Jimmy Nicol
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James George "Jimmy"/"Jimmie" Nicol (born August 3, 1939), is a British drummer, best known for temporarily replacing Ringo Starr in The Beatles for a number concerts during the height of Beatlemania in 1964. He went from relative obscurity to worldwide fame and back in the space of a fortnight. Nicol hoped that his period with The Beatles would boost his career, but found that the spotlight immediately moved away from him once Starr returned to the group. His subsequent lack of commercial success led him to bankruptcy in 1965. After then working with a number of different bands, he finally left the music business altogether to pursue a variety of employment. Nicol chooses not speak anymore of his brief period with The Beatles, and has not sought monetary gain. He has a son, Howard, who is a BAFTA award-winning sound engineer.
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[edit] Early Career
Jimmy Nicol’s first career opportunity came in 1957 when he joined rock and roll group “Colin Hicks And His Cabin Boys” (Colin Hicks is the brother of English entertainer, Tommy Steele). They became popular in Italy, and toured there extensively. In the early sixties, Nicol played with a number of artists including Vince Eager, Oscar Rabin, Cyril Stapleton and, through well known session fixer at that time, Charlie Katz, was kept in regular work. He has cited drummer Phil Seamen, and saxophonist Cannonball Adderley as being influential.[1] In 1964 Nicol helped form “The Shubdubs” (who also included ex-Merseybeats Bob Garner), a jazz line up similar in style to Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, with whom Nicol had played a number gigs at London's Flamingo Club. It was at this juncture that he received a phone call from George Martin, The Beatles' producer; Nicol recalled: “I was having a bit of a lie down after lunch when the phone rang.”[2]
[edit] With The Beatles
When Ringo Starr collapsed and was hospitalised on 3 June 1964 with tonsillitis on the eve of The Beatles' 1964 Australasian tour, their manager Brian Epstein and their producer George Martin discussed the possibility of using a stand-in drummer rather than cancelling part of the tour. However, George Harrison stated that he did not want to go ahead, telling Epstein: “If Ringo’s not going, then neither am I.” Tony Barrow, who was The Beatles’ press officer at the time, would later comment: “Brian saw it as the lesser of two evils; cancel the tour and upset thousands of fans or continue and upset The Beatles."[3] Martin suggested using Jimmy Nicol, as he had recently recorded a Tommy Quickly session with him.[2] Nicol had also drummed on the Top Six budget label album of Beatle covers called "Beatlemania" as part of a session band called The Koppykats, and so knew the songs.[3] The whole thing happened very quickly, from a phone call to him at his home in west London inviting him to attend an audition-cum-rehearsal at Abbey Road Studios [2] to packing his bags all in the same day.[4]
Nicol's first concert with The Beatles took place on 4 June in Copenhagen, Denmark. He played a further seven shows, until Starr returned to the group in Melbourne, Australia, on 14 June. He had to wear Ringo Starr's suits on stage, and apparently the trousers were too short. Paul McCartney sent Starr a telegram saying: “Hurry up and get well Ringo, Jimmy is wearing out all your suits.”[2] Nicol said: "The day before I was a Beatle, girls weren’t interested in me at all. The day after, with the suit and the Beatle cut, riding in the back of the limo with John and Paul, they were dying to get a touch of me. It was very strange and quite scary", adding "I thought I could drink and lay women with the best of them until I caught up with these guys."[5]
He was not able to say goodbye to The Beatles as they were still asleep when he left, and he did not want to disturb them. At Melbourne airport, Brian Epstein presented him with a cheque for £500 and a gold Eterna-matic wrist watch inscribed: "From The Beatles and Brian Epstein to Jimmy - with appreciation and gratitude."[2] Whether this sum of money was a bonus or his total fee is not clear. George Martin later paid tribute to Nicol, expressing also the inevitable drawbacks of fleetingly experiencing The Beatles’ phenomenal success saying: “Jimmy Nicol was a very good drummer who came along and learnt Ringo’s parts very well. He did the job excellently, and [then] faded into obscurity immediately afterwards.”[6] Nicol himself voiced disillusionment several years later: “Standing in for Ringo was the worst thing that ever happened to me. Until then I was quite happy earning thirty or forty pounds a week. After the headlines died, I began dying too.”[3] He has always resisted the temptation to sell his story, stating in a rare 1987 interview: “After the money ran low, I thought of cashing in in some way or other. But the timing wasn't right. And I didn't want to step on The Beatles' toes. They had been damn good for me and to me”.[7]
During Nicol's stay with The Beatles, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were constantly questioning him about how he was coming along, and his answer would always be: "It's getting better." A couple of years later, McCartney was walking his dog, Martha, with Hunter Davies, when the sun came out and Paul commented that the weather was "getting better," and began to laugh, remembering Nicol. This event inspired the song "Getting Better" on 1967's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.[8]
On the Let It Be tapes from 1969 Paul McCartney comments, "I think you'll find we're not going abroad 'cause Ringo just said he doesn't want to go abroad. You know, he put his foot down. Although Jimmy Nicol might go abroad."[9]
[edit] Later career and life
After his time with The Beatles, Nicol reformed the Shubdubs, re-naming themselves "Jimmy Nicol and the Shubdubs". They released a single "Husky"/"Don't Come Back", followed by "Humpty Dumpty"/"Night Train", neither of which was a commercial success. Nicol was reunited with The Beatles when his band was set down on a bill with The Beatles and The Fourmost. They performed on 12 July 1964 at the Hippodrome Theatre in Brighton.
Nicol declared bankruptcy in 1965. Later that year he joined the successful Swedish group The Spotnicks, recording with them, and touring the world twice. He left them in 1967, spending time in Mexico studying samba and bossa nova rhythms whilst also going into business setting up a button factory. In 1975 he returned to England. Other work at this time included housing renovations and carpentry.
Later, it was rumoured in 1988 that Nicol had died, [10] but a report in 2005 by the Daily Mail confirmed that he was still alive and living as a recluse in London.
Nicol's son, Howard, is a BAFTA award-winning sound recordist.
[edit] Discography and performance history
1950s Choir boy at Honeywell Road School, Wandsworth, in London. The Boys Brigade (percussion). Army Cadet Military Band (percussion and xylophone). For a short time, Nicol also worked as a drum repairer for (UK) musical instrument distributor Boosey & Hawkes
1957/1958 Colin Hicks & The Cabin Boys (Colin Hicks is the younger brother of British rock 'n' roll star Tommy Steele).
Singles released:
- Pye 7N15114 Wild Eyes And Tender Lips / Empty Arms Blues
- Pye 7N15125 La Dee Dah / Wasteland
- Pye 7N15163 Little Boy Blue / Jamabalaya
1959/60 Vince Eager and the Quiet Three.
1960: Oscar Rabin Band.
1961: Cyril Stapleton Big Band.
1961-1963: Session work (including jobs with musicians from the orchestras of Ted Heath and Johnny Dankworth).
1964: The Shubdubs.
Singles released:
- Humpty Dumpty / Night Train - Pye 7N15623 2/1964
- Humpty Dumpty / Night Train - (US) Mar-Mar Records 313 1964
- Husky / Please Come Back - Pye 7N15666 6/1964
- Baby Please Don't Go / Shubdubery - Pye 7N15699 10/1964
1964 April / May: Touring with Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames.
June: The Beatles (temporary stand in for Ringo Starr)
- June 4, 1964: KB Hallen, Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- June 5, 1964: Treslong, Hillegom, Holland, (recording TV show, VARA).
- June 6, 1964: Auction Hall (Veilinghal), Blokker, Holland.
- June 9, 1964: Princess Theatre, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
- June 12, 1964: Centennial Hall, Adelaide, Australia.
- June 13, 1964: Centennial Hall, Adelaide, Australia.
1964/1965: Jimmy Nicol & The Shubdubs (touring). Single release:
- The Sound of Jimmy Nicol - Decca F12017
1965 / 1967 : The Spotnicks.
Single release by: The Spotnicks Introducing Jimmy Nicol
- Husky / Drum Diddley - SweDisc SWES 1111
Later in 1967, Nicol lived in Mexico working with samba & bossa nova groups. He married and had a son, Howard, who in the 1990s was to win an award as sound engineer for his work on a BBC collection of Beatles recordings.
1969 Jimmie Nicol Show:
- Jumpin' Jack Flash / Era Psicodelica Del A Go Go - Discos Orfeon LP-E-12-623 (Mexico)(LP) (Sung in Spanish).
1971 Blue Rain (Mexican rock group recording in Nicol’s house).
Information compiled from http://www.pmouse.nl/nicol/
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.pmouse.nl/nicol/
- ^ a b c d e Harry, Bill (1992). The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia. London: Virgin Books. pp. 484. ISBN 0-86369-681-3.
- ^ a b c Mojo Special Limited Edition # M-04951. London: EMAP Metro Limited. 2002. pp. 108.
- ^ Norman, Philip (1993). Shout!. London: Penguin Books. pp. 231. ISBN 0-14-017410-9.
- ^ Q Collectors Limited Edition. London: Maddy Ballantyne. pp. 56.
- ^ The Beatles (2000). The Beatles Anthology. London: Cassell& Co. pp. 139. ISBN 0-304-35605-0.
- ^ http://www.beatlesbible.com/people/jimmy-nicol/3/
- ^ Miles, Barry (1998). Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. London: Vintage. pp. 313. ISBN 0-7493-8658-4.
- ^ http://www.beatlesbible.com/people/jimmy-nicol/3/
- ^ Jimmie Nicol
