The Fab Four | |
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Background information | |
Also known as | The Ultimate Tribute |
Origin | California |
Genres | |
Years active | 1997–present |
Labels | Delta Ent. (Laserlight), New World Digital |
Members | Ardavan Sarraf Ron McNeil Adam Hastings Gavin Pring Jon Fickes Neil Candelora<Tyson kelly> Doug Couture Robbie Berg Erik Fidel Richard Lewis Miles Frizzell Gilbert bonilla> |
Past members | David Brighton Frank Canino Frank Mendonca III Jim Owen Joe Gallo Michael Amador Rolo Sandoval Brendan Peleo-Lazar Luis Renteria Joseph Bologna Joshua Jones |
Website | www.TheFabFour.com |
The Fab Four is a California tribute band paying homage to the Beatles. Founded in 1997 by Ron McNeil (real name Ronald Mendonca), [1] a John Lennon impersonator, the group began performing Beatles music throughout southern California. [2] They have played in many places worldwide, including Japan, Malaysia, France, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Mexico and Brazil, covering nearly the entire Beatles songbook and material from Beatles members' solo projects.
The band's beginnings included Tuesday night performances at a small venue called Music City in Fountain Valley, as well as regular performances at Disneyland's Tomorrowland Terrace in Anaheim, The Hop in Puente Hills and Scruffy O’Sheas in Marina del Rey. [3] The core group consisted of McNeil (John Lennon), along with Ardavan Sarraf (Paul McCartney), Michael Amador (George Harrison) and Rolo Sandoval (Ringo Starr). Sarraf, a natural right-hander, taught himself to play the bass guitar left-handed to emulate McCartney. [4]
From 2005 to 2008, the Fab Four brought in a second cast of musicians to help perform a full stage show six nights a week in Las Vegas, with various members alternating between cast. Performing as Fab Four Mania, the Vegas cast performed regularly at locations such as the Las Vegas Hilton, [5] The Aladdin, [6] The Sahara [7] [8] and The Riviera. [9]
In 2013, the PBS special "The Fab Four: The Ultimate Tribute," filmed at Pechanga Resort & Casino in 2012, received an Emmy Award. [10] [11]
In 2018, McNeil said "After 25 years, I want to be home a little more. But I'm still president of the company, and everybody who started this with me are still my business partners, even though only Ardy's still on stage. So it'll be carrying on, which is great." He anointed Liverpool-born Adam Hastings as his replacement. [12] As of 2019, the most common lineup consisted of Ardavan Sarraf (McCartney), Adam Hastings (Lennon), Gavin Pring (Harrison) and Joe Bologna (Starr).
From 2020 to 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fab Four live-streamed numerous concerts, with McNeil, Sandoval and Erik Fidel coming back.
As of now, The Fab Four has a rotating cast that changes almost every show. Listed below are the cast members that are currently part of The Fab Four’s regular rotation.
An actor portraying Ed Sullivan is the MC of Fab Four shows, in reference to The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Formed by Ardavan Sarraf, Wingsband is a Paul McCartney and Wings tribute act that covers many of McCartney's biggest post-Beatles hits. The band features Ron McNeil as Denny Laine, Michael Amador as Henry McCullough and Rolo Sandoval as Joe English, plus a horn section led by Wendell Kelly (The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Whitney Houston) and singer/songwriter Christine Rosander as Linda McCartney. Both Laurence Juber, Wings guitarist from 1978 to 1981, and Denny Seiwell, the original Wings drummer from 1971 to 1973, have performed onstage with Wingsband at The Grove in Anaheim, CA.
George Harrison impersonator and Liverpool native, Gavin Pring, created a tribute act called George Harry's Son to celebrate Harrison's solo material, as well as his hits from the Beatle years. Pring has brought this act to the top Beatles music festivals, including the annual Beatleweek in Liverpool [13] at the Mathew Street Festival and Abbey Road on the River in the United States. Pring also performed on the same stage as Paul McCartney in 2002 for the tribute show held on Harrison's birthday.
In 2007, The Fab Four was approached by Eric Idle from the British comedy group Monty Python to perform a set of shows celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Rutles, a Beatles parody group formed in 1975 by Idle and Neil Innes. The show featured McNeil as Ron Nasty (originally played by Innes), Sarraf as Dirk McQuickly (Idle), Amador as Stig O’Hara (Ricky Fataar) and Sandoval as Barry Wom (John Halsey), and was performed multiple nights in both Los Angeles [14] [15] and New York. [16] [17]
In 2010, The Fab Four was cast to do the motion-capture performance footage for director Robert Zemeckis' 3-D remake of The Beatles animated film classic, Yellow Submarine . The movie was set to be released sometime in 2012, but Disney canceled the project when Zemeckis' film Mars Needs Moms performed poorly in the box office and critics' reviews of Zemeckis' animations were mostly negative. [18] [19] [20] [21]
All songs were arranged, performed, recorded and produced by The Fab Four.
Release Date - October 16, 2002
Label - Delta Ent. (LaserLight)
No. | Title | Based on | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Johnny Marks) | "I Saw Her Standing There" | |
2. | "Joy to the World" (Lowell Mason) | "Please Please Me" | |
3. | "Feliz Navidad" (José Feliciano) | "And I Love Her" | |
4. | "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (Felix Mendelssohn) | "Help!" | |
5. | "Away in a Manger" (Traditional) | "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" | |
6. | "Good King Wenceslas" (John Mason Neale) | "Tell Me What You See" | |
7. | "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" (Edmund Sears) | "Baby's in Black" | |
8. | "Winter Wonderland" (Felix Bernard / Richard B. Smith) | "Honey Don't" | |
9. | "Frosty the Snowman" (Walter E. Rollins / Steve Nelson) | "Mr. Moonlight" | |
10. | "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" (Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne) | "Eight Days a Week" |
Release Date - October 16, 2002
Label - Delta Ent. (LaserLight)
No. | Title | Based on | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" (J. Fred Coots) | "When I'm Sixty Four" | |
2. | "Silent Night" (Franz Gruber) | "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" | |
3. | "The Christmas Song" (Mel Torme) | "Here, There and Everywhere" | |
4. | "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (Traditional) | "Within You, Without You" | |
5. | "The Little Drummer Boy" (Katherine Davis) | "Sun King" | |
6. | "Dear Santa" (Richard Starkey / Mark Hudson / Steve Dudas) | "Oh! Darling" | |
7. | "What Child Is This?" (William Chatterton Dix) | "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" | |
8. | "Blue Christmas" (Billy Hayes) | "Revolution 1" | |
9. | "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (Johnny Marks) | "Got to Get You Into My Life" | |
10. | "Jingle Bells" (James Lord Pierpont) | "Tomorrow Never Knows" |
Release Date - 2008
Label - Robo Records
Release Date - 2002/2011
Label - Self-released
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Twist and Shout (Short Version)" (Phil Medley / Bert Berns) | |
2. | "Please Please Me" (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) | 2:06 |
3. | "All My Loving" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:12 |
4. | "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:24 |
5. | "From Me to You" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:03 |
6. | "Love Me Do" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:27 |
7. | "Do You Want to Know a Secret" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:01 |
8. | "Boys" (Luther Dixon / Wes Farrell) | 2:31 |
9. | "You Really Got a Hold on Me" (Smokey Robinson) | 2:57 |
10. | "This Boy" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:25 |
11. | "A Hard Day's Night" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:32 |
12. | "I Should Have Known Better" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:51 |
13. | "If I Fell" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:18 |
14. | "Eight Days a Week" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:48 |
15. | "Can't Buy Me Love" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:12 |
16. | "Act Naturally" (Buck Owens) | 2:41 |
17. | "Help!" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:20 |
18. | "Michelle" (Lennon / McCartney) | 3:00 |
19. | "I Feel Fine" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:28 |
20. | "Yesterday" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:12 |
21. | "She Loves You" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:20 |
22. | "Roll Over Beethoven" (Chuck Berry) | 2:38 |
23. | "I Saw Her Standing There" (Lennon / McCartney) | 3:33 |
24. | "Twist and Shout" (Medley / Berns) | 2:49 |
25. | "Outro" (N/A) |
Release Date - 2013
Label - Self-released
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
2. | "All My Loving" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
3. | "A Hard Day's Night" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
4. | "Eight Days a Week" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
5. | "Can't Buy Me Love" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
6. | "Help!" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
7. | "She Loves You" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
8. | "I Saw Her Standing There" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
9. | "Twist and Shout" (Medley / Berns) | |
10. | "Yesterday" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
11. | "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
12. | "With a Little Help From My Friends" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
13. | "Strawberry Fields Forever" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
14. | "Yellow Submarine" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
15. | "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
16. | "A Day in the Life" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
17. | "Imagine" (Lennon) | |
18. | "Here Comes the Sun" (George Harrison) | |
19. | "Get Back" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
20. | "Revolution" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
21. | "Hey Jude" (Lennon / McCartney) |
The Rutles were a rock band that performed visual and aural pastiches and parodies of the Beatles. This originally fictional band, created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes for a sketch in Idle's mid-1970s BBC television comedy series Rutland Weekend Television, later toured and recorded, releasing two studio albums and garnering two UK chart hits. The band toured again from 2002 until Innes's death in 2019.
The Quarrymen are a British skiffle and rock and roll group, formed by John Lennon in Liverpool in 1956, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Originally consisting of Lennon and several school friends, the Quarrymen took their name from a line in the school song of their school, the Quarry Bank High School. Lennon's mother, Julia, taught her son to play the banjo, showed Lennon and Eric Griffiths how to tune their guitars in a similar way to the banjo, and taught them simple chords and songs.
The Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 29 November 2002 as a memorial to George Harrison on the first anniversary of his death. The event was organised by Harrison's widow, Olivia, and his son, Dhani, and arranged under the musical direction of Eric Clapton. The profits from the event went to the Material World Charitable Foundation, an organisation founded by Harrison.
Paul McCartney and Wings, often billed simply as Wings, were an English-American rock band formed in 1971 in London by former Beatle Paul McCartney; his wife Linda McCartney on keyboards; session drummer Denny Seiwell; and former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine. They were noted for their commercial successes, musical eclecticism, and frequent personnel changes. They went through three lead guitarists and four drummers. The core trio of the McCartneys and Laine, however, remained intact throughout the group's existence.
"All Those Years Ago" is a song by the English rock musician George Harrison, released in May 1981 as a single from his ninth studio album Somewhere in England. Having previously recorded the music for the song, Harrison tailored the lyrics to serve as a personal tribute to his former Beatles bandmate John Lennon, following the latter's murder in 1980. Ringo Starr is featured on drums, and Paul McCartney overdubbed backing vocals onto the basic track. The single spent three weeks at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, behind "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes, and it peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. It also topped Canada's RPM singles chart and spent one week at number 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary listings.
The Bootleg Beatles are a Beatles tribute band. They have performed over 4,000 times since their establishment in March 1980.
Beatlemania was a Broadway musical revue focused on the music of the Beatles as it related to the events and changing attitudes of the tumultuous 1960s. A "rockumentary," advertised as "Not the Beatles, but an incredible simulation," it ran from May 1977 to October 1979 for a total of 1,006 performances.
"Lady Madonna" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. In March 1968 it was released as a mono non-album single, backed with "The Inner Light". The song was recorded on 3 and 6 February 1968, before the Beatles left for India, and its boogie-woogie style signalled a more conventional approach to writing and recording for the group following the psychedelic experimentation of the previous two years.
"Lovely Rita" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was written mainly by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It is about a meter maid and the narrator's affection for her.
"I Want to Tell You" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album Revolver. It was written and sung by George Harrison, the band's lead guitarist. After "Taxman" and "Love You To", it was the third Harrison composition recorded for Revolver. Its inclusion on the LP marked the first time that he was allocated more than two songs on a Beatles album, a reflection of his continued growth as a songwriter beside John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
"Another Girl" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1965 album Help! and included in the film of the same title. The song was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The song is addressed to the singer's girlfriend, who is informed that the singer has found "another girl."
"I Saw Her Standing There" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It is the opening track on the band's 1963 debut UK album Please Please Me and their debut US album Introducing... The Beatles.
Birth of the Beatles is a 1979 American biographical film, produced by Dick Clark Productions and directed by Richard Marquand. It was shown as a TV film on ABC in the United States, and received a theatrical release in other countries. The film focuses on the early history of the Beatles. It was released nine years after the Beatles disbanded, and is the only biographical film about the band to be released while all four members were alive. Pete Best, the Beatles' original drummer, served as a technical advisor for the production.
"Band on the Run" is a song by the British–American rock band Paul McCartney and Wings, the title track to their 1973 album Band on the Run.
"Letting Go" is a song credited to Paul and Linda McCartney and originally released by Wings on their 1975 album Venus and Mars. The song was remixed and released as a single on 4 October 1975 in the United States, and on 18 October 1975 in the United Kingdom. The song peaked at number 41 in the UK, 41 on the Cash Box Top 100 and number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Fab Faux is a musical tribute band performing the works of the Beatles. The group was founded by Will Lee, bassist for Late Show with David Letterman, and features Jimmy Vivino, bandleader for Conan. Other members include Rich Pagano, Frank Agnello, and Jack Petruzzelli. The band is committed to performing live what they feel would be an accurate reproduction of The Beatles' repertoire, often performing material The Beatles never played live. The band members do not try to impersonate the members of The Beatles, instead simply playing cover songs. The band is often accompanied by a horn section and a string section to achieve the proper sound.
The Fest for Beatles Fans is a twice-annual, three-day festival that honors the lasting legacy of the Beatles. The festival takes place in the New York metropolitan area, ordinarily in March or April, and in Chicago, Illinois, each August. Running Friday through Sunday, the Fest features special guests, live concerts, exhibits, art contests, a Beatles marketplace, a sound-alike contest, a Battle of the Beatles Bands, and more.
Ultimate Beatles is a UK Beatles tribute band/tribute act based in London/greater London.
The Beatles' 1965 tour of the United Kingdom was a concert tour that took place between 3 and 12 December 1965, comprising 18 shows at nine venues across England, Scotland and Wales. It coincided with the release of the Beatles' studio album Rubber Soul and their double A-side single "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out", and was the final UK tour undertaken by the band. Weary of Beatlemania, the group conceded to do the tour but refused to also perform a season of Christmas concerts as they had done over the 1963–64 and 1964–65 Christmas seasons.
Paul McCartney's band is the backing band that accompanies Paul McCartney in the studio and on tour. The core line-up has been steady since 2002, and includes Wix Wickens on keyboards and serving as musical director, Rusty Anderson on guitar, Brian Ray on guitar and bass, and Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums.