Song #116 of 9999 - My Bonnie by Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers

Song #116 of 9999

Title: My Bonnie
Artist: Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers
Year: 1961
Album: N/A - single release

 

 

 

We can debate the relative lameness of doing a rock and roll version of "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" (did American rock and roll artists ever do such things?), but this self-penned arrangement of the Scottish folk song by Tony Sheridan certainly does rock. And apparently, Germans who couldn't get enough American rock and roll played by Brits weren't particular because the song went to #5 on the German Hit Parade.

 

But of course, if you haven't figured it out by now, the real significance of this single is that it introduced the future Beatles to the world. Serving as Sheridan's support band on the recording sessions that would ultimately result in the album My Bonnie, John, Paul, George, Stu and Pete (yes, I said Stu and Pete!) were billed as The Beat Brothers, bringing their already well-honed Hamburg sound to Sheridan's recordings. The single is also noted for being the record that brought the lads from Liverpool the attention of Brian Epstein, their future manager. And the rest, as they say, is history.