The Beatles & Other Popular Bands & Artists

Introduction

This article is all about notes on the Beatles and other bands and artists of popular music other than Elvis, Engelbert, and the Four Seasons. The article, like all my alternate history articles found on this site, deviates from what current history tells us. It serves as a blueprint or rough idea of how history will look when I get around to changing it.

The Beatles

Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Beatles received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1970, the year they officially disbanded. Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr attended the ceremony, but John Lennon refused to attend for personal reasons.

The Beatles’ US #1 Hit Singles

Amount of #1 Hits by Year Released:

• 1964: 6
• 1965: 5 (11)
• 1966: 2 (13)
• 1967: 3 (16)
• 1968: 1 (17)
• 1969: 3 (20)
• 1970: 2 (22)

Cumulative Total: 22 #1 Hit Singles

The Beatles’ Families

• George Harrison (February 24, 1943 – November 29, 2001)
  • Parents
    • Harold Harrison (January 17, 1907 – Unknown)
    • ? Harrison (October 26, 1911 – Unknown)
  • Wives
    • Patricia Anne Boyd (born June 15, 1944)
      • Married January 1966
      • No children
    • Olivia Trinidad Arias (born May 18, 1948)
      • Married September 2, 1978
      • 1 son
• Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942)
  • Parents
    • James Paul McCartney (July 30, 1903 – Unknown)
    • Mary McCartney (June 21, 1911 – Unknown)
  • Wives
    • Linda Louise Eastman (September 24, 1941 – April 17, 1998)
      • Married March 12, 1969
      • Three children
    • Heather Anne Mills (born January 12, 1968)
      • Married June 11, 2002
      • 1 daughter
• John Lennon (born October 9, 1940)
  • Parents
    • Alfred Lennon (December 9, 1915 – Unknown)
    • Julia Lennon (November 24, 1917 – Unknown)
  • Wives
    • Cynthia Powell (born September 10, 1939)
      • Married August 23, 1962
      • 1 son
    • Yoko Ono (born February 18, 1933)
      • Married March 20, 1969
      • 1 son
• Ringo Starr (born July 7, 1940)
  • Parents
    • ? Starkey (January 11, 1915 – Unknown)
    • ? Starkey (June 1, 1916 – Unknown)
  • Wives
    • Maureen Cox (August 4, 1943 – December 30, 1994)
      • Married February 1965
      • 3 children
    • Barbara Bach (born August 27, 1947)
      • Married April 27, 1981
      • No children

Note

• John Lennon is murdered December 8, 1980 before history is changed, but his murder is prevented post-change.

The Rolling Stones

Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Rolling Stones received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1972.

The Rolling Stones’ US #1 Hit Singles

Amount of #1 Hits by Year Released:

1964: 1
1965: 3 (4)
1966: 1 (5)
1967: 2 (7)
1968: 1 (8)
1969: 2 (10)
1971: 1 (11)
1972: 1 (12)
1973: 2 (14)
1974: 1 (15)
1978: 2 (17)
1981: 1 (18)
1986: 1 (19)

Cumulative Total: 19 #1 Hit Singles

Background Notes

• In this timeline, or the current version of history, the Stones’ first #1 hit is “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, which came out in 1965. In this revision, the Stones score their first #1 the previous year; by no means is this a mistake. See more notes below.
  • The Stones first rise to prominence in the United States in the first half of 1964 with a cover version of the 1963 US chart topper “Walk Like a Man” by the Four Seasons. This is not a chart topper for the Stones as it is for the Seasons, but it does easily make the Billboard Top 10, peaking at #8. The English rock band scores a second US Top 10 entry with an original song, “It’s All Over Now”, which peaks at #4. The first US #1 hit by the Rolling Stones, however, is revealed four bullet points below.
    • Readers might already deduce that the original version of “Walk Like a Man” by the Seasons in the next version of history will make the one in the current version seem  quite tame in comparison. In fact, it’ll serve as one of the Seasons’ hardest rock songs up to the time of its recording and release in January 1963; with amazing overdrive electric guitar playing and solo lines from lead and rhythm guitarist Tommy DeVito, as well as great vocal harmonies by the Seasons as a whole and of course the falsetto of Frankie Valli. Even Frankie himself rocks outrageously big-time in this song!
      • Back to the band in question: during the early 1960s, English rock bands such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones are deeply inspired by the music of the Four Seasons and other American rock bands and artists of that period as well as the music of rock and roll superstars of the 1950s such as Elvis, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard. Although not all that many English rock bands of the time bother imitating Frankie Valli’s falsetto, since he sings so high!
      • As for the Stones’ cover of “Walk Like a Man”; lead singer Mick Jagger, taking influences from other bands and artists besides the Seasons, chooses not to sing in falsetto like Frankie Valli for his band’s cover. Note: Mick can and does sing in falsetto, but not all that much in the 60s (a prominent exception being “Sympathy for the Devil”); he does more so later on in the Stones’ career.
  • After scoring big with “Walk Like a Man” and “It’s All Over Now”, the Stones follow up with their version of “Time is On My Side”, which becomes their first Billboard #1 hit in the second half of 1964. Thus, the British Invasion band is propelled to superstardom from that point!

Steve Parker

Introduction

Steve Parker is an invention of mine who serves as a leading male recording artist in the R&B/Soul genre in the United Kingdom during the 1960s.

Quick Facts

Born: March 2, 1939 in Marylebone, London, England
Full Name: Stephen Laurence Eric Parker
Country: United Kingdom
Origin: London
Years Active: 1959-present
Principal Genres: R&B, soul, blue-eyed soul
Additional Genre: Doo-wop
Short description: British R&B/soul singer

Biography

Steve Parker is a British singer, best known for being a leading solo singer of R&B and soul music in the UK, along with his longtime friend Dusty Springfield (1939-1999); and for his soulful vocal, sounding like that of an African-American soul singer, and particularly similar to the vocal of Wilson Pickett (1941-2006). As a teenager, he was a big fan of R&B and doo-wop coming from the United States, collecting hit records in those genres until he was drafted into the British Army at 18 under the UK policy of conscription.

He began his professional singing career upon his return to London in 1959, when he formed the doo-wop group the Stallions with his brother Mervyn (born June 14, 1937) and two friends. The Stallions never got a recording contract, and thus never gained mainstream national exposure or recognition. After the Stallions disbanded in early 1962, Steve Parker went on a solo career and started becoming absorbed in African-American gospel music and the blues, as well as contemporary American R&B and early soul music of artists such as Ray Charles and Sam Cooke. After several months practicing his talents at London venues, where he had performed as the lead singer of the Stallions, he was finally signed to a recording contract in June 1962. Steve Parker recorded his first single and tracks to his first album during the following month. They were released in August, and brought Parker to mainstream national popularity and recognition. His records first hit the American airwaves in 1964, at the beginning of the British Invasion, which was begun by the Beatles in early January when their 1963 song “I Want To Hold Your Hand” first topped the Billboard Hot 100. Despite the Beatles’ iconic mop-top hairstyles that drew huge crowds of American teenagers and young adults, Steve Parker always maintained a clean-cut look, much like the members of the Italian-American rock band the Four Seasons.

Signature songs for Steve Parker include, but are not limited to, covers, including his of Ray Charles’s “Hit The Road Jack” (1963), featuring female backup singers led by Dusty Springfield; of Wilson Pickett hits “In The Midnight Hour” (1965) and “Mustang Sally” (1966); of Otis Redding’s “Respect” (1967); and of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (1968), a duet with Dusty Springfield as performed on “This Is Tom Jones”, a cover of the Motown classic originally recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell in 1967.

Freddie and the Dreamers

Lead Singer Note

Freddie Garrity (lead singer of the English beat/pop group Freddie and the Dreamers)

• Born November 14, 1940
• Died May 19, 2010

Miscellaneous Notes

• Freddie Garrity’s lifespan in the current version of history was from November 14, 1936 to May 19, 2006. The birth year of 1940 was used in publicity releases to make Freddie appear about the same age as the Beatles. However, in this planned revision of history, Freddie is born in 1940 for real!
  • Why make Freddie born in 1940 for real? Because if you recall from my revised biographies of Engelbert Humperdinck and people linked to him, Joey Marcello fights for a widespread ban of the practice of record companies on creating false birthdates for recording artists and wins. This causes the practice to be discontinued in the United States by the end of the 1950s; and this discontinuation process spreads to the rest of the world soon after like wildfire. With that said, leaving Freddie to be born in 1936 would not only cause the record companies and publicity to publish 1936; it might also cause Freddie and the Dreamers to be a doo-wop group in revised history instead of a beat and pop group! So to put Freddie born in 1940 for real would make him be born the same year as Ringo Starr and John Lennon for real; and making Freddie younger would leave him more vulnerable than otherwise to be influenced by the Beatles and other beat groups and musicians; and Freddie and the Dreamers stay a beat/pop group as I think they should.
    • As a side note, if Freddie and the Dreamers were a doo-wop group, I believe it would leave the world very slightly on its ear.

The Spencer Davis Group

Original Members

• Spencer Davis (July 17, 1941 – October 19, 2022)
• Steve Winwood (born May 12, 1948)
• Muff Winwood (born June 15, 1943)
• Pete York (born August 15, 1942)

Note

• In this current version of history, Spencer Davis lives from 1939 to 2020.

The 5th Dimension

Description

American pop group active from 1966 to the present day.

Original Members

• Marilyn McCoo (born September 30, 1943)
• Billy Davis Jr. (born June 26, 1940)
• Florence LaRue (born February 4, 1944)
• Lamonte McLemore (born September 17, 1939)
• Ron Townson (January 20, 1941 – August 2, 2009)

Notes

• In the current version of history:
  • Ron Townson lives from 1933 to 2001.
  • Lamonte McLemore is born in 1935.
  • Billy Davis Jr. is born in 1938.

The Four Tops

Original Members

• Abdul “Duke” Fakir (born December 26, 1935)
• Levi Stubbs (June 6, 1937 – October 17, 2009)
• Obie Benson (June 14, 1937 – July 1, 2006)
• Lawrence Payton (March 2, 1938 – June 20, 1997)

Note

• The birth and death dates given for these members were partially revised from the current version of history. For instance, lead singer Levi Stubbs lives from 1936 to 2008 in the current version.

Jeff Buckley

Notes

• He was saved from a premature death on May 29, 1997, when his friend, iconic rock musician Elvis Presley, discouraged him from swimming in the Mississippi River that night.
• Jeff Buckley was a rising star during the second half of the 1990s at the time of his drowning, an event that occurs in the current version of history. This premature death is prevented in the next version, causing Buckley to live on past 1997 and likely shape popular music to the present time for the better.
• Readers might recall from my revised biography of Elvis Presley, found here, that he is alive and well as of 2023. And not only is Elvis still alive, he’s still on concert tours!
  • It’s very possible that Elvis is still alive in current history, and that he faked his 1977 “death”. But his public life certainly ended that year because of faking his death. So he couldn’t prevent Jeff Buckley from drowning, but that’s just in current history. Just you wait until I begin my time traveling quest!

Joe Vaccarella

Introduction

Joe Vaccarella is another invention of mine, and he serves as a leading white male recording artist in the R&B/Soul genre in the United States during the 1960s.

Quick Facts

Born: May 10, 1938 in Brooklyn, New York
Full Name: Joseph John Vaccarella
Country: United States
Origin: Brooklyn
Years Active: 1953-present
Genres: R&B, soul, blue-eyed soul, gospel, disco
Short description: Italian-American R&B/soul singer

Biography

Joe Vaccarella is an Italian-American singer, well-known for playing a large part in breaking the racial barrier in rhythm and blues and soul music, which was most commonly associated with African Americans.

Vaccarella first became interested in African-American gospel music and R&B in 1950, as African Americans were becoming a growing minority in Brooklyn, where he was born and raised. He spent a great deal of time with African Americans, and frequently joined African-American youth in singing gospel and R&B.

Starting in February 1953, he started doing gigs of his own in venues throughout New York City, and eventually in other cities as well. In his early gigs, which occurred between 1953 and 1960, he sang soulfully-arranged covers of popular songs. His popularity as a performer continued in this fashion and grew as the years went on. He received a recording contract in December 1960, and he cut his first hit single and album the following year. His string of hit songs, singles, and albums lasted from that point until late in 1990, when his popularity began to fade away temporarily, although he has maintained a cult following since 1961.

He and his musical output have recently enjoyed a renaissance following the 9/11 “attacks” (which were actually part of an inside job caused by the Deep State), as was generally the case with classical music, oldies, classic rock, and country music (both classic and contemporary).

American Idol

Season 5 (2006)

Notes on Chris Daughtry

• In this revision of history, like his rival, Taylor Hicks, he had never been in the Bottom 2 or 3 throughout the semi-finals and finals of American Idol season 5 in 2006.
• Daughtry is declared safe during Top 4 week (Elvis Week), with Katharine McPhee being eliminated instead; this is attributed to the fact that Elvis Presley, his longtime manager Colonel Tom Parker, and his longtime producer Steve Sholes are all still alive in 2006; Presley, Parker, and Sholes serve as the mentors of Idol’s Elvis Week, and Daughtry benefits from this and sails to the Top 3 with Taylor Hicks and Elliott Yamin.
  • With the elimination of Elliott Yamin in the week where the Top 3 performed, Chris and Taylor make the finale, in which Taylor emerges victorious, making Chris the runner-up.
    • Due to his making the finale, Chris Daughtry recorded his official debut single solo, but he later swung a deal with his record company to get a band (appropriately named “Daughtry”) together before recording with his band on their debut album, which was released in November 2006.

Season 6 (2007)

Notes on Melinda Doolittle

• In this revision of history, Melinda Doolittle is the American Idol season 6 runner-up to winner Jordin Sparks.
• Before history is changed, Blake Lewis is the runner-up; the top 3 (Jordin, Melinda, and Blake) shall remain unchanged.
• In the aftermath of the historical revision, Melinda joins Jordin in the season 6 finale, and Blake is voted off instead.
  • This shall be due to the practice of the public judging popular music artists by talent rather than age since the late 1950s, and the movement following the 9/11 “terrorist attacks” by many away from modern trends in mainstream popular music and towards classic rock, pop, and R&B, as well as classical music and classic and contemporary country music. (Melinda Doolittle is characterized by classic R&B vibes.)

Vote For The Worst Notes

• In this revision, Sanjaya Malakar is Vote For The Worst’s American Idol pick for a record nine consecutive weeks (including three consecutive weeks in the semi-finals for male contestant alongside female pick Antonella Barba, and six in the finals) until he is finally voted off in the Top 7 week.
• Prior to this historical revision, Jason “Sundance” Head is VFTW’s semi-finals male pick for three weeks. I don’t think that Sundance Head deserves this pick, because he is a much better singer than Sanjaya. However, the fact that Sundance is eliminated in Round 3 of the semi-finals shall remain unchanged in the process of changing this history; this is considered a shocker in the American Idol fan community, along with the elimination of Sabrina Sloan in that same round.
• The elimination of Sundance Head post-revision of history is attributed mostly to singing two rock songs in the semi-finals, which contrasted with his established white soul style, as well as his neglect to shave off his neck hair (or facial hair below his chin).
  • Despite his singing of rock songs in Rounds 1 and 3 of the semi-finals, he does sing an R&B/soul hit for Round 2. That hit song in question is “Mustang Sally” (1966), originally recorded by the late Wilson Pickett. And Sundance actually did a pretty good job with his rendition!

Notes on Jason “Sundance” Head

• Despite his elimination in the final round of the semi-finals on season 6 of American Idol, coming across as a shocker to viewers, he finally found mainstream success three years later, on an appropriate occasion, at the annual Sundance Film Festival; sporting a completely clean-shaven look this time, he opened the 2010 Sundance Film Festival singing a selection of soul music hits of the 1960s onward; this event was arranged by none other than myself (see the two bullet-point notes below), and it launched Sundance Head to superstardom.
  • I emerge as a notable and influential figure in the world after buying Cartoon Network on June 26, 2009.
    • As the new owner, I reform the network by bringing classic animation back, airing alongside original shows such as Dexter’s Laboratory, Ed, Edd n Eddy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and Samurai Jack. Sometime after June 2009, I come in contact with Sundance Head, and we go on from there. I will save my elaboration for my career with Cartoon Network for another article.
• Sundance Head is a leading white figure in the R&B/soul genre during the 2010s, following in the footsteps of Joe Vaccarella, Steve Parker, and the late Dusty Springfield among numerous others.