My Bonnie

This article is about the Tony Sheridan album. For the titular song, see My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean.
My Bonnie
Studio album by Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers
Released 5 January 1962
Recorded 22 June 1961, Friedrich-Ebert-Halle and 21 December 1961, Musikhalle, Hamburg, West Germany
Genre Rock and roll
Label Polydor LPHM46612
(SPLHM237112 in West Germany)
Producer Bert Kaempfert
Tony Sheridan chronology
My Bonnie
(1962)		 Just a Little Bit
(1964)
Singles from My Bonnie
  1. "My Bonnie/The Saints""
    Released: October 1961
  2. "Sweet Georgia Brown/Take Out Some Insurance on Me, Baby"
    Released: 1964
British single cover

My Bonnie is a 1962 album by English rock and roll musician Tony Sheridan. Sheridan, then playing in clubs in Hamburg with the Beatles, was discovered by producer Bert Kaempfert and subsequently signed with him to record. Sheridan recorded several songs with the Beatles, two of which were later released as a single. Further recordings without the Beatles filled out the album. Because of the later fame of the Beatles, the material has been repackaged several times.

Background and recording

In June 1961, Sheridan and the Beatles (then consisting of guitarists John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney, bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, and drummer Pete Best) were both playing in Hamburg's Top Ten Club, the two frequently performing together.[1] German producer Bert Kaempfert visited the Top Ten on the recommendation of music publisher Alfred Schacht and singer Tommy Kent, and subsequently signed Sheridan and the Beatles to his company Bert Kaempfert Productions.[2]

Kaempfert set a recording date for 22 June at Hamburg's Friedrich-Ebert-Halle. Engineered by Karl Hinze, the session featured Sheridan and the Beatles playing "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean", "The Saints", "Why", "Nobody's Child", and "Take Out Some Insurance". The Beatles performed "Ain't She Sweet" and an original song, "Beatle Bop" (later titled "Cry For a Shadow"). Sutcliffe attended the session, but did not play, leaving McCartney to play bass.[3] From these sessions, "My Bonnie"/"The Saints was released as a single through Polydor Records (who had an exclusive deal with Kaempfert's company) credited to "Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers", as the Beatles' contract enabled the record company to use a pseudonym.[4]

"My Bonnie"/"The Saints" was released in Germany in October 1961[5] and was a moderate success, peaking at #32 in the national chart published in Der Musikmarkt, #11 in the national jukebox charts, and #4 in a local Hamburg chart.[6] Kaempfert and Sheridan conducted another session on 21 December 1961 at Musikhalle Hamburg, without the Beatles.[7] Ten songs were recorded at this session, which along with "My Bonnie" and "The Saints" formed the My Bonnie LP, released 5 January 1962.

Track listing

Side one
  1. "My Bonnie" (Traditional, arr. by Tony Sheridan)
  2. "Skinny Minnie" (Bill Haley, Rusty Keefer, Milt Gabler, Catherine Cafra)
  3. "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On" (Dave Williams, Sonny David)
  4. "I Know Baby" (Sheridan)
  5. "You Are My Sunshine" (Jimmie Davis, Charles Mitchell)
  6. "Ready Teddy" (Robert Blackwell, John Marascalco)
Side two
  1. "The Saints" (James Milton Black, Katharine Purvis)
  2. "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" (Ray Charles)
  3. "Let's Twist Again" (Kal Mann, Dave Appell, Buchenkamp)
  4. "Sweet Georgia Brown" (Bernie, Pinkard, Casey)
  5. "Swanee River" (Stephen Foster)
  6. "Top Ten Twist" (Homsen, Bones, Sheridan, Lüth)

In 2001, The My Bonnie LP was issued on CD by Polydor, with 10 bonus tracks:

  1. "My Bonnie (German intro)" (Traditional, arr. by Sheridan)
  2. "Ich Lieb' Dich So" (Pomus, Spector, Lueth)
  3. "Der Kiss-Me Song" (Warren, Schwabach, Wallnau)
  4. "Madison Kid" (C. Thomas)
  5. "Let's Dance" (Sheridan, Lee)
  6. "Ruby Baby" (Leiber, Stoller)
  7. "What'd I Say" (Charles)
  8. "Veedeboom Slop Slop" (Johnny Sivo)
  9. "Let's Slop" (Sivo, Gleissner)
  10. "My Bonnie (No intro)" (Traditional, arr. by Sheridan)

Singles

"My Bonnie"

Original West German release
Single by Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers
from the album My Bonnie
A-side "My Bonnie"
B-side "The Saints"
Released 23 October 1961 (Germany)
Format 7", 45rpm
Recorded 22 June 1961, Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Genre Rock and roll
Label Polydor NH24673 (Germany)
Writer(s) Traditional, arranged by Tony Sheridan
Producer(s) Bert Kaempfert
Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers singles chronology
"My Bonnie"
(1961)		 "Sweet Georgia Brown"
(1964)
Music sample
"My Bonnie"

"My Bonnie"/"The Saints" (credited to Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers) was first released in October 1961 in West Germany. A Beatles fan in Liverpool named Raymond Jones requested the single at Brian Epstein's record shop, which led to Epstein becoming interested in and eventually managing the Beatles.[8] The German import became popular in Liverpool, and Epstein secured a British release on 5 January 1962, credited to Tony Sheridan and the Beatles[9]

After the Beatles gained fame several songs from their sessions together were released. "Sweet Georgia Brown/Take Out Some Insurance" was released as a single in 1964. Although "Take Out Some Insurance" was from the June 1961 sessions, the A-side was not. Backing tracks to "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Swanee River" were recorded by the Beatles 24 May 1962. This session was arranged by Brian Epstein and Bert Kaempfert to free the Beatles from their contract with Kaempfert and Polydor. Sheridan's vocals to "Sweet Georgia Brown", referencing the Beatles' fame, were added later. These versions of "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Swanee River" are not the recordings featured on My Bonnie.

"Ain't She Sweet"/"Nobody's Child" and "Why/Cry for a Shadow" were also released as singles.[10]

Other releases

Polydor issued two EPs from the album sessions. The first, Ya Ya (October 1962, Polydor 21 485), contained "Ya Ya"/"Sweet Georgia Brown"/"Skinnie Minnie". The second, My Bonnie (July 1963, Polydor 21 610) contained "My Bonnie"/"Cry For a Shadow"/"The Saints"/"Why".[11]

To capitalize on the Beatles' fame, their recordings with Sheridan have been rereleased multiple times by different record companies:

Notes

  1. ↑ Lewisohn 2013, p. 427.
  2. ↑ Lewisohn 2013, p. 438, 450.
  3. ↑ Lewisohn 2013, p. 446.
  4. ↑ Lewisohn 2013, p. 450.
  5. ↑ Lewisohn 2013, p. 576.
  6. ↑ Lewisohn 2013, p. 853.
  7. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20111223114025/http://www.tony-sheridan.de/start/en_startframe.html Tony Sheridan Recordings (1961–1967)
  8. ↑ Lewisohn 2013, p. 494.
  9. ↑ Lewisohn 2013, p. 502, 521.
  10. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150926160251/http://tonysheridan.com/html/7_inch.html
  11. ↑ Brennan, Joe (1996). "The Beatles' Hamburg Recordings on Record". Columbia.edu. Columbia University. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
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