THE MAGICAL MARTY TOUR

The Beatles-related work of Martin Lewis


British-born Martin Lewis is a humorist, TV & radio host, actor, columnist, writer and producer based in Los Angeles.

He is also a world-renowned Beatles historian and authority - considered one of the foremost in the field. He has been a passionate Beatles fan since his childhood - and has a scholarly knowledge of their history and music.

For many years he has been the host of the official Beatles fan conventions held annually in New York and Los Angeles. He has written and broadcast extensively on the subject of the Beatles - including writing, hosting and producing several TV specials and his own Beatles-related radio series. He has also been a prominent consultant on recent Beatles projects such as their Anthology and Live At The BBC albums and the farewell album of all-star Beatles covers by Beatles producer Sir George Martin.


HOST OF BEATLES FAN CONVENTIONS

He hosts the annual Beatlefest fan conventions held in New York and Los Angeles - a role he has undertaken since 1990. In 1999 - he will also host a new Beatlefest convention taking place in Orlando, Florida.

At the conventions, he conducts interviews and moderates panel discussions with guests from the Beatles world - including their friends, fellow musicians, family members, former work colleagues and leading Beatles authors. He also emcees concerts of Beatles music and talent competitions - and conducts trivia contests.


MEDIA EXPERT ON THE BEATLES

He is frequently interviewed about Beatles history - and about the reasons for the continuing popularity of the group nearly 30 years after their break-up. His recent TV interviews about The Beatles include appearances on NBC's Nightly News With Tom Brokaw, The Today Show and Leeza; ABC's World News Now, Disney's The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show; E!'s The Beatles Wives; Access Hollywood and Geraldo Rivera, and programs on VH1, Lifetime, CNBC, MSNBC, FX, BBC and E! In 1995, his one-hour TV special Re-Meet The Beatles! - which he created, wrote, hosted and produced - broke ratings records on E! Entertainment Television. He has been Beatles Correspondent for the TV show Extra since 1994.


CO-ORGANIZER OF OFFICIAL BEATLES 40th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

He was a co-organizer of the official celebrations held in Liverpool in July 1997 of the 40th Anniversary of the Birth of The Beatles (the day in July 1957 when John Lennon first met Paul McCartney.) Lewis personally arranged special messages for the event from Sir Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono. He also secured special personal congratulations for the celebration from President Bill Clinton, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Her Majesty The Queen. He also arranged and coordinated worldwide publicity for the event.


CONSULTANT ON BEATLES PROJECTS - INCLUDING ANTHOLOGY

He has been a consultant to EMI-Capitol Records on all aspects of the Beatles - advising the company on historical matters, product reissues and marketing strategies. He is credited with being one of the principal strategists of the highly-acclaimed marketing campaigns for the American release of the Beatles' Anthology and Live At The BBC projects.

His work devising and executing publicity and marketing strategies for the Beatles reunited him with his first boss and mentor - longtime Beatles publicist Derek Taylor - who was spearheading the campaigns from London. Lewis had worked with Taylor in the British music industry in the early 70's.

Lewis was a consultant on all aspects of the American release of In My Life - the farewell album produced by Sir George Martin - which featured performances of Beatles songs by leading entertainers including: Jim Carrey, Robin Williams, Goldie Hawn, Phil Collins, Celine Dion, Jeff Beck, Bobby McFerrin, Sean Connery and Billy Connolly.


FOUNDER/PRESIDENT OF "MBE!" CAMPAIGN TO HONOR BRIAN EPSTEIN

Lewis is the Founder and President of MBE! - the campaign to have Beatles manager Brian Epstein inducted into the non-performers' category of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The campaign takes its name from a 1965 comment by Paul McCartney. After The Queen decorated each of The Beatles with the royal honor of the M.B.E. (Member of the British Empire) McCartney stated that "MBE stands for Mister Brian Epstein!" - a sentiment later echoed by George Harrison. The campaign has the support of many leading entertainers and members of the music community.


CREATOR-HOST-WRITER-PRODUCER OF MAJOR TV SPECIAL ON BEATLES

In 1995 he conceived, wrote, hosted and produced Re-Meet The Beatles! - a major one-hour TV special - which related the inside story of The Beatles' Anthology and celebrated the return of Beatlemania. The TV special aired extensively on E! Entertainment Television - and generated E!'s best-ever ratings for a music special.

The program featured several exclusive interviews with key Beatles participants. These included in-depth conversations with Ringo Starr, George Martin, Yoko Ono, Derek Taylor and Jeff Lynne. To shoot the special, Lewis returned to his homeland - and visited several key, rarely-seen Beatles locations. These included the tiny church field in Liverpool where Lennon and McCartney had their fabled first meeting; the Cavern Club in Liverpool; Abbey Road's legendary Studio Two and the rooftop of the old Apple building where The Beatles gave their celebrated last live performance. The program also included interviews with celebrity Beatles fans including Robin Williams, Johnny Depp and Dennis Franz.

Lewis conducted many of the interviews for the documentary You Can't Do That! - The Making of A Hard Day's Night - which featured recollections of the film's participants. The documentary premiered on PBS in 1996 and was subsequently released on home-video by MPI.


CREATOR-HOST-WRITER-PRODUCER OF BEATLES TALK-RADIO SHOW

In 1997, he created and hosted his own live, weekly talk-radio show celebrating The Beatles called Un-Beatle-able! with Martin Lewis. The program - which Lewis also produced - aired on KGIL in Los Angeles. The show featured in-depth conversations with celebrity Beatle fans and a madcap mixture of Beatles classics and rarities; fascinating Beatles facts and comedic segments. Drawing on his reputation as both a Beatles expert and as a comedic host - Lewis personally booked all his guests - an eclectic group which included: Mike Myers, Bill Maher, Janeane Garofalo, Drew Barrymore, Martin Landau, Kathy Bates, Tom Arnold, Lee Grant, Michael York, Lynn Redgrave, Michelle Phillips, Dinah Manoff, Sid Caesar, Robin Leach, Leonard Maltin, Arianna Huffington, Kato Kaelin, Yoko Ono, Jeff Lynne, 'Weird Al' Yankovic and Slash (ex-Guns 'N' Roses.)


CREATOR-HOST-PRODUCER OF HOLLYWOOD BEATLES TRIBUTE

In November 1995, Lewis conceived, produced and hosted a major Hollywood salute to The Beatles - presented with The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The gala event was attended by many stars - and was completely sold-out

The evening consisted of a special screening of a newly-restored print of the Academy-Award nominated A Hard Day's Night - followed by Lewis' in-depth discussion with Walter Shenson who produced both A Hard Day's Night and Help!


BEATLES AUTHOR & COLUMNIST

Lewis is the author of With A Little Help From Their Friend... - an extensive 'companion narrative' to the 1998 re-publication of Beatles manager Brian Epstein's 1964 autobiography A Cellarful Of Noise. Lewis' 15,000 word essay was commissioned to provide context and additional information for readers of the book - which was co-authored by Lewis' mentor - longtime Beatles publicist Derek Taylor. Lewis also authored Everybody's Talkin' 'bout...Derek Taylor - a special tribute to Taylor - which is also included in the new edition of Epstein's autobiography.

Acting as an editorial consultant - Lewis also secured a new foreword for the 1998 edition of the book from Sir George Martin.

Lewis' first published work on the Beatles appeared when he was just a 14 year-old schoolboy! An avid Beatles fan even then - he volunteered his services to compile the discography for their authorized biography (The Beatles by Hunter Davies - 1968) and his offer was accepted.

Lewis writes a regular column for a new Beatles fan magazine - Daytrippin'. The column is entitled Beatle-ly Incorrect! - and offers irreverent commentary about Beatles-related issues. The column is named after a panel which Lewis conceived for, and hosts at, the Beatlefest conventions.


COMPILER & PRODUCER OF BEATLES-RELATED ALBUMS

At the age of 17 Lewis conceived and compiled a special album released by EMI Records collecting together songs written by The Beatles - but recorded only by other artists (The Songs Lennon-McCartney Gave Away - 1970)

To commemorate the retirement of Sir George Martin from record producing, Lewis was commissioned to produce There Are Places I'll Remember... (MCA Records 1998) - a special limited-edition album of a wide-ranging conversation Lewis conducted with Sir George about the legendary producer's life and career.


CREATOR-PRODUCER OF BEATLES REUNION SPOOF - THE RUTLES REUNION

In 1996, Lewis conceived, developed and produced the highly-successful reunion of The Rutles - the Monty Python spin-off project which affectionately spoofs the Beatles - and which has been a firm favorite of George Harrison. (Harrison made a celebrated cameo appearance in the original 1978 Rutles TV special - All You Need Is Cash.) Lewis executive-produced the band's Archaeology album - which lampooned the Beatles' Anthology project. He also produced the group's reunion music video - and secured guest appearances for it by a diverse group of 25 stars ranging from Peter Gabriel, Cyndi Lauper and Slash - to Nancy Sinatra, Pat Boone and Eartha Kitt! And cameos from comedians Bill Maher, Janeane Garofalo and Richard Belzer.


UNINTENTIONAL CREATOR OF MASSIVE BEATLES HOAX!

A throwaway prank Lewis undertook in 1971 as a very young music journalist unwittingly created what became one of the most enduring of Beatles myths. Striving to pad out an otherwise scholarly article he was writing for a British music paper about unreleased Beatles recordings, Lewis inserted the titles of four of his own endeavors as a teenage songwriter - as though they were genuine Beatle rarities! Much to his surprise, over time those titles were erroneously incorporated into many authoritative histories of the band - and have assumed a mythological status. Lewis has now confessed that those four songs: Colliding Circles, Pink Litmus Paper Shirt, Deck Chair and Left Is Right (And Right Is Wrong) - hitherto regarded as part of the ‘Holy Grail’ of unissued Beatles music - were in fact atrociously bad imitation Beatles songs he had composed in his bedroom at the age of 14! The New York Post stated that the confession had revealed “the biggest Beatles hoax since the ‘Paul is dead’ craze.” Click here for more information about this magnificent (unplanned) Beatles hoax!


MARTIN LEWIS' PERSONAL BEATLES HISTORY

Lewis became a Beatles fan in October 1962 - when he heard their first record, Love Me Do, played on the radio. 15 months later he persuaded his parents to take him and his elder brother to see The Beatles play at their 1963 Christmas show at London's 'Finsbury Park Astoria' theatre.

His Beatles-related career started when he was a 14 year-old schoolboy. As an avid Beatles fan, he approached Heinemanns - the company publishing the first (and only) authorized Beatles biography - and volunteered to compile a definitive discography of the Beatles for the book.

"I knew about all the obscure Beatles songs - alternative versions, rare 'B' sides and songs they had written - but never released. I was worried they might forget to include them in the book. So I offered to compile the discography for free!"
The 14 year old Lewis was 'commissioned' to compile the lists - and they were included in the book.

Drawing on his research for the book, at the age of 17 he conceived and compiled a special album released by EMI Records in the UK - collecting together all the songs written by The Beatles - but given to other artists and never commercially released by The Beatles themselves. (The Songs Lennon-McCartney Gave Away - 1970)


MARTIN LEWIS' NON-BEATLES RELATED CAREER: 1970 - 1984

After two years as a freelance music journalist writing for the British music papers - at the age of 20, Lewis entered the entertainment industry. His first job was working as a publicist under the aegis of former Beatles press agent - the legendary Derek Taylor - who became his mentor and friend.

For ten years Lewis worked in the British music industry, as a publicist, marketing executive and record producer. He then became a producer of films, television and stage shows. He enjoyed a successful career as a producer in Britain and America - working with artists ranging from Monty Python, Peter Cook and Rowan Atkinson to Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Sting, Jeff Beck, Bob Geldof and George Michael.

Click here for full details of Martin Lewis' non-Beatles related career.


MARTIN LEWIS' RETURN TO THE BEATLES WORLD

In 1984, after Lewis had became a well-established film producer and director, he was invited to make a full-length documentary about the son of his favorite Beatle - Julian Lennon - son of John and Cynthia.

"Julian was just starting his career and he was facing all the difficulties of being 'The Son of John Lennon.' I wanted to help him introduce himself to the world and be given a chance to be his own person.

"In a way though, it was also a chance for me to give something back to the Lennon family - because Julian's father had, and continues to have, a profound influence on my life - personally and professionally."

In addition to producing and directing the critically-acclaimed documentary - Stand By Me: A Portrait of Julian Lennon - (which premiered on Showtime and was released on home-video by MCA) Lewis also produced the first four music videos that introduced the world to Julian (including Valotte and the MTV Music Video Award-nominated Too Late For Goodbyes).

The following year, Lewis was hired by Paul McCartney to produce and direct promotional films publicizing two of McCartney's pet film projects. The first promoted The Real Buddy Holly Story - a full-length documentary about McCartney's musical hero. The second promoted Rupert And The Frog Song - an animated musical feature that McCartney had made of his favorite childhood British comic strip character. Lewis also conducted the in-depth interviews with McCartney for the films - which were shown in the USA by HBO and The Disney Channel.

When, in 1990, Lewis' career changed and he became a comedic performer and TV host - the organizers of the annual Beatlefest offical fan conventions encouraged him to combine his Beatles expertise with his hosting skills and become emcee of the popular events. He has emceed in Los Angeles and New York every year since then - and regards the convention delegates as part of an extended family.

Lewis has a massive Beatles music, video and book collection; owns some very rare Beatle art - and can play most of the Beatles repertoire on the piano (very badly!)


MARTIN LEWIS ON THE BEATLES

"They transcended all age, racial and cultural barriers. They had a gift for joyous optimism. They represented a belief in 'good' rather than 'bad.' They had a passion for life. They were serious about their music - but they never took themselves too seriously.

"And above all - they wrote and recorded some of the most exquisite songs of all time.

"In the beginning they were a beguiling pop group - expressing an exhilarating exuberance for life. In a short period of time, they matured into sophisticated writer/performers who stretched the boundaries of what could be achieved using popular music as a form of artistic expression. And they influenced everyone who followed.

"Their music affected every aspect of life and culture in the 1960's. It defined a generation - and it became the soundtrack to the cultural revolution that changed the world.

"And rather than rest on their bank accounts as many celebrities do, they used their success as a platform to promote important issues: John with his peace campaigns. George with Bangladesh and, latterly, his Romanian children appeal. Paul with his tireless work for the environment. And Ringo speaking candidly about alcoholism and campaigning against drunk driving.

"They were easily the most influential popular artists of our time. They went from being very enjoyable pop entertainers to serious artists - but they never lost their self-deprecating sense of humor.

"It has retained its place in the heart of the baby-boomer generation - and at the same time it has captivated the passion of the generations that have followed. Half of the active Beatles fans today are age 25 and under!

"The extraordinary success of the Anthology albums, TV series and home videos confirmed what we original Beatles fans knew all along. The Beatles changed all of our lives for the better - and forever."

Lewis is frequently asked to explain the enduring popularity of The Beatles and in particular the group's enormous appeal to kids who weren't born till after the band broke up:
"We live in deeply troubled times. Cynicism is pervasive. Innocence is lost almost at birth. It's very hard to believe in anything positive these days. And a lot of today's music reflects that. The Beatles transcend all that cynical gloom. They infuse listeners of all ages with a sense of the possibilities of life. It's that simple."
As to his own continuing interest and scholarly knowledge of The Beatles - Lewis comments:
"It's partly to prove my 'mum' wrong! When I was a teenager fervently studying every aspect of The Beatles - I remember my mum telling me that it was a complete waste of my time. She said that no one in the future would be interested in any of my Beatle knowledge. Well now it's the future - and people are more interested in The Beatles than ever!"



 
Click here for MBE!
the Official Brian Epstein Website
Created and hosted by the Martin Lewis Website.



The Complete Martin Lewis Biography
Martin Lewis Biography Highlights
The Martin Lewis Homepage



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