Johnny Hutchinson

[13_temple_street]

Twenty Three year old Johnny Hutchinson finds himself sitting behind his drums ready for the sign from the front line up of the band to start the first number. Hutch was temporally performing with this group as a favour. The group had recently sacked their regular drummer under controversial circumstances. Hutch glanced at his wrist watch for the time also noticed the date mechanism stated that it was August 16th 1962, this was the first of three bookings he performed with this group in August. The venue for this first engagement was in the Roman city of Chester.
During the performance Hutch observed the groups new manager gazing intently at him. At the end of the performance Hutch immediately started dismantling his drum kit. The new manager (Brian Epstein) made a bee-line onto the stage to speak to Hutch ‘I was looking at you all evening to see how you’d fit with the group.
Hutch replied ‘I don’t really Brian ‘‘I think you do, ‘I want you to join the group. Brian’s attitude was he was doing Hutch a great favour in offering him the opportunity to join the group .Hutch’s reply shocked Epstein to his core ‘I don’t want to play for your group ,Brian-I’ve got my own group. ‘I would not join your group for a Gold Clock’ There’s only one group as far as I’m concerned and that’s the Big Three’. Your group can’t make a better sound than them’ ‘
‘And Pete( Best) is a very good friend of mine’ Johnny Hutchinson turned down the offer to join the Beatles before they became the biggest band in history , he always insisted he would not trade places with Ringo Starr if he had his time again .
Hutch played three gigs with the fledgling rock-n- rollers in August 1962 but returned to his own band, The Big Three despite an offer from the Beatles manager. Hutch performed the next day August 17th1962 for the last time with two gigs.
Hutch far from being bitter , only has fondness for the man who rep-laced him and recalls ‘Ringo once said .There’s only two drummers that have come out of Liverpool-me and Johnny Hutchinson !
Pamela Beesley