Peter Shotton
| Pete Shotton | |
|---|---|
| Born |
4 August 1941 (age 75) Liverpool, England |
| Residence | Knutsford, |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | Pete Shotton |
| Education |
Dovedale Infants School Quarry Bank Grammar School |
| Occupation | Businessman, author |
| Known for | Being a childhood friend of John Lennon Being the entrepreneur and founder of Fatty Arbuckle restaurants |
Peter Shotton (born 4 August 1941), commonly referred to as Pete Shotton, is an English businessman and former washboard player. He is known for his long friendship with John Lennon of The Beatles. He was a member of The Quarrymen, the precursor of the Beatles, and remained close to the group during their career.
He built an independent career as a restaurant manager, eventually founding the Fatty Arbuckle's chain of restaurants.
Shotton was a close childhood friend of Lennon's, and attended Dovedale Infants School and Quarry Bank Grammar School at the same time as the future Beatle. The two boys were frequently in trouble with their teachers and with their headmaster, and they came to be known at Quarry Bank as "Shennon and Lotton" or "Lotton and Shennon."
In 1957, Shotton was Lennon's bandmate in The Quarrymen, playing percussion (specifically, a washboard), until Paul McCartney joined. He was "fired" from the band when, after confiding that he really did not enjoy playing, Lennon smashed the washboard over his head at a party. However, he remained a friend and confidant – as he became friends with all of the Beatles as the group formed.
Shotton regularly visited Lennon's house (Kenwood) on weekends to keep Lennon company, leaving his wife and young son at home, or to escort Cynthia Lennon for a night out when her husband was busy with band matters or songwriting.
Shotton had a minor, but uncredited, role in the Beatles' songs: he was occasionally invited to observe them recording at Abbey Road Studios, and played percussion (maracas, tambourine) on a few records. Shotton also helped Lennon with the lyrics to "I Am the Walrus" (remembering a nonsense rhyme they had loved as boys) and McCartney with the storyline of "Eleanor Rigby" (he suggested that the two lonely people in the song meet, but too late). Shotton also recalls Lennon squinting at the words of a Victorian-era poster for Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal that hung in Lennon's music room at Kenwood while he worked out the tune for "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!". According to writer Stan Williams, Shotton's wife Beth is the "pretty nurse" selling poppies mentioned in the lyrics of "Penny Lane".
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