Bill Harry facts for kids

William Harry (born September 17, 1938) is a journalist and public relations agent from Liverpool, England. He is best known for creating Mersey Beat, a popular newspaper in the early 1960s. This newspaper focused on the exciting music scene in Liverpool, especially the rise of bands like the Beatles.

Before Mersey Beat, Bill Harry started other magazines and newspapers while he was a student. He went to the Liverpool College of Art, where he met John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe, who later became members of the Beatles. In 1958, he published a magazine called Jazz.

Bill Harry met his future wife, Virginia Sowry, at a club called the Jacaranda. She helped him start Mersey Beat. The first issue came out on July 6, 1961, and all 5,000 copies sold very quickly. The newspaper was published every two weeks. It covered music news from Liverpool and nearby towns. Bill Harry worked on the paper from a small office in Liverpool.

Bill Harry also helped Brian Epstein, who later became the Beatles' manager, see the band perform. After some time, Bill Harry decided to become a public relations agent. He worked with many famous music groups, including Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, and the Beach Boys.

Bill Harry's Early Life

Bill Harry was born in Liverpool, England, on September 17, 1938. His family was not wealthy. His father, John Jelicoe Harry, died during World War II when his ship was torpedoed in 1940. Bill Harry was only two years old at the time.

He went to a Catholic school, St. Vincent's Institute. Because he was small, he faced challenges from other students. His mother moved him to another school.

Bill Harry loved science fiction. He read comics by candlelight because his house had no electricity. When he was 13, he created his own science fiction fanzine called Biped. He printed 60 copies using a special machine. He later won a scholarship to the Junior School of Art in Liverpool. There, he started his first school newspaper, Premier.

Studying at Liverpool College of Art

The Liverpool College of Art at 68 Hope Street, Liverpool, where Bill Harry, John Lennon, and Stuart Sutcliffe studied.

At 16, Bill Harry began studying at the Liverpool College of Art. He learned about typography (how text looks) and page layouts. In 1958, he used the college's printing machine to publish a newspaper called Jazz. This paper reported on concerts at local jazz clubs, including the Cavern Club. He also helped edit other magazines.

Bill Harry believed art students should be creative and unique. He thought they should not just follow trends. One of his teachers, Arthur Ballard, said that Bill Harry and Stuart Sutcliffe were very smart and eager to learn. Bill Harry also started a film society at the college.

Meeting John Lennon was a surprise for Bill Harry. Lennon often dressed like a Teddy boy and could be disruptive. Despite this, Bill Harry introduced Lennon to Stuart Sutcliffe. Sutcliffe was a quiet student who had painted a portrait of Bill Harry. The three often spent time together at a pub called the Cracke or at the Jacaranda club. It was at the Jacaranda club that Bill Harry met Virginia Sowry, who would become his wife.

Bill Harry's Interest in Music and Journalism

A fellow student, John Ashcroft, introduced Bill Harry to rock 'n' roll music. Bill Harry started carrying notebooks to collect information about local bands. He wrote to newspapers like the Daily Mail and the Liverpool Echo. He told them that Liverpool's music scene was like New Orleans but with rock 'n' roll. However, these newspapers were not interested in stories about teenage music.

The classified ads for local bands in the Liverpool Echo were always listed under "Jazz." The paper refused to change this, even though the bands were playing rock 'n' roll. Bill Harry then decided to create his own newspaper. He thought a paper about Liverpool's rock 'n' roll music would be very successful. It would be different from national music papers that only wrote about chart hits.

Creating Mersey Beat

Bill Harry had trouble finding someone to fund his newspaper idea. Then, a friend introduced him to Jim Anderson, who lent him £50. This money allowed Bill Harry to start Mersey Beat in 1961. He decided to publish the newspaper every two weeks. It covered the music scene in Liverpool and many surrounding areas.

Bill Harry came up with the name Mersey Beat by thinking about a policeman's 'beat' (their area of duty). It had nothing to do with a musical beat. Virginia Sowry quit her job to work full-time for the paper. She also wrote an article called Mersey Roundabout.

The original Mersey Beat office was at 81a Renshaw Street, Liverpool (the green shop front on the right).

Jim Anderson found a small attic office for the paper above a wine shop at 81a Renshaw Street, Liverpool. He also provided a desk, chair, and a typewriter. Bill Harry borrowed printing blocks for photos because they were too expensive to buy. He also printed free charity advertisements on the front cover. Bill Harry often worked all night, sometimes going to the Pier Head for a cup of tea and a hot pie at four in the morning. Virginia's parents also helped the paper by paying for classified ads.

The First Issue of Mersey Beat

Bill Harry arranged for three major wholesalers to sell Mersey Beat. He also personally delivered copies to over 20 newsagents and music stores. The first issue was released on July 6, 1961. All 5,000 copies sold out quickly.

The newspaper's sales grew fast. Bill Harry started featuring stories about bands in other cities like Manchester and Birmingham. The circulation grew to 75,000 copies. Mersey Beat became known as the "Teenagers Bible." Local bands were called "beat groups," and concerts were advertised as "Beat Sessions." As sales increased, the paper moved to a larger office downstairs. They hired a doorman from the Cavern Club, Pat Delaney, to deliver copies. They also hired a secretary and someone to sell advertising space.

Bill Harry explained that older generations did not understand what young people wanted. He said, "Suddenly, there was an awareness of being young, and young people wanted their own styles and their own music... Mersey Beat was their voice."

Popular Liverpool Bands

Between 1958 and 1964, the Liverpool area had about 500 different bands. These groups were always forming and breaking up. About 350 bands played concerts regularly. In 1961, Bill Harry and the Cavern Club's DJ, Bob Wooler, made a list of almost 300 bands they knew.

In 1962, Mersey Beat held a poll to find the most popular band in Merseyside. When the votes were counted, Rory Storm & the Hurricanes were first. However, Bill Harry noticed that 40 votes were written in the same green ink and from the same area. He removed these suspicious votes. The Beatles and other groups had also tried to vote for themselves in similar ways.

The results were announced on January 4, 1962. The Beatles came in first place! This famous front page of Mersey Beat announced, "Beatles Top Poll!" Because of the poll's popularity, a music store manager gave John Lennon and George Harrison new guitars. Many bands in Liverpool joked that the newspaper should be called Mersey Beatles because Bill Harry featured them so often.

Bill Harry asked a local singer, Priscilla White, to write a fashion column. He wrote an article about her called "Swinging Cilla." He accidentally called her "Cilla Black" because he couldn't remember her last name, which he knew was a color. Priscilla White decided to keep "Cilla Black" as her stage name. Two years later, Bill Harry arranged for her to sing for Brian Epstein, which led to her getting a management contract.

In late 1962, Bill Harry wrote an article asking record company representatives from London to visit Liverpool. He wanted them to see the amazing music scene there. However, no record company sent anyone to Liverpool. When Bob Dylan visited Liverpool, he specifically asked Bill Harry to show him around the city.

The Beatles and Brian Epstein

Bill Harry often heard Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison practicing in the Art College canteen. After Stuart Sutcliffe joined the Quarrymen, Bill Harry thought Sutcliffe should focus on art, not music. Bill Harry and Sutcliffe were part of the college's Student Union. They suggested the college buy a P.A. system for dances, where the Quarrymen often played. This equipment was later taken by the band to Hamburg.

Bill Harry asked John Lennon to write a short story about the Beatles for the first issue of Mersey Beat. Bill Harry titled it, "Being a Short Diversion on the Dubious Origins of Beatles, Translated From the [sic] John Lennon." Lennon was very happy that Bill Harry printed his story without changing it. Lennon later gave Bill Harry many drawings, poems, and stories (about 250 in total). He told Bill Harry he could publish whatever he liked under the name "Beatcomber."

Bill Harry convinced Brian Epstein to sell 12 copies of the first Mersey Beat newspaper at his North End Music Stores (NEMS). They sold out in one day, so Epstein ordered more. After selling 144 copies of the second issue, Epstein invited Bill Harry to his office. Epstein suggested he write a record review column. This column was published in the third issue on August 3, 1961.

Epstein saw many posters for Beatles concerts and saw them on the front page of the second Mersey Beat issue. The paper announced, "Beatles sign Recording Contract!" because they had recorded a song called "My Bonnie" in Germany. Bill Harry and Paul McCartney later said that Epstein knew about the Beatles for a long time. Bill Harry had been talking to Epstein about the Beatles often, as they were the band he promoted the most in Mersey Beat.

The Beatles were scheduled to play a lunchtime concert at the Cavern Club on November 9, 1961. This club was near Epstein's NEMS store. Epstein asked Bill Harry to arrange for him and his assistant, Alistair Taylor, to watch the Beatles without waiting in line. Bill Harry called the club owner, who told the doorman to let Epstein in. Epstein and Taylor went past the line of fans. The club's public-address system announced, "We have someone rather famous in the audience today, Mr. Brian Epstein, the owner of NEMS..."

After Epstein became the Beatles' manager, John Lennon quickly went to Bill Harry's office. Lennon asked for all the photos he had given Bill Harry back. He said, "Brian [Epstein] insists I've got to get them back—the pictures, everything you've got. I must take it all with me now." When Epstein finally got a recording contract with EMI for the Beatles, he sent Bill Harry a telegram to the Mersey Beat office to share the good news.

The End of Mersey Beat and Moving to London

On September 13, 1964, Brian Epstein asked Bill Harry to create a national music paper. Bill Harry named it Music Echo. Gradually, Mersey Beat was combined with this new paper. Epstein had promised Bill Harry full control over the content. However, Epstein then hired other writers without telling Bill Harry. This left Bill Harry with no choice but to resign.

The paper later faced financial problems. Epstein had to merge it with another paper, and it became the Disc & Music Echo. When Bill Harry and his wife moved to London in 1966, he was already writing for other magazines. He then became a feature writer and news editor for Record Mirror. He also wrote for Music Now.

Public Relations Work and Later Achievements

In 1966, Bill Harry and his wife moved to London. He started working as a public relations (PR) officer for bands like the Kinks and the Hollies. For the next 18 years, he was the PR agent for many famous artists. These included Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Procol Harum, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, the Beach Boys, Ten Years After, Free, Mott the Hoople, Supertramp, Hot Chocolate, Arrows, Suzi Quatro, and Kim Wilde.

During this time, Bill Harry started a monthly magazine called Tracks. It reported on the latest album releases. He also created another magazine, Idols: 20th Century Legends, which ran for 37 issues. In 1983, he put together a 34-song music collection called Mersey Beat for Parlophone records.

In 1994, Bill Harry received a gold award for "Lifetime Achievement in Music" from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA). He has appeared on over 350 international television and radio shows. He also worked as a program assistant for documentaries about the Beatles and the Mersey Beat music scene. The British Council asked him to represent them in Hong Kong to promote the Beatles.

Mersey Beat returned to publication in August 2009. It released a special 24-page issue to celebrate the "Liverpool International Beatle Week." Bill Harry was also an associate producer for the film The City That Rocked the World.

Books by Bill Harry

Bill Harry has written or co-written many books. He once said about his books: "The hundreds of interviews I have conducted over the past 40 years have been utilised. I have always been a hoarder of clippings in addition to collecting magazines, fanzines, newspapers and books. I'll never tire of it."

• Arrows : The Official Story, Everest Books (1976) ISBN: 978-0-903925-61-7
• Mersey Beat: The Beginnings of the Beatles, Omnibus Press (1978) ISBN: 978-0-86001-415-7
• The Beatles Who's Who, Littlehampton Book Services Ltd. (1982) ISBN: 978-0-906053-38-6
• Beatle-mania: The History of the Beatles on Film, Virgin Books (1984) ISBN: 978-0-86369-041-9
• Paperback Writers, Virgin Books (1984) ISBN: 978-0-86369-021-1
• The Book of Lennon, John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd (1984) ISBN: 978-0-906053-74-4
• Paperback writers Avon (1985) ISBN: 978-0-380-89558-8
• Beatles: Beatlemania the History of the Beatles on Film Avon (1985) ISBN: 978-0-380-89557-1
• Ask Me Why, Littlehampton Book Services Ltd. (1985) ISBN: 978-0-7137-1635-1
• Beatles For Sale, Virgin Books (1985) ISBN: 978-0-86369-097-6
• The Book of Beatle Lists, Javelin Books (1985) ISBN: 978-0-7137-1521-7
• The McCartney File, Virgin Books (1986) ISBN: 978-0-86369-157-7
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Atalanta Press (1987) ISBN: 978-1-870049-08-5
• The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia, Hyperion Books (1994) ISBN: 978-0-7868-8071-3
• Jan Olofsson: My '60s, (Harry & Olofsson) Taschen GmbH (1994) ISBN: 978-3-8228-8915-2
• The Encyclopedia of Beatles' People, Cassell Illustrated (1997) ISBN: 978-0-7137-2606-0
• The Best Years of the Beatles (Harry & Pete Best) Headline Book Publishing (1997) ISBN: 978-0-7472-7762-0
• Whatever Happened To ... : The Ultimate Pop and Rock Where Are They Now (Harry & Alan Clayson) Cassell Illustrated (1999) ISBN: 978-0-7137-2675-6
• The Beatles Encyclopedia: Revised and Updated, Virgin Books (2000) ISBN: 978-0-7535-0481-9
• The John Lennon Encyclopedia, Virgin Books (2001) ISBN: 978-0-7535-3921-7
• The Paul McCartney Encyclopedia, Virgin Books (2002) ISBN: 978-0-7535-0716-2
• The George Harrison Encyclopedia, Virgin Books (2003) ISBN: 978-0-7535-0822-0
• The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia, Virgin Books (2004) ISBN: 978-0-7535-0843-5
• The British Invasion: How the Beatles and Other UK Bands Conquered America, Chrome Dreams (2004) ISBN: 978-1-84240-247-4
• Bigger Than the Beatles, Trinity Mirror (2009) ISBN: 978-1-906802-04-2
• Lennon's Liverpool, Trinity Mirror (2010) ISBN: 978-1-906802-51-6
• The Sixties (Harry & Robert Orbach) Endeavour London Ltd. (2011) ISBN: 978-1-873913-78-9
• Love Me Do; Miniver Press. (2012) ASIN: B00993EROI