The Peculiar Truth about Jimmie Nicol, Beatle for 2 Weeks
Published in
4 min readMay 2, 2023
- June 3, 1964: The Beatles were at a photo session. They were set to depart the next day on an international tour.
- But Ringo collapsed and was suddenly taken to a hospital.
- He needed treatment for tonsillitis and could not leave with the band.
- Manager Brian Epstein and George Martin discussed what to do. Canceling the shows would upset hundreds of thousands of fans, not to mention the financial loss from prepaid accommodations and concert venues.
- They needed someone to temporarily play drums in Ringo’s place. Fast. Someone who already knew the music.
- George Martin knew just the man — a session drummer who Martin had seen around London.
- His name was Jimmie Nicol. (Sounds like nickel.)
- Nicol played drums with several bands throughout the late 50s and early 60s and had formed his own group called the Shubdubs.
- Martin phoned him and asked if he could fill in and be ready to leave the next day.
- He already knew all of the Beatles songs — Beatlemania had stormed the world by then — so he said yes.
- But George Harrison was opposed. Without Ringo, they weren’t the Beatles. He needed to be convinced.
