The Beatles, before their meteoric rise to fame, faced a critical decision that would forever alter their trajectory. Long before Ringo Starr solidified his place behind the drum kit, the band had a different drummer: Pete Best.
Best journeyed with the band through the formative years of their Hamburg residencies, sharing the grueling live performances and the budding camaraderie. However, as The Beatles neared the precipice of superstardom, a difficult choice loomed.
Despite the shared history and early experiences, the band ultimately decided to part ways with Best. This decision, as Paul McCartney later admitted, was one of the most challenging they ever had to make. The reasoning behind this pivotal moment in their career, and the impact it had on both Best and The Beatles, remains a fascinating chapter in their legendary story.
George Martin Intervened and Wanted to Replace Pete Best
In their pursuit of a record deal, The Beatles faced a critical hurdle in 1962. During an audition with producer George Martin, his reservations about Best became apparent. Martin, accustomed to the precise timing of session drummers, found Best’s style lacking in that regard.
Following the lackluster audition, the producer advised the band to consider replacing Best. This moment, as McCartney later recounted in The Beatles Anthology, proved to be a pivotal turning point in their career.
Macca recalled, “Our Liverpool drummers had a sense of spirit, emotion, economy even, but not a deadly sense of time. This would bother producers making a record. George took us to one side and said, ‘I’m really unhappy with the drummer. Would you consider changing him?’” The prospect of achieving their musical dreams with a different drummer proved too compelling to ignore.
A Weighty Decision
Despite their reservations, the band grappled with the decision to let Best go. While they acknowledged a sense of betrayal, the potential loss of a record deal loomed large. McCartney expressed, “It was a big issue… how we ‘dumped’ Pete. And I do feel sorry for him, because of what he could have been on to.”
Ultimately, the pursuit of their musical ambitions outweighed their personal feelings. As McCartney stated, “It was strictly a professional decision. If he wasn’t up to the mark… then there was no choice.”
The decision to part ways with Best, though difficult, proved pivotal. It marked a turning point in their career, paving the way for their eventual success with Ringo Starr behind the drums. However, the emotional weight of the decision remained, forever etched in their memories as one of the most challenging experiences they faced.
Best Didn’t Really Connect Well With The Band
While McCartney grappled with guilt over Best’s dismissal, Lennon’s perspective differed. He believed Best never fully connected with the band’s dynamic, suggesting he wasn’t as quick-witted as the other members. However, Lennon acknowledged a sense of wrongdoing in the way Best was let go.
Instead of a direct confrontation, the band tasked their manager, Brian Epstein, with delivering the news. This act of cowardice, as Lennon later admitted in The Beatles: The Authorized Biography by Hunter Davies, stemmed from a fear of a potential confrontation.
“We were cowards when we sacked him. We made Brian do it,” Lennon stated. “It probably would have ended in a fight if we’d told him.”
Adding Insult to Injury
The dismissal of Best wasn’t the only blow dealt. Following his departure, The Beatles actively avoided him, further amplifying the sting of the separation. During a show where both bands were playing, they even requested protection from Best, fearing retaliation.
Promoter Sam Leach, as recounted in the book Paul McCartney: A Life by Peter Ames Carlin, recalled McCartney’s request for security: “[McCartney] said, ‘Will you walk John and me onstage when they do the change?’ I asked why, and he said, ‘Pete might give us a smack.’”
Leach expressed his discomfort with the situation, recognizing that Best was unlikely to be violent. “I knew Pete wouldn’t do anything, he’s a gentle guy,” Leach stated. “And when they did pass in the hallway, Pete just put his head down. And I just felt rotten.”
But George Martin Was Surprised Pete Was Kicked Out
George Martin, despite his initial reservations about Best’s drumming, expressed surprise upon learning of his dismissal from live performances. He clarified his stance in a conversation with Mona Best, stating: “I never suggested that Pete Best must go. All I said was that for the purposes of the Beatles’ first record I would rather use a sessions man.”
Martin believed Best held commercial appeal due to his good looks and never anticipated his complete removal from the band. Davies, on the other hand, reflecting on the incident in 1968, deemed the firing “one of the few murky incidents in the Beatles’ history,” highlighting the secretive manner in which it was handled.
Over two decades later, historian and biographer Mark Lewisohn further emphasized the unfairness of the situation: “Despite his alleged shortcomings, it was still shabby treatment for Pete… The Beatles had had two years in which to dismiss him but hadn’t done so, and now – as they were beginning to reap the rewards for their long, hard slog, with money rolling in and an EMI contract secured – he was out.”