McCartney, Harrison, Lennon, and Nicol in the Netherlands on 5 June 1964 (Creative commons: Beeld en Geluidwiki - Gallery: The Beatles)
Drummer Jimmie Nicol died alone and nearly penniless in 1988. That is the tale that has gone ‘round the world from musician to musician and fan to fan. But did he die? Only a handful of people can claim to have played on stage with The Beatles, and only one outsider played with The Beatles onstage at the height of Beatlemania. Jimmie Nicol had this good fortune. But was this brief episode of fame a stroke of good fortune or a curse that would haunt him the rest of his life?
Everyone knows Ringo Starr was The Beatles’ drummer; and most recall he replaced Pete Best behind the kit in 1962, right before the group skyrocketed to fame. Only hardcore Beatles fans recall another name – that of the temporary drummer, Jimmie Nicol.
For a brief ten days in June of 1964, Jimmie Nicol was asked to do the impossible – fill in as a substitute drummer for the hospitalized Ringo Starr. The Beatles – perhaps at the height of their global notoriety – were just 24 hours away from launching their first ever world tour. Suddenly, a session player – known to fellow musicians in London at the time, but otherwise completely invisible to the public – became the most photographed and desired understudy in the history of music. How he came to be chosen; why he was the only possible candidate destined for the job; and his life after The Beatles, is an extraordinary story of fleeting fame and creative tenacity.
If one did not know the facts, it might be tempting to conclude Jimmie Nicol’s selection as The Beatles’ substitute drummer was simply random or mere chance. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, he was an incredibly skilled drummer. Nicol had an impressive musical resume both before and after his brief tenure with The Beatles.
When Ringo Starr returned to the band ten plus days after his hospitalization, Nicol was flying high with The Beatles in Melbourne, Australia; and he graciously stepped out of The Beatles’ limelight. This soft-spoken “everyman” – teased with having the world at his feet for a short, sweet time – now sat alone in an airport bound for London with a few souvenirs – a gold watch, a Beatles flight bag, and a week’s wages – likely pondering where he had been and where his life was now headed.
By 1965, Jimmie Nicol was bankrupt, divorced, unemployed and basically forgotten by the British media and fans. That fall, he walked out of his home and onto an airplane, leaving England far behind. He vanished for the first of many times in his life as he searched for fame in other countries. The author tracked down Nicol’s movements from country to country, while friends and family had no idea of his whereabouts.
In the 1970s, Jimmie Nicol walked away from the music business and the world stage forever. He seemingly had vanished from the face of the earth. Over the years, there have been rumors about Jimmie living in different countries around the world – playing jazz in Australia, Bossa nova in Brazil, opening a nightclub in Mexico, or working construction in London. A more recent rumor, believed by many of the musicians who played with him in the 1950s and 1960s, is that Nicol died at age 49 in 1988.
Nicol is now part of an extinct era – the Rockin’ Fifties and the Swinging Sixties – that lives on only in the memories of aging baby-boomers, in yellowed teen magazines, dusty old 45 records, and in the black and white flickering of old British Pathè newsreels. These relics and the memories of a select few survivors are the only remaining artifacts of a fascinating and creative, yet perplexing, musical career.
Nicol may be a classy footnote, but he is also an obscure footnote in music history. He recorded anonymously on radio shows, records, and he composed film soundtracks that most of the world never heard. There is little-to-no mention of him in general music histories and no mention of a career playing behind many well-known British bands. His life is a study of his brief public persona and musical output, and little was known of the private life of Jimmie Nicol until now.
Thousands of books on The Beatles have been written by every ex-maid, former assistant, Apple scruff, horoscope reader, and limo driver. Almost every “Fifth” Beatle has been turned into a book, including Brian Epstein, George Martin, Pete Best, and Stuart Sutcliffe. Until now, no one has ever discovered sufficient information to justify writing a biography about the “5th Beatle” Jimmie Nicol. Unlike countless Beatle “wannabes” who weren’t in the band or part of the lads’ inner circle, Jimmie Nicol actually played onstage and on TV with The Beatles. He was also an extremely talented composer, band leader, arranger, producer and versatile drummer. The Beatle Who Vanished seeks to define the diverse talent of Jimmie Nicol and put his entire musical career into perspective – a sideman’s journey of 60 years ago.
It is difficult to believe Jimmie Nicol is still alive. How could a person who played with so many diverse artists, and especially The Beatles, keep himself so well hidden for so long? He is truly an enigma. None of Jimmie’s fellow bandmates have seen or spoken to him in over 60 years. Countless questions have been asked about him. How did The Beatles choose him? Did Jimmie almost permanently replace Ringo Starr in the group? Why was Jimmie Nicol so well prepared as an understudy of Ringo’s songs in just 24 hours? Was Nicol’s moment of musical immortality a blessing or a curse? And most importantly, whatever became of The Beatle Who Vanished?
This book investigates and finally reveals what happened to Jimmie Nicol, The Beatle Who Vanished.
2024 © Copyright Rock And Roll Detective®, LLC.
Jim Berkenstadt
Rock And Roll Detective®
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mrdmyne9
Author Website: www.thebeatlewhovanished.com
Main Website: www.rockandrolldetective.com
Author Bio:
Jim Berkenstadt is the Rock And Roll Detective®. A true Sherlock Holmes, Berkenstadt uncovers the lost history and mysteries hidden within decades of popular music. An international authority on The Beatles, he has authored: The Beatle Who Vanished: 60th Beatles Anniversary Tour edition; Mysteries in the Music: Case Closed; Classic Rock Albums: Nevermind Nirvana; and Black Market Beatles: The Story Behind Their Lost Recordings. Berkenstadt consults to The Beatles, the Estate of George Harrison, and the entertainment industry.
