Rare original vintage 1.5 x 2 passport-sized photo of a young George Harrison blowing out cigarette smoke in an early bust-length pose, a portrait that was taken during the Beatles’ stint at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg, Germany, between April 1st and July 1st, 1961. In fine condition, with a few small creases. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Tracks.
From April 1 to July 1, 1961, the Beatles and Tony Sheridan performed continuously for 92 nights in the Top Ten Club, playing seven hours a night on weekdays, and eight hours on weekends. They were given a 15-minute break every hour and earned 35 Deutsche Marks per night. This early iteration of the band had its core trio of George, Paul, and John as guitarists, with Pete Best on the drums and Stuart Sutcliffe—John's close friend from art school—playing bass. Upon their return to Great Britain from Hamburg, Sutcliffe left the band to pursue his career in painting—leaving McCartney to pick up the slack as the Beatles' bassist. Ringo Starr, who had been introduced to the Beatles while in Hamburg, would replace Best as the group's drummer in August 1962.
In 'The Complete Beatles Chronicle,' Mark Lewisohn observes: 'A twice-extended contract led to the Beatles staying 13 weeks at the Top Ten club, playing a staggering total of 503 hours on stage over 92 nights. It was little wonder then that…their stamina and musical versatility improved dramatically as the visit wore on. When they returned to Liverpool in July they were simply untouchable.'
The consignor notes that this photograph was found in Hamburg amongst a selection of documents from the Top Ten Club and that the image appears on page 93 of Olivia Harrison’s book ‘George Harrison Living in the Material World.’
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