The Beatles and Helen Shapiro

The Beatles Unravelled #30
The Beatles and Helen Shapiro

In the spring of 1963, the Beatles first UK tour was as a support act with Helen Shapiro. The origins of She’s Leaving Home also lie with The Beatles and Helen Shapiro.

1 to 7 July – The Beatles and Helen Shapiro
guest feature on the Mop Tops and The King show

Steve Chelmsford presents the Mop Tops and the King radio show. Certainly, a great name for a show that is all about the music of The Beatles and Elvis Presley.
Every other week, author of Rock’n’Roll Unravelled Derek Shelmerdine presents The Beatles Unravelled, alternating with Elvis Presley Unravelled.

The podcast provides this 1-minute segment of a little bit of Beatles and Elvis Presley history. Moreover, the Unravelled stories take a look at some of the more obscure parts of the story.

The MTK Network broadcasts the show, with 100 radio stations around the world. Consequently, the Mop Tops and the King is playing somewhere in the world, every day of the week.
Show Schedule for times and radio stations.
(Times on the Show Schedule are Eastern Time. Consequently, the UK is five hours ahead.)

Listen Again – PODCAST
The Beatles and Helen Shapiro

The Beatles and Helen Shapiro

First UK tour

The Beatles and Helen Shapiro
Tour Poster

In the spring of 1963, The Beatles’ first UK Tour was as support to headliner Helen Shapiro, who’d already scored seven UK hits. On the other hand the Beatles had just scored their second hit, Please Please Me.

On 4 October 1963, the Beatles made their debut on UK TV music show Ready Steady Go! Helen Shapiro was also on the show and sang her tenth UK hit, Look Who It Is. Moreover Helen performed the song by singing directly to John, George and Ringo.

Origins of the song – She’s Leaving Home

The Beatles and Helen Shapiro
She’s Leaving Home

 Paul missed the Helen Shapiro segment because he was presenting the prize to the miming competition winner, Melanie Coe.

In 1967 Paul read a newspaper article about a 17-year-old girl who’d run away from home. This article inspired Paul to write the song She’s Leaving Home. He later discovered that the runaway girl was Melanie Coe. The same girl he met on the 1964 Ready Steady Go! TV show four years earlier!

Extracts from Rock’n’Roll Unravelled

All of the Elvis Presley Unravelled and The Beatles Unravelled podcasts are based on extracts from Derek Shelmerdine‘s book Rock’n’Roll Unravelled.

The Beatles – Extracts taken from Rock’n’Roll Unravelled
Elvis Presley – Extracts taken from Rock’n’Roll Unravelled

These extracts are only a small fraction of the Beatles and Elvis stories to be found in the book.

About the bookRock’n’Roll Unravelled

I say cover
Rock’n’Roll Unravelled

Rock’n’Roll Unravelled tells the story of rock’n’roll from its roots to mid-1970s punk.

In addition to the music, the book looks at the social factors influencing the music. The Vietnam War, fear of communism and Civil rights struggle certainly helped to shape the sounds of the time.

If it’s relevant to the music of the 1950s. ’60s, ’70s and its roots – it’s in the book. For example, there are stories about bands and artists. Also, a look at classic albums and singles, landmark recording sessions. Not forgetting memorable gigs and festivals. Plus stories about influential managers, how bands came together, lineups and – SO MUCH MORE…

Rock’n’Roll Unravelled‘s unique three-part structure

Rock’n’Roll Unravelled has three sections: Timeline, What Happened Today and Pocket Histories.

What Happened Today – looks at the events happening on a day-by-day basis.

Consequently, as the review in Record Collector magazine puts it in its review of the book, “Shelmerdine has made a painstaking effort to documented pretty much every event that will prove significant in shaping popular music”. In addition, the review went on to describe the book as, “comprehensive… invaluable”.

Moreover, the cross-referenced events in What Happened Today create the other two sections, Timeline and Pocket Histories.

Timeline – consequently provides a date-order listing of all of the events in What Happened Today.

Pocket Histories – further extends the cross-referencing. As a result, this builds a picture of the lives and times of the artists, bands and events in What Happened Today.

TO BUY – a signed copy of Rock’n’Roll Unravelled

For all previous editions of…
The Beatles Unravelled and Elvis Presley Unravelled

First Broadcast: The Beatles and Helen Shapiro

3 to 9 June 2022, on the MTK network.