How many degrees of separation between you and a Beatle?

[bbernardini]

I know Mike Keneally (former Zappa stunt guitarist), who played with Kevin Gilbert, who played with Abe Laboriel, Jr., who played with Paul McCartney.

[LaurenG]

1. I have no connections to start with so I don't have a clue..

:shrug:

[Kid OfThe Black Hole]

2. I had this english professor who had a printout of his

family tree going all the way back to fucking ADAM and I think it was like 400 generations or something so I guess thats the upper bound anyway

[BlueJazz]

3. I don't like to brag (really) or be a "Name Dropper" but...

I was born in the EXACT same Hemisphere as the Beatles.

[Kid OfThe Black Hole]

5. I am, like, SO jealous

next thing you know you'll be claiming that you were on the same continent as them...at the same time they were, even!

Lucky!

[u4ic]

4. 2 degrees

My cousin was in a band that replaced the Hawks (who later went on to become The Band). (aka Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks)

John & Yoko stayed at Ronnie Hawkins farmhouse near Toronto in 1969.

[CBHagman]

24. And Rick Danko and Levon Helm toured with Ringo.

So that's a double connection.

Frankly, I never thought about how many degrees of separation between me and the Beatles (Bela Lugosi is another matter), but it's not that great a distance. A former co-worker of mine knew the Band, so there's the connection.

[u4ic]

25. I'd never thought of it, either

I had to look up if there was any connection between Ronnie Hawkins and the Beatles.

The band my cousin was in made one album, and didn't make it big. Too bad, not just for the obvious...somehow I came into possession of an invitation to his wedding (way back in 68).

One word: E-bay. :rofl:

[genie_weenie]

6. Evolution is false! I dont come from no damn beetles! Long live ID Theory!

RAWRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

[greendog]

7. I met Bill Monroe once...

...Does that count? He wrote "Blue Moon of Kentucky" which was the "B" side of Elvis' first hit. Can't imagine Elvis didn't meet the Beatles.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

12. Bill Monroe was great!

:bounce:
I'll bet he was a nice man, too.

[greendog]

13. He was very nice...

...I met him backstage at Chautauqua Auditorium in Boulder. Met Kenny Baker(one of the great bluegrass fiddlers) as well. :)

[AlienGirl]

8. Probably not many

I have a friend who knows someone who knows a famous rock star who played with McCartney. So yeah, not many.

Tucker

[Metta]

9. Two, Bob Dylan and David Bromberg.

I've spent time with DB during the '60s. I'm only one degree, on two occasions, separated from Charlie Parker. I shook hands with Jay McShann and Red Rodney. And one degree from Thelonious Monk, I spent some time with Wilbur Ware, one of his bass players.

[NNadir]

11. What is David Bromberg like?

As a big long time fan, I'm going to guess he's brilliant.

[Metta]

15. Just what you'd expect.

He's a smart guy, having gotten into Columbia University and studied with the Rev. Gary Davis whose stuff is hard to play right. He's a hard working guy as evidenced by his success and longevity playing music. Other than that, he's a regular guy, funny, likes to have a good time, doesn't like to be jerked around. I haven't seen him in many years.

[NNadir]

17. Yeah, that was my impression.

I probably saw the guy in concert a hundred times, and never once was I anything less than awed.

Thanx.

I assume you are a musician yourself.

[Metta]

18. myself

I play acoustic guitar, finger style and some flat picking. Folk and blues. I really like sacred and gospel, from both the black and white traditions. Plus, I really like jazz up to approx the mid-70s, classical and world music. I used to review blues and jazz for the Sunday edition of our paper and I had a radio show on independent public radior where I explored the roots of American popular music. Thanks for asking. You?

[NNadir]

23. I'm sure with your circle of friends you are a very good musician.

My own place is sort of like yours. Most of my playing was folk blues traditional music. I was pretty serious about it once, and played for hours a day. I played some clubs and stuff, and sometimes I was happy with what I was able to do.

For years, I played lots of Bromberg. I had a fair rendition of Dehlia that many people liked, but I'm not going to flatter myself and claim anything on a Bromberg level.

I played in lots of open tunings, and used to play quite a bit of Joni Mitchell stuff using some of her tunings. I used to do a version of "Woman of Heart and Mind," which made some people be off balance because I was a male. I didn't regenderize the lyrics.

I did a little gospel sort of stuff. I had a version of Josh White's "Lord Have Mercy," that everyone wanted me to play at my mother's funeral, though I wasn't in the mood for much singing at that time and didn't do it. I love Gospel music, but I'm an atheist.

Like many people my age, I had that Dylan thing going for a while too. I had a nice electric version of "Just Like Thom Thumb Blues." I had a pretty decent cover of "It Takes A Lot to Laugh, I Takes A Train to Cry" in a seventh tuning. I had one lover as a kid who, trying to cut at me, referred to "all of the Bob Dylans on the beach," in one of our last arguments and she had a point. There were lots of ersatz Dylans then - poetic Elvises all of us. (It was pretty witty, looking back on it; she was a bright and funny woman. The thought of it still makes me laugh - she definitely scored a point.)

I spent years trying to sing like Dave Van Ronk. Some people really liked by version of "Come Back Baby," which I did in a slide version, that well known C-G-C-G-C-E tuning. (Sometimes I used to tune it up two steps to D-A-D-A-D-F#, but I used to break a lot of strings.) A few people told me that my version was their favorite, but Van Ronk's was my favorite. My favorite Van Ronk ever was his version of "God Bless the Child," which sadly is now out of print. (I think you could only get it in vinyl although an alternate take -not as good - is available on CD.) Damn I wish I could play that thing.

My other big hit was a highly stylized "Ode to Billy Joe" in an open Gm tuning. I was really proud of that thing for a while. People used to say to me, "You know, I always hated that song..." which I took as a complement.

Actually I think I was a much better electric guitarist than I was an acoustic guitarist. There I played more and more with jazz, trying to be John Abercrombie, but only John Abercrombie can be John Abercrombie.

The funny thing is, that once I got married, I more or less stopped playing seriously. I kinda lived that Van Ronk bit, "I can tell a lie, but I sure can't sing one." Most of my folk/blues songs were about being miserable. Once I was happy, it just didn't seem right to play anymore. You know what? I'll take the happiness any day.

Sorry if I rambled. It was nice to reflect on all that "lifetime ago" stuff.

Thanks again for your comments of David Bromberg. That's really cool to have known him personally.

[Metta]

39. Seems like you've done a lot of good. Kudos.

Btw, There's a version of God Bless the Child on the cd Two Sides of Dave Van Ronk on Fantasy. The liner notes say nothing about it being an alternate take.

[maveric]

19. He now owns a violin in Delaware.

http://www.davidbromberg.net/bio.html

[latebloomer]

22. going along with the Dylan connection

My old boyfriend dated Bob's old girlfriend, Suze Rotolo.

And my girlfriend is office manager of a recording studio and met Joan Baez there.

And one of my clients once met and briefly talked to Dylan.

[NNadir]

10. I had a girlfriend who had several Beatle albums.

[NewJeffCT]

14. I have a friend...

that was president of one of the beatles fan club chapters - back when they were still "The Beatles" I think he met at least 2 or 3 of them, but I'll have to email him to verify.

[redwitch]

16. I have a friend

who has a friend that is producing Bob Dylan's new show on XM radio. I am thinking that Bobbie D. has had at least a passing acquaintance with some or all of the Beatles? Damn, I never thought about this! Who wants my autograph, I am famous!

[aQuArius]

20. My boyfriend was born in England...

He always cheers for Liverpool Soccer and the Beatles are from Liverpool! :shrug: Does that even count?

[asthmaticeog]

21. I'm Pete Best.

[Heddi]

26. Three

My mom knows a guy who is best friends with the guy who shot the Abbey Road cover and is (was) good friends with John and Yoko.

yay!

[fishwax]

27. I guess four

I >> drank, fought, worked with >> unnamed friend
Unnamed friend >> played with >> buffy saint-marie
buffy >> wrote a song performed by >> Donovan
Donovan >> traveled to India to study religion with >> the beatles

That's the quickest I can get so far ...

[mulsh]

28. My mother-in-law

knew the Beatles when she lived in Hamburg in the early 60's. Still gets cards from Paul & Klaus Voorhman
a girl friend in highschool got to meet them both times they played in sf thanks to her radio DJ father. both girlfriend and mother-in-law told me the same thing. "they were all so thin I expected them to keel over and die."

Also in when in I was in highschool one of our neighbors who grew up in Liverpool and had a wax home made record of the Quarymen playing at her 16th birthday party. they did a smoking version of Fever.

none of the above has ever tried to hook me up with the beatles.

[yellowdogintexas]

29. I met Earl Scruggs, who undoubtedly played with someone

who also played with a Beatle.

The first Earl Scrugs Revue album had Joan BAez, Linda Rondstat, Arlo, Tracy Nelson, and others.

But I don't know how the connection would ultimately work out.

[TrogL]

30. I've met Carl Palmer, Ringo Starr bought his drumset

[HuskerDU]

31. I have a friend, who is friends with Iris Dement and Greg

Brown. One of those two probably met someone, who met someone, who knew the Beatles! My guess is 4 degrees.

[Parrcrow]

32. My pal Tom once met George Harrison.

so, that's a 'one'

[BlueStateGirl]

33. Two. Bono's cousin used to be my boss. So from him, to Bono to

Paul.

[ThoughtCriminal]

34. Maybe three - four more likely - five since I'm human

There are probably Bedions who are closer.

[Bullwinkle925]

35. TOO GOD DAMNED MANY!

waahhhhhhh - I wanted George all to myself!

[Kat45]

36. The same number as you.

I know a guy, (who used to live with me) whose sister is a percussionist based in England, who played with Eric Clapton (on one of his tours), who played with George Harrison. (There could be fewer degrees of separation because I have met his sister--but I don't know if that counts toward the degrees--and it's quite possible that she knows Paul McCartney.)

[ikri]

37. Easier than I thought

My step mother used to work for David Byrne who starred in the movie Checking Out alongside George Harrison.

There's a great tool at The oracle of Bacon that you can use to figure out your links.

[ForrestGump]

38. One. A family member met them (part of his work) as the Beatles and solo

(I have pictures of him with Paul and with George, in the '70s) and I know or have met others who met some or all of them (including a few of Elvis' boys).

[FunkyLeprechaun]

40. I'm one degree of separation

My friend was George Harrison's doctor.

and my sister went to Brown with Dhani and even was on the same floor as Dhani.

[azmouse]

41. When I lived in Tucson I knew someone

who had seen McCartney in town. He has a ranch on the outskirts of Tucson so I would imagine a lot of people have seen him in town but that's as close as I get to any Beatle.

[XNASA]

46. I have a good friend who stills works for NASA.....

...who produced an interview with Macca recently.

So 2 degrees.

[Burma Jones]

42. One Degree

A friend was one of Linda McCartney's Physicians at Sloan Kettering....

[ScreamingMeemie]

43. None.

George Harrison held me for a second when I was a baby.

Or so the story goes. I was too young to remember it, but I had puked on my mom.

[Arugula Latte]

52. Now THAT is cool!

And YOU inspired him to write "All Things Must Pass" because you had, uh, passed stuff out your, uh, mouth -- Am I right? :shrug:

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

44. I met Glen Campbell (and used to work for a co. that rep'd him)

-->played with The Beach Boys (Brian Wilson)-->Paul McCartney

It's like I fugging KNOW him, man!

Edit: and I still can't spell his last name.

[Bridget Burke]

51. My aunt & uncle saw Glen Campbell play...

At the Coconut Grove. Not the famous one--a dive on the Old Galveston Road. This was long before Glenn became famous. (I saw him when he played with the Beach Boys.)

Personally? I met Ramblin' Jack Elliot some years ago. From him to Dylan, who turned the Beatles on to grass. (Hmmm... I wonder who turned Dylan on?)

[kwassa]

45. I saw Ringo and his wife walking down the street.

They walked right by me. Barbara Bach.

It was quite surreal. It was a warm Sunday afternoon, I had just walked out of a Chinese restaurant in an older industrial building in LA, waiting for my friends to catch up. I was alone on the street. The door popped open on this industrial building next store, out walked Mr. and Mrs. Ringo. Quite nonchalant, and they strolled right by me. I tried to look cool.

[last_texas_dem]

47. My mom has the same birthday as Paul McCartney

Not the same year, though.

Which, I'm guessing, doesn't count for a whole lot...haha

[mikeytherat]

48. I know Quincy Jones, who produced Paul McCartney and

Michael Jackson together on Off the Wall ("Girlfriend").

mikey_the_rat

[alfredo]

49. My wife, then Chet Atkins, and that probably puts her

within one or two separations from the Beatles and just about all the big names in 20th century popular music.

Myself, Stevie Wonder's godmother, John Lennon.

[Magrittes Pipe]

50. I was molested by Billy Preston

:shrug:

[mikita]

53. nothing here, but this was a fun thread! n/t