IN JUNE 1961, A BRITISH SINGER NAMED TONY SHERIDAN RECORDED "MY BONNIE", "THE SAINTS" AND A FEW OTHERS FOR POLYDOR RECORDS IN GERMANY . TONY HAD BEEN ON THE SCENE, PLAYING IN CLUBS IN HAMBURG WITH A NEW BRITISH GROUP, THE BEATLES, AS HIS BACK UP GROUP. IN OCTOBER OF 1961, A 45 OF "MY BONNIE" B/W "THE SAINTS" WAS RELEASED IN GERMANY ON POLYDOR UNDER THE NAME "TONY SHERIDAN AND THE BEAT BROTHERS."

THE RECORD SOLD MODERATELY WELL IN GERMANY AND ON OCTOBER 28TH RAY JONES WALKED INTO BRIAN EPSTEIN’S NEMS RECORD SHOP IN LONDON ASKING FOR A COPY OF THE RECORD. EPSTEIN THEN FOUND OUT WHO THE GROUP WAS AND ORDERED THE SINGLE AND SOLD MORE THAN 100 COPIES OF IT. AS HISTORY WOULD HAVE IT, BY THE END OF THE YEAR BRIAN EPSTEIN WAS MANAGING THE GROUP… AND THE REST IS HISTORY.

ON JANUARY 5TH 1962 , "MY BONNIE" WAS RELEASED ON POLYDOR RECORDS IN ENGLAND BUT THIS TIME WITH THE NAME CORRECTLY LISTED AS "TONY SHERIDAN AND THE BEATLES". A FEW MONTHS LATER, THE RECORD ATTRACTED THE INTEREST OF DECCA RECORDS IN THE UNITED STATES. DECCA WOULD HAVE THE FIRST OPTION OF RELEASING ANY GERMAN POLYDOR RECORDS IN THEIR "DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON" SERIES, OF WHICH THIS WAS ONE. CONSEQUENTLY, IN APRIL OF 1962, PINK LABEL PROMOTIONAL COPIES OF THE DECCA 45 WERE PRESSED AND DISTRIBUTED TO RADIO STATIONS AND REVIEWERS. ALTHOUGH IT WAS NOT WELL RECEIVED, A SMALL NUMBER OF COMMERCIAL (STORE) COPIES WERE ALSO PRESSED UP AND RELEASED IN APRIL 1962 AS "TONY SHERIDAN AND THE BEAT BROTHERS".

THIS IS THE VERY FIRST RECORD WITH PERFORMANCES BY THE BEATLES RELEASED IN THE UNITED STATES - BUT IDENTIFIED ON THE LABEL AS "THE BEAT BROTHERS".  DUE TO NEAR NON-EXISTENT AIRPLAY AND SALES, DECCA MANUFACTURED A VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF PROMOTIONAL AND STOCK COPIES AND IS NOW THE SCARCEST AMERICAN "BEATLES" RECORD. IT WAS ASSUMED THAT MOST COPIES WERE RETURNED AND DESTROYED.

FAB 4 COLLECTIBLES PROUDLY OFFERS HERE THE VERY RARE APRIL 1962 PROMOTIONAL ISSUE OF THE BEATLES FIRST EVER U.S. RECORD. THIS IS INDEED A GORGEOUS EXAMPLE OF THIS HISTORIC "PINK LABEL" 45 SINGLE OF THE VERY FIRST RECORD THE BEATLES APPEARED ON IN THE UNITED STATES FROM APRIL 1962. DECCA'S GLOVERSVILLE, NEW YORK FACTORY PRESSED THE PROMOTIONAL COPIES OF THE SINGLE (IDENTIFIED BY A MACHINE STAMPED "1" IN THE TRAIL OFF AREA) ON PINK LABELS WITH BLACK TEXT (DEC 31382.DJ1, SPIZER). THESE LABELS HAVE THE CLASSIC DECCA DESIGN FROM THE 1950'S. THE PINK PROMO COPIES ARE EXTREMELY RARE, BUT NOT AS SCARCE AS THE STOCK COPIES.

THE CONDITION OF THIS HISTORIC PROMOTIONAL RECORD IS A SHIMMERING NEAR MINT MINUS, WITH A RADIANT HIGH GLOSS SHEEN EVIDENT THROUGHOUT THE GROOVES. NO SCRATCHES AT ALL, YET JUST A COUPLE OF MINIMAL LIGHT "HAIRLINE" SUPERFICIAL SLEEVE PULLS PREVENT IT FROM A TRUE NEAR MINT STATUS. USUALLY FOUND WITH RADIO STATION DISC JOCKEY "X'S" ON THE B-SIDE, THIS EXAMPLE IS WITHOUT THE "X'S". THE LABELS ARE EQUALLY GORGEOUS AND GRADE A VIBRANT NEAR MINT.

A TRULY COMPLETE PACKAGE WHICH INCLUDES THE ACCOMPANYING  DECCA 45 PRINTED GENERIC SLEEVE. ADDED HIGHLIGHT ON THE FULL FRONT SIDE OF THE SLEEVE HAS
TONY SHERIDAN & THE BEAT BROTHERS
THE SAINTS
MY BONNIE
TYPED IN BLACK INK IN THE UPPER LEFT CORNER. THIS IS MOST LIKELY A FILING PROCEDURE FOR THE RADIO STATION THAT ORIGINALLY HAD THIS RECORD.