I'm Paul!

 I'm Paul!

     Let us go back to the beginnings of the British invasion when America fell in love with all those great Beatles songs. As far back as October 1962 the lads had a hit song on the radio called "Love Me Do" that got immediate attention. I remember riding back to La Habra from the orthodontist in my Mom's 1960 Chevy station wagon when the song came on the radio.  I was electrified, then skeptic when I heard the name of "The Beatles." that seemed contrived. We had been listening to groups with names like "The Four Seasons," "The Tokens," or soul groups like the "Shirelles" as exceptions from just a singers name, i.e. Elvis, Del Shannon, Roy Orbison, Gene Pitney, Neil Sedaka or Ray Charles. British music was nowhere on our AM dials. However, by 1963 the four mop tops from Liverpool put another one on top of the charts with "Please Please Me" and the invasion had begun. While we dug the lads there was also Petula Clark, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Herman's Hermits, Peter and Gordon, and the groovy Donovan who made us music Anglophiles. We did not exactly buy the records but you did not have to since they were played constantly on KHJ or KFWB. Like many of we pop music lovers Greg used to go to sleep with a transistor readio playing softly under his pillow, hearing the top ten and drifting off to favorites like "Love is Blue " or "Midnight in Moscow" by Mister Acker Bilk. In time he loved the Beatles and throughout his life he paid them his ultimate musical compliment by saying "these guys were real artists." This all began with that tidal wave of songs in the mid-60's.  One hit after another poured out of Abbey Road and the English boys were surpassing our Beach Boys, Righeous Bros., Motown, and even Elvis. Beatlemania was in full swing. Probably the biggest teenager TV event since Elvis appeared on Ed Sullivan was the Beatles appearing for America on the Sullivan show February 9, 1964. America's youth was in a frenzy and Greg was a new student at South Gate Junior High School where the future Gate no-goodniks had caught the fever. He told the story gleefully about arriving one morning where he spotted a kid who had combed his regular boys hairdo down on his forehead, creating ersatz bangs. As Greg walked past him the boys said in his best Liverpudlean imitation "I'm Paul!" I never failed to guffaw at this story and Greg always emphasized the embarassment with a ful HAYO!