In June 1964, the Beatles were to tour Scandanavia, Holland, the Far East and Australia. On June 3, the day before the tour, Ringo collapsed at an early morning photo session for the Saturday Evening Post at a portrait studio in Barnes, London. He had a 102-degree fever and tonsilitis and was rushed to the hospital.

 

While having his tonsils out in London, he was temporarily replaced for the Denmark and Holland concert dates by shy 24-year-old session drummer Jimmy Nicol. Beatles producer George Martin suggested Jimmy because he had recently recorded at EMI with Tommy Quickly and he'd also recently become familiar with Beatles numbers while drumming on a recording session for an album called Beatlemania.

 

Jimmy Nicol started his career as a drum repairer for Boosey & Hawkes. He was briefly a member of the Swedish group, the Spotnicks, then Georgie Fame's Blue Flames, and then formed his own band, the Shubdubs.

At first, George Harrison didn't want Ringo to be replaced and refused to go on the tour without him, but Brian and George Martin convinced him. Paul thought he was okay for the tour, but that the fans would definately know the difference if he recorded with them. And Brian thought it was a good choice because he thought he "looked like a Beatle and not an outcast".

During the tour, every time one of the Beatles asked Jimmy how he was getting on, if he was liking it and was he managing okay, all he ever replied was "It's Getting Better". The others used to make fun of this, and later in 1967, it inspired Paul to do a song called It's Getting Better on the Sgt. Pepper's album.

 

	Rare pic of all 5 Beatles

This is a recording of a live Beatles concert in Holland while Jimmy was with the band. Although this is an extremely poor Beatles recording, it's a great example of Jimmy's playing, as that's what's foremost in the recording, obviously made by someone with a tape recorder in the audience.

Ringo was discharged from the hospital on June 11, and he rejoined the group in Melbourne on June 15, 1964.

For replacing Ringo on the tour, Jimmy received £500 and a gold Eternamatic watch enscribed: "From the Beatles and Brian Epstein to Jimmy -- with appreciation and gratitude."

Upon Jimmy's return, his group the Shubdubs issued the single Husky/Don't Come Back, but it failed to chart. Pictured below is another of their rare singles, Humpty Dumpty/Night Train. The Shubdubs later disbanded, after which Jimmy moved to South America. He also lived in Australia for a time.

 

 

In Their Own Words

On fitting in with the Beatles, Jimmy said:

"The boys were very kind but I felt like an intruder. They accepted me but you can't just go into a group like that -- they have their own atmosphere, their own sense of humor. It's a little clique and outsiders just can't break in."

About after the Beatles, Jimmy said:

"I had a band and Brian put us on the same bill with the Beatles and the Formost one night. Backstage, we talked, but the wind had changed since we last saw each other. They were pleasant."

[The Shubdubs played with the Beatles on July 12, 1964 at the Hippodrome Theatre in Brighton.]

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