Magical Mystery Tours
 | |
| Authors | Tony Bramwell with Rosemary Kingsland |
|---|---|
| Original title | Magical Mystery Tours: My Life with the Beatles |
| Language | English |
| Published | St. Martin's Griffin |
| Pages | 448 |
| ISBN | 0312330448 |
Magical Mystery Tours: My Life with the Beatles is a book about the Beatles that was co-authored by Tony Bramwell (1946–2024), childhood friend of the group and Apple Corps director,[1] and Rosemary Kingsland. It was published by St. Martin's Griffin in 2006.
Tony Bramwell
[edit]Tony Bramwell was born on 11 March 1946.[2] He died on 2 June 2024.[2]
Back in 1959 his old schoolmate George Harrison had just returned from Hamburg with bandmates John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Tony decided he would go to a Beatles’ gig in their hometown and offered to carry Harrison's guitar to get in for free. This auspicious start led to him becoming an aide to Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein, and a long-standing associate of the group. After The Beatles split, Bramwell joined Polydor Records as a record promoter, and he went on to receive an MTV award for his pioneering work on early pop videos. Following a period as a freelance record plugger Bramwell became disillusioned with a pop industry that had taken to prioritising looks and image over talent and took early retirement.[3]
Rosemary Kingsland
[edit]Rosemary Kingsland (5 July 1941 – 5 June 2021) was born in the Himalayan mountains of India, and worked as a journalist, and married the writer Gerald Kingsland.[4][5][6]
- A Saint among Savages. Collins. 1980. ISBN 0-00-216740-9.
- The Secret Life of a Schoolgirl: A Memoir of a Lost Childhood, a Warring Family and a Secret Affair with Richard Burton. Crown Publishing. 2003. ISBN 1-4000-4782-X.[7][8]
- White, Jimmy; Kingsland, Rosemary (1998). Behind the White Ball: My Autobiography. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 978-0-09-180126-7.
Reception
[edit]Critical reception has been positive.[9] Entertainment Weekly praised the work, writing "Though it doesn’t drop any bombshells, Tours is a tour de force of amusing details (like the suitcase of baked beans a curry-shy Starr took with him when the Beatles jetted to India in 1968 to sit at the Maharishi's feet)."[10] The Birmingham Post also rated the book favorably, stating "This is more that just another biography about the Beatles. It's a memoir of childhood in the post-war North and a great social commentary, as it chronicles the birth of pop culture, from Liverpool in the 1950s, London in the Swinging 1960s to the New York/L.A. scenes of today."[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Black, Johnny (2 December 2021). "The real story of The Beatles' Let It Be sessions, told by those who were there". loudersound.com. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Tony Bramwell obituary: Beatles tour manager and childhood friend". thetimes.com. The Times. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "From the Beatles to Eva Cassidy: Tony Bramwell (1941–2024)". www.evacassidyfanclub.nl | Official Eva Cassidy Fanclub. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "Kingsland, Rosemary 1941–". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "Rosemary Kingsland was born in India, worked on Fleet..." UPI. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "Rosemary Kingsland obituary". thetimes.com. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "THE SECRET LIFE OF A SCHOOLGIRL". Kirkus Reviews. 8 July 2003. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ Jones, Catherine (9 August 2003). "Rosemary Kingsland claims Burton seduced her when she was just 14". Western Mail. Cardiff, Wales: Free Online Library. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ Hill, Harry (6 November 2012). "Harry Hill on five of the best books about The Beatles". Telegraph. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ^ "Magical Mystery Tours (review)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ^ Wurzal, Laura (20 August 2005). "Weekend: BOOKS: Magical Mystery Tour Back to the Beginning". The Birmingham Post. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
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