden planted as a tribute to Lady Judy Martin

I then had the pleasure of talking to both Giles and Lucy, and I could tell them how I had met their mother at Strawberry Field at the groundbreaking ceremony many years ago, and I was talking with her for nearly 20 minutes. What a lovely lady she was.

Me with Giles Martin and my Podcast buddy Paul Beesley

It was a great privilege to be there for this historic day and to celebrate two incredible people who played such an important part in Beatles history, and for there finally be a permanent tribute to George Martin.

What if The Beatles never worked with Goerge Martin? Can you imagine that? It is one of 70 scenarios in my latest book, The Beatles: What If? Get your copy now. What do you think? There are 70 key moments in Beatles history that could have worked out differently. See if you agree!

FInd out more about Strawberry Field here https://www.strawberryfield.salvationarmy.org.uk/

Down South

On his latest album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, Paul sings about going on a hitch-hiking journey with George Harrison. They headed down south, and also hitch-hiked to Harlech in Wales.

They set off with their guitars, of course, and spotted a sign for Harlech, made famous in the Welsh anthem, “Men of Harlech”, that they both knew well. Harlech, an ancient town famous for its castle, was welcoming to the Liverpool wanderers, and they settled into a local cafe, listening to the jukebox in the corner.

Paul and George rehearsed with local group The Vikings in the basement of a barbershop, and Gerry Brookes, who owns the Seasons and Reasons General Store on the site of the barbershop, told me about the famous visit to the town.

The Seasons and Reasons General Store where Paul and George Played

The two visiting Liverpool musicians decided to camp in a field belonging to John Brierley’s family and, as Brierley was in a local group, the talk soon turned to music. Paul and George moved from their tent into the Brierley’s house and so, in return for bed and breakfast, they agreed to play with the group. John Brierley and his friend Aneurin Thomas were members of The Vikings, and they were performing regularly at the Queens Hotel, which was run by Thomas’ dad.

The group often played on JULY 1958 Saturday nights, and so one evening, Paul and George stepped up and performed with John and Aneurin as a quartet in Harlech. According to Brookes, the lady who lived in the flat above the barbershop remembers the group rehearsing and making a terrible noise, and local man Bill Crews had kept hold of the tea-chest bass that George played, though eventually he ripped it apart and used it for firewood!

After this story was published in my book, The Fab One Hundred and Four: The Evolution of The Beatles, Aneurin Thomas got in touch with me to talk about the trip and his fond memories of meeting Paul and George.

With the new song on Paul’s new album, Aneurin got in touch again and we are hoping to get him in touch with Paul, which would be so good! Let’s hope!

If you haven’t got my book, the follow up to Liddypool, then you can get it on sale now! It is the favourite of my books, because of what I uncovered people and stories that nobody had done before – that is so exciting as a historian!

Fab one hundred and Four: The Evolution of The Beatles

David