Think Chennai and Carnatic is, perhaps, the only variety of music that comes to mind. But Chennai is also the birthplace of two personalities from the world of pop music — one very famous and the other almost so.
Arnold George Dorsey was born on May 2, 1936, in Madras, to Mervyn Dorsey, a non-commissioned officer of the British Army and his Indian wife, Olive. The family migrated to England when he was ten. He learnt the saxophone and by his late teens, was playing in nightclubs in London. His career did not take off and on the advice of friends, he changed his name to Engelbert Humperdinck, after a 19 century German composer. Quite inexplicably, that appeared to do the trick, for dramatic success followed.
The recording of three songs and among them,
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The other personality was part of
The band in residence was however The Blackjacks for their drummer Pete Best was the son of the club’s owner Mona Best. Pete, christened Randolph Peter, was born in Madras on November 24, 1941, to Mona and marine engineer Donald Peter Scanland. The father was killed in World War II and Mona married again, migrating eventually with her son, to England.
Best joined
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Best was dismissed from The Beatles in 1962, for reasons unexplained, and Ringo Starr eventually took his place. It was a shock that took Best quite a while to recover. A strong-willed mother and a steady marriage helped. He joined government service and rose in the ranks. In 1988, he formed The Pete Best Band and has since received some recognition and success. But what if he had stayed on with The Beatles ?