Stu Sutcliff. British artist Stuart Sutcliffe, former bassist for The Beatles

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1940, Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe grew up in Liverpool, England.

From an early age, he showed his outstanding artistic talent. Earning money as a scavenger, Stewart entered the Liverpool College of Art. In his class, he was considered one of the best artists working mainly in abstract style expressionism.

1. 1961 Stuart Sutcliffe posing for a portrait in Liverpool, England.

It was in college that he met a classmate of John Lennon who became his neighbor. After Sutcliffe sold one of his paintings for a hefty £65 at the time, John convinced him to buy a bass guitar - despite the fact that the guy could barely play - and join Lennon's band, created by him with friends Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

2. 1960 Early version The Beatles, photographed by John Lennon: manager Allan Williams, his wife Beryl, business partner Lord Woodbine, Stuart Sutcliffe, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best.

The band's name has already changed many times. After joining, Sutcliffe and Lennon suggested the name Beetles ("Beetles"), by analogy with the group Crickets ("Crickets") on Buddy Holly's singing (Buddy Holly). Within a few months, the name evolved first into the Silver Beetles, then the Silver Beatles, and finally the Beatles.

3. 1960 The Silver Beatles - Stuart Sutcliffe, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, drummer Johnny Hutch and George Harrison - perform in Liverpool.

“He was not really a very good musician. He wasn't really a musician at all until we talked to him about buying a bass guitar. He picked up a few things and he did a bit of work. It was a little silly, but it didn't matter at the time because he looked so great." (George Harrison)

4. 1961 Sutcliffe plays bass with The Beatles at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg.

Together with a hastily selected drummer, Pete Best, Sutcliffe and The Beatles traveled to Hamburg to perform in clubs and gain experience.

7. Sutcliffe on stage with The Beatles at a club in Hamburg.

9. 1960 Sutcliffe performs with The Beatles at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg.

There, Sutcliffe fell in love with photographer Astrid Kirchherr, who became his fiancee two months later. It was she who came up with his haircut, which was later adopted by the rest of the group.

10. 1961 Astrid Kirchherr and Stuart Sutcliffe pose together in Hamburg.

11. 1961

However, relations within the group heated up. Paul McCartney wanted the guy to leave the band, because then he himself would become a bass player. Once the conflict even turned into a real fight on the stage of the Top Ten Club.

12. Sutcliffe plays bass behind John Lennon and George Harrison at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg.

13. 1961 John Lennon sings and plays guitar with Stuart Sutcliffe and George Harrison at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg.

In 1961, Sutcliffe left The Beatles to focus on painting and living with Astrid. He won a postgraduate scholarship at the Hamburg College of Art, dreaming of studying with the sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi.

14. 1961 Sutcliff plays behind George Harrison.

However, his career was cut short when on April 10, 1962, at the age of 21, after a series of severe headaches, he died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

15. 1961

Sutcliffe's face can still be seen on the far left side of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

When it comes to the members of the Beatles ensemble, we always remember only four world famous name, and we completely forget about those people who were part of the group at the dawn of its formation. One of these people, and remained in the shadow of their eminent colleagues, was Stuart Sutcliffe (Stuart Sutcliffe).

Stewart was born on June 23, 1940 in a family of employees. Although Sutcliffe was a creative person, he never had the desire to devote his life to music. He was more interested in painting, literature, films and mystical philosophy. While studying at the Liverpool College of Art, Stuart met with. The two soon became close friends and often spent their entire lives together. free time. Lennon wrote poems and stories that captivated Stuart. In turn, John was struck by Sutcliffe's intellect, deep knowledge in various fields of art. There was even a period when they rented a house together. Stewart attended the band's rehearsals, but he couldn't really play anything himself. John really wanted to best friend joined the band and played bass guitar. But the tool for students was an unaffordable luxury.

Various sources mention the incident of a fight in different ways, in which Stuart and John were beaten by hooligans. This is understandable, because the witnesses of those events have long been dead and this episode cannot be restored to the smallest detail. However, there is a fact of a fight, during which Stewart received a head injury. It is believed that this case later became fatal for him.

Sutcliffe was the top student in the class, his paintings aroused some interest. In the winter of 1960, at one of the prestigious exhibitions organized by John Moore (John Moore), Sutcliffe's painting was bought. In fact, the owner of the exposition, Mr. Moore, after the exposition closed, bought this canvas for 65 pounds sterling. turned up Lucky case and Lennon's perseverance led to Stewart buying himself a bass guitar and joining the band.

The ensemble began to participate in various competitions of youth groups. However, Stewart did not really know how to play his guitar. Often he stood with his back to the audience, imitating the game. When the organizers of the competitions approached the band with a request to replace Stewart on stage with another musician, John reacted sharply to these proposals with a phrase like - or we play at full strength together, or we all leave.

There is an opinion that it was Stuart who suggested renaming the ensemble to The Beetles (Beetles), and John replaced one of the letters “e” with “a” in the name. Only a few home rehearsal recordings of the band featuring Stuart Sutcliffe, made at home, have survived to this day. There are no professional recordings with him.

Soon Stuart Sutcliffe, as a full member of the Beatles, went with the group on their first foreign tour. On August 17, 1960, the Beatles took to the stage of the Hamburg club Indra in the following line-up: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Stuart Sutcliffe,. The group played in this club for a short time. On October 4, after complaints about loud noise from residents of apartments located above the club, the Beatles moved to perform at another nearby club - Kaiserkeller (Kaiserkeller).

Once, Klaus Voormann, a student at the local art college, wandered into the Kaiserkeller. Seeing the Beatles on stage, he was simply fascinated by them. A few days later, Klaus reappeared at the club, but with his college friends Jürgen Vollmer and Astrid Kirchherr. Klaus's friends also liked the reckless Beatles, fervently beating the rhythms of rock and roll, from which no one could sit at their tables. Over time, the trinity met the musicians, and a very warm relationship developed between Astrid and Stuart. They both had a lot in common in their outlook on life, they loved french impressionists were fascinated by the occult. Gradually, a close relationship grew into love.

Jurgen and Astrid trained as photographers. It is thanks to these people that today we have those unique photos, which have preserved for us the atmosphere of the very first steps to fame of the then unknown Beatles.

In December 1960, when the Beatles returned to their homeland, Stewart stayed in Hamburg with Astrid. He was again drawn to the fine arts. The group began to realize that they were "losing" the bassist and Paul McCartney at that time for the first time took up the bass guitar.

On their second trip to Hamburg in the spring of 1961, the Beatles began playing at the prestigious Top Ten club on the Reeperbahn. Stewart was still uselessly present on stage and from this the tension in the group only escalated. He continued to play in the group only due to the fact that he was a close friend of John, who, by seniority, was in charge. After completing a 3-month contract, the Beatles went home. At Christmas 1961, Stewart came home with Astrid to introduce his bride to his family. They were going to get married in the summer of 1962 after Stewart graduated from art college. At this time, Stewart began to increase dizziness and severe headaches. Obviously, the consequences of a head injury received during a long-standing fight affected.

A close friend of the Beatles, Horst Fascher, invited the Beatles back to Hamburg for the opening of a new establishment called the Star Club, which was to take place on April 13, 1962.

Literally a day before the arrival of the Beatles in Hamburg, Stewart had another attack. On April 10, 1962, Stuart Sutcliffe died literally in the arms of his fiancée Astrid from a cerebral hemorrhage.
The Beatles learned about tragic death friend immediately upon arrival in Hamburg from Astrid. Stuart was buried in his homeland.

Despite the fact that many reference materials the name of Stuart Sutcliffe is undeservedly silent about the history of the Beatles ensemble, he nevertheless stayed in the group for more than 2 years and was its full member. Members of the ensemble honored his memory in 1967 by placing Stewart's photograph in a collage of celebrities on the front cover of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band LP. In 1995, another photograph of him was featured on the cover of The Beatles' Anthology.

"The Fifth Beatle" Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe was born in Edinburgh on June 23, 1940. His father, Charles (Charles), was a sailor. His mother, Millie, is a teacher. And he had two younger sisters, Joyce and Pauline.

When the family moved to the Merseyside area and settled at 37 Aigburth Drive, Stewart went to high school Prescot (Prescot Grammar School), and later entered the Liverpool College of Art (Liverpool College of Art). He immediately showed a talent that impressed both teachers and other students. Some teachers thought he was the most outstanding artist who graduated from this college. He became friends with Bill Harry (Bill Harry), although he studied at a different course. Among his friends were also John Lennon and Rod Murray (Rod Murray). They spent a lot of time together, relaxing in the local Ye Cracke pub or in the student hostel.

Stewart and Bill talked about literature, art, films and mystical philosophy. These same conversations continued at Ye Cracke with John and Ron. The College of Art and the Liverpool Institute were housed in the same building. Paul McCartney and George Harrison went to college. At recess, they met at the cafeteria or rehearsed in the hostel. John saw that the band needed a bass player and offered Stewart or Ron a job if either of them bought a bass guitar. Stuart's painting was presented at the John Moore exhibition, and the millionaire Moore bought it himself. Stewart used the proceeds to buy a Hoffner President guitar. But he couldn't play it. Another college student, David May, offered to teach him how to play "C'mon Everybody" if he would let him measure the guitar so he could make one himself.

The group performed at Saturday dances and became known as the Art College Band. They didn't have the money to buy amplifiers. Stewart and Bill were members of the Students' Union Committee, which they used to raise funds to buy an amplifier that the band could use at college dances and other shows. Stewart joined John's band. Although they became close friends, John treated Stewart at times with cruel sarcasm, not taking his participation in the ensemble seriously. John put it this way: "We said that Stewart could sit next to us, or eat with us. We told him he had to leave, and he did." John and Paul made fun of Stewart on stage while he was in their band.

It was obvious that Stewart would never be as good a musician as he was a good artist. However, he brought style to the group. He had artistic taste which appeared in his appearance. Stewart did not contribute to the band's music. His only number was the lead vocal on Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender" ( Elvis Presley). Imeeno Stewart suggested calling the band the Beetles. And John replaced one of the "e" with "a". It was said that Stewart came up with such a name by analogy with the group Crickets (Crickets) singing along with Buddy Holly (Buddy Holly).

The group went to Germany. But Stewart's participation was coming to an end. Paul wanted him to leave the band. Then he himself would take the bass guitar. This confrontation led to a real brawl on the Top Ten Club stage, which left the audience enthralled as they thought it was part of the show. Astrid Kirchherr, a Hamburg student, fell in love with Stuart. In December 1960, the Beatles returned to Liverpool, while Stewart remained in Hamburg. Paul started playing bass guitar. Stewart took up art again.

Around this time, his mother, Millie Sutcliffe, began telling friends that she was worried about her son's health. He developed terrible headaches and fainting after an unfortunate fall down the stairs in Astrid's house. For Christmas in 1961, he came to Liverpool with Astrid. Friends noticed how sickly he looked.

The steward announced that he intended to marry Astrid in June 1962, when he graduated from college. While attending classes, he continued to suffer from headaches. In February 1962 he underwent a medical examination. He even had temporary blindness, but the doctors did not find any abnormalities, so he was simply prescribed painkillers. On April 10, 1962, Astrid found Stuart unconscious and called an ambulance. On the way to the hospital, Stuart died in her arms. He was 21, she was 23. Astrid sent two telegrams to his mother. The first is "My Stuart is dying." The second is "My Stuart is dead." The second came before the first. The father learned of his son's death only three weeks later, because he was on a voyage to South America.

The official cause of death was given as "cerebral palsy as a result of hemorrhage in right hemisphere brain". Astrid met with the Beatles the next day to tell them the terrible news. John burst into hysterical laughter. "It was his way of avoiding the perception of the truth," Astrid said about it. Millie buried her son in Liverpool. She arranged an exhibition of his work in 1964. Interest in him faded, there were not many visitors.25 years after his death, interest resumed, prices for his works rose at auctions.

The Beatles chose Stewart as one of the figures on the cover of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

In the early 1990s, at an auction in New York that sold items belonging to the legendary Beatles and the archives of photographer Astrid Kirchherr, a huge sum was paid by an anonymous buyer for a letter to Stuart Sutcliffe from John Lennon and oil paintings by Stuart Sutcliffe. No matter how great the loss of this artist for visual arts When the name Sutcliffe is mentioned, the time when he was the "fifth" Beatle is considered the main episode of his life.

Family

Stuart grew up in a close-knit family of naval officer Charles and school teacher Millie, surrounded by sisters Polina and Joyce. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on June 26, 1940.

The makings of an artist manifested themselves in a boy in early age. He could not imagine himself without painting, and after graduating from school in Preston he entered the Liverpool Art College. It was in college that he had a fateful acquaintance with John Lennon. And in the same college there were connoisseurs of his talent as an artist.

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Stuart Sutcliffe did not even think about a career as a musician. Stu was already a recognized talent, unlike John Lennon, who toiled and dreamed of fame as a musician. The intelligent, open-minded Stuart and the bully John became close friends and even shared a room at one time. Stuart Sutcliffe, according to classmates, was obsessed with painting. Wherever possible, he makes sketches, the whole room was littered with his sketches. Reckless John did not understand this and sought to captivate his friend with his musical projects.

The decisive factor was the purchase of a bass guitar for the first fee from the sale of Stewart's painting. There are only four strings in the bass, John said, there is nothing to be able to play there. And so it happened - Stuart Sutcliffe became just an appendix, and a beautiful one, to the chic Hofner-President bass guitar. So he became the bassist of the first composition of the legendary Liverpool band and was from 1959 to 1961.

Gifted Artist

Back in college as part of an exhibition of work famous artist John Moores at the prestigious Walker Gallery in Liverpool, Sutcliffe's "Summer Painting" was bought for crazy money - 65 pounds. By the way, Mures himself bought it, and it was an amount equal to almost two months' salary of a worker.

The early works of the artist are made in the style of post-war Britain "Angry Young People" ("Angry Young Men"). The background was chosen gloomy, the gothic direction is clearly visible, and rough strokes, like those of Van Gogh, give the canvases not sophistication, but inner strength.

After meeting in June 1961 with Astrid Kirchherr and Stew's decision to leave music and devote himself entirely to painting, he enters the Hamburg Art College of Art, where he becomes the best student. At this time, his work acquires a touch of impressionism. Abstract forms give way to lyrical motifs, they express their love for Astrid Stuart Sutcliffe. Paintings "Self-portrait" and "Crucifixion" replenish Walker's gallery.

Throughout his life he explores abstraction, expressionists. Numerous drawings and paintings confirm the birth of a talent whose name is Stuart Sutcliffe. The growth of his skill was noted by his teachers, such as Paolisi and the idol of Stew and Lennon Bretby (the one who would later paint a portrait of Paul McCartney surrounded by celebrities). Stuart's paintings acquire dynamism and retain mystery.

His paintings have no titles, he paints many portraits. All of Stuart's portraits look like sketches, but they open the soul, clearly convey facial features.

At the very time when Stuart Sutcliffe is about to marry his beloved Astrid, and his talent is being recognized, he suddenly dies. Thus ends the career of a talented twenty-two-year-old boy who could become a highly paid and famous artist.

Stuart Sutcliffe cause of death

He died of a cerebral hemorrhage on April 10, 1962 at his bride's in Hamburg. His for a long time suffered from headaches. Many associated their appearance with a fight in 1960 in Literland. John Lennon, not embarrassed in terms, explained to drunken listeners what he thinks about the remarks about the group's repertoire. Following this, bottles flew onto the stage, a fight ensued. Result: John Lennon had both eyes blackened, Pete Best and George Harrison had their noses smashed, and Stewart had a couple of beer bottles smashed on his head. But that wasn't the only brawl while Stuart Sutcliffe was still a member.

Later, many years later, Stewart's mother tried to start an investigation, but it came to nothing.

Afterword

After Stuart's death, Astrid and John became very close friends. This is not surprising - the bitterness of the loss of a person so beloved by them brought together not very loving friend friend of people. They were brought together by Sutcliff Stewart. Artist before last day wrote touching letters to John, accompanied them with cartoons and drawings, and signed them in the name of Jesus Christ. John responded by signing letters on behalf of John the Baptist. Astrid Kirchherr is an outstanding photo artist, she is now 74 years old. She was married twice, but Sutcliffe considers her only lover.

Legacy of a short life

The collection of paintings and drawings of the artist is preserved by his sisters. It presents original paintings, sketches and drawings, as well as photographs by Astrid Kirchherr, his first guitar (given to Paul McCartney), and letters written to John Lennon. Exhibitions of the collection were held in different countries. In 2008, Astrid brought part of the collection to Moscow and Russian admirers of the Liverpool Four could see it.

The Beatles honored Stew's memory by placing his photograph on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967) and "Anthology 1" (1995).

ABOUT love triangle Astrid - John - Stewart made the film "Backbeat" (1993). Director Ian Softley, famous for his progressive style, made the film biographical, taking the period of the band's life in Hamburg. "Five guys, four legends, three lovers, two friends and one girl" - this slogan accompanied the film and in Russian box office(in Russia at the box office was called "The Fifth in the Quartet").

Official biographer bands The Beatles Hunter Davis writes about the death of Stuart Sutcliffe: "The most talented of The Beatles has died." We can't judge how talented Stew was as a bass player, the recordings are only on unofficial archival records. But what the world has lost talented artist, no doubt.