Johnny Gentle
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Johnny Gentle | |
---|---|
Birth name | John Askew |
Also known as | Darren Young |
Born | Liverpool, England | 8 December 1936
Died | 29 February 2024 | (aged 87)
Genres | Rock, pop |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Years active | 1959–mid 1960s |
Labels | Philips, Parlophone |
John Askew (8 December 1936 – 29 February 2024), known as Johnny Gentle and later Darren Young, was a British pop singer who toured Scotland with the Silver Beetles (later known as the Beatles) as his backing group in 1960.
Life and career
John Askew was born on 8 December 1936 in
Gentle released two singles on Philips in 1959, the self-penned "Wendy", and "Milk From The Coconut", but they did not make the charts, and nor did an
The tour, between 20 and 28 May 1960, included performances at Alloa, Inverness, Fraserburgh, Keith, Forres, Nairn and Peterhead.[4] At the time, the group comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and drummer Tommy Moore. Although the group themselves were not specifically credited in tour publicity, being billed as "Johnny Gentle and his group",[1] informally McCartney used the pseudonym Paul Ramon, Harrison called himself Carl Harrison, Lennon was "Long John", and Sutcliffe was known as Stuart de Staël. Their repertoire included "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", "Raining in My Heart", "I Need Your Love Tonight", "Poor Little Fool", "(I Don't Know Why) But I Do", "C'mon Everybody" (a tribute to Eddie Cochran, who had died while on tour with Gene Vincent a few weeks earlier), and "He'll Have to Go". Gentle later wrote:[5]
"We met at the venue just half an hour before our first public performance together and all things considered we sounded pretty good from the off. Every night the sound we made got better, by the end of the tour I knew these boys were as good as any I'd worked with....."
Gentle wrote a song on the tour, "I've Just Fallen For Someone", reputedly with help from Lennon. The song was later recorded by Adam Faith on his second album. Gentle also claimed to have suggested that Parnes sign the group, but Parnes at the time was only interested in managing solo singers. After their return to Liverpool, Gentle sang onstage with the group at one of their performances, but, by the time he next needed a band to tour with, they were unavailable as they had travelled to Hamburg.[1]
Johnny Gentle released three further singles on the Philips label: "Darlin' Won't You Wait", "After My Laughter Came Tears" (both 1960) and "Darlin'" (1961). He also made several appearances on TV and radio shows. Changing his stage name to Darren Young, he released his own version of "I've Just Fallen for Someone" on Parlophone in 1962, again without success. By 1964, he had joined the Viscounts.[3]
Gentle later moved to Jersey, where he worked as a joiner. He then moved to Kent, and made occasional appearances at Beatles fan conventions. In 1998 he co-wrote a book, Johnny Gentle & the Beatles: First Ever Tour.[1] Gentle died on 29 February 2024, at the age of 87.[6][7]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Johnny Gentle & The Beatles - Bill Harry - Mersey Beat". Triumphpc.com. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ ISBN 0-7535-0149-X.
- ^ a b "The Official Johnny Gentle Website". Johnnygentle.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "The Official Johnny Gentle Website". Johnnygentle.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 May 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "The Official Johnny Gentle Website". Johnnygentle.co.uk. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "John (Johnny Gentle) Askew". Funeral Notices. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ "Johnny Gentle, singer whose backing band on a tour of Scotland was the future Beatles – obituary". The Telegraph. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.