Caroline
A long-lost Beatles record, written for Cilla Black by Sir Paul McCartney and John Lennon, was sold at auction for £18K.
The demo recording of “It’s For You” was believed to have disappeared or been destroyed for more than 50 years. Fortunately, Cilla’s nephew Simon White stumbled on it at home after the star’s death earlier this year. In the first place his family thought it was just a copy of Cilla Black’s recording of the song. With that in mind, they took it to be valued with other items at the Beatles Shop in Mathew Street.
“I was shaking with excitement and speechless.” – said shop manager and Beatles expert Stephen Bailey after first listening to the record.
“I realised that this was the long-lost Beatles demo disc from 1964 and I was probably one of the few people to have seen and heard it in over 50 years.”
“What I had in my hand was probably the only copy in existence.” – he added
Cilla Black’s nephew donated the record with a letter. He explained how his father – an avid collector – had looked after it for years after Black gave it to him.
He wrote: “When we found out that Sir Paul had not retained his own copy of the recording, as a courtesy and gesture of respect we agreed it would be only right that, of all people, he be allowed to make a copy of the recording for himself for the sole use of adding it to his personal archive. Other than the single copy of the recording that he now has, we know of no other.”
The record was sold as part of the 25th Beatles Memorabilia Auction, organized by The Beatles Shop, at the Unity Theatre in Liverpool on Saturday.
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