The first, Ya Ya (October 1962, Polydor 21 485), contained “ Ya Ya“/” Sweet Georgia Brown“/” Skinnie Minnie“. Polydor issued two EPs from the album sessions. “ Ain’t She Sweet“/” Nobody’s Child” and “ Why/Cry for a Shadow” were also released as singles. These versions of “ Sweet Georgia Brown” and “ Swanee River” are not the recordings featured on My Bonnie.
Sheridan’s vocals to “ Sweet Georgia Brown“, referencing the Beatles’ fame, were added later.
#The mighty vikings my bonnie free
This session was arranged by Brian Epstein and Bert Kaempfert to free the Beatles from their contract with Kaempfert and Polydor. Backing tracks to “ Sweet Georgia Brown” and “ Swanee River” were recorded by the Beatles. Although “ Take Out Some Insurance” was from the June 1961 sessions, the A-side was not. “ Sweet Georgia Brown/ Take Out Some Insurance” was released as a single in 1964. The German import became popular in Liverpool, and Epstein secured a British release on 5 January 1962, credited to Tony Sheridan and the BeatlesĪfter the Beatles gained fame several songs from their sessions together were released. 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. “ My Bonnie“/” The Saints” (credited to Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers) was first released in October 1961 in West Germany. Ten songs were recorded at this session, which along with “My Bonnie” and “The Saints” formed the My Bonnie LP, released 5 January 1962. Kaempfert and Sheridan conducted another session on 21 December 1961 at Musikhalle Hamburg, without the Beatles. “ My Bonnie“/” The Saints” was released in Germany in October 1961 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. 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. Sutcliffe attended the session, but did not play, leaving McCartney to play bass. The Beatles performed “ Ain’t She Sweet” and an original song, “ Beatle Bop” (later titled “ Cry For a Shadow“). 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“. Kaempfert set a recording date for 22 June at Hamburg’s Friedrich-Ebert-Halle.
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. 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. Because of the later fame of the Beatles, the material has been repackaged several times.
Further recordings without the Beatles filled out the album. Sheridan recorded several songs with the Beatles, two of which were later released as singles. Sheridan, then playing in clubs in Hamburg with the Beatles, was discovered by producer Bert Kaempfert and subsequently signed with him to record. My Bonnie is a 1962 album by English rock and roll musician Tony Sheridan.