The WannaBeatles to Celebrate Nashville Beatles Day with Jan. 30 Performance

            NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 2017) – The Grammy-nominated Nashville band The WannaBeatles will attempt to relive history on Jan. 30 (Monday) when they perform in the second floor lounge of Soulshine Pizza in Nashville to celebrate the 48th anniversary of The Beatles' legendary rooftop performance in London. 

            Like their idols, The WannaBeatles will take the stage at exactly 12 noon, performing songs The Beatles played live that day: "Get Back," "Don't Let Me Down," "I've Got A Feeling," "One After 909," and "Dig A Pony," as well as some of their other hits. Former Mayor Karl Dean and the Metro Council named Jan. 30 Nashville Beatles Day in 2009. 

          Admission to The WannaBeatles' "A Cold Day's Night" concert is free. Beatles fans can enjoy the concert inside the club. The Beatles' 42-minute show occurred at noon Jan. 30, 1969 on the fifth-floor roof of Apple Records' London headquarters. The performance has passed into history as the band's last live appearance. Nashville's premier oldies station, Hippie Radio, will co-sponsor the event with on-air personalities serving as hosts. Soulshine Pizza is located at 1907 Division St. near Music Row.

          The WannaBeatles earned a Grammy nomination for "Fab Fan Memories - The Beatles Bond," a CD that includes an interview with Ken Mansfield, U.S. manager of Apple Records, who was on the roof of the Apple building alongside The Beatles. 

          Fans can listen to The WannaBeatles coverage live on Hippie Radio at http://www.hippieradio945.com/events/rooftop-concert/. Members of the news media are welcome to cover the event.  For more information, contact Dennis Scott at (615) 300-4668 or dsmusic1@me.com. Learn more about the WannaBeatles at http://www.TheWannaBeatles.com.

 

The WannaBeatles to Perform on 'Huckabee' Show in New York on Feb. 1

     NASHVILLE - The WannaBeatles, the world’s only Grammy-nominated Beatles tribute band, will travel to New York City to make their national television debut when they appear on “ Huckabee” on Fox News Channel on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. ET. 

     The award-winning songwriters/musicians will help celebrate the highly anticipated and publicized 50th Anniversary of the Beatles first performance on American soil ("The Ed Sullivan Show") by playing a medley of Beatles classics as well as debuting their self-proclaimed Beatles fan anthem “Because They Were Fab.” Gov. Huckabee will sit in with The WannaBeatles on bass as the “Fifth WannaBeatle.”

     Straight from their first national television performance, the high energy musical tribute band will make their Big Apple debut, bringing their uniquely energetic live show of Beatles classics and their own original Beatle-esque songs to New York City’s famed The Cutting Room (44 E. 32nd St.). For tickets ($15 advance / $20 at door) click HERE or go to the venue's website at http://tickets.thecuttingroomnyc.com or call (212) 691-1900.

     The WannaBeatles, who use their multi-instrumental skills to recreate the sights and sounds associated with BeatleMania, will be headlining Nashville’s own gala celebration of the Beatles 50th Anniversary on Feb. 9 at Barlines in the new Omni Hotel in downtown Nashville. The special celebration is from 5 -9 p.m. and free and open to the public. The event is sponsored by Nashville’s own WHPY 94.5 (Hippie Radio). A live webcast of the concert begins at 7 p.m. CT on HippieRadio945.com. The WannaBeatles will recreate moments from "The Ed Sullivan Show" with their unique live-to-film sequence. Footage from "The Ed Sullivan Show" will be shown, and a menu consisting of Liverpool flavored dishes will be available.

     Hippie Radio has added "In '63", their nostalgic original song that depicts the times in which the Beatles got their start, to their playlist.

     In 2012, The WannaBeatles (Dennis Scott, David Toledo, Nathan Burbank, Bryan Cumming) were nominated for a Grammy (Spoken Word category) for their album "Fab Fan Memories - The Beatles Bond". Louise Harrison (George’s big sister) hosts over an hour of interviews and commentary in this unique forum of Beatles fans from across the globe. Featuring guest appearances by Janis Ian, Phil Keaggy, Nancy Lee Andrews, Melissa Manchester, Ken Mansfield, Alan Menken, Wesley Orbison, Bruce Spizer, Billy Swan and devoted fans.

     Learn more about The WannaBeatles at http://www.TheWannaBeatles.com .

The WannaBeatles Featured on 'From Me To You' Beatles Tribute Video

By Chuck Whiting

MCAU Editor

          NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The WannaBeatles of Nashville, Tenn., have joined forces with 19 fellow Beatles tribute bands from around the world to help create a "global relay video" of performances celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the release of the Fab Four's first hit, "From Me to You".

            The Grammy-nominated band (Nathan Burbank, Bryan Cumming, Dennis Scott, and David Toledo) holds the distinction of being one of only three U.S. acts to participate in the worldwide effort.

            Liverpool’s award-winning The Beatles Story attraction, in conjunction with the world-famous Cavern Club, has compiled a music video that features musicians from the United Kingdom, Hungary, Brazil, Japan, Slovakia, Switzerland, Canada, France, Spain, Australia, Israel, Argentina and the United States. Each band was asked to record part of the classic "From Me To You". The performances were later edited into a video collage lasting three minutes and 24 seconds. The video can be viewed at http://youtu.be/PowillF6CGA.

            Performances begin and end at Liverpool’s world-famous Cavern club, where the Beatles’ career began. The single "From Me To You", which was released in the United Kingdom on April 11, 1963 (May 27 in America), was co-written by Lennon and McCartney while the group was touring the UK with Helen Shapiro. Also appearing in the video are the New England acts All Together Now! and Union Jack.

            "The WannaBeatles and I are proud to represent Nashville and the USA in this worldwide celebration," said Scott, a singer and guitarist for the group. "The Beatles gave us 'From Me To You', and this global effort is a great way of saying thanks 'from us to them'."

            The "From Me To You" video is part of the official events program of "Liverpool Celebrates 50 Years of the Beatles". Various events through 2014 will celebrate key milestone dates in the history of the world's most famous band.

            The WannaBeatles, themselves, are no stranger to world recognition. They had the honor of walking the Grammy Red Carpet in 2012 for their spoken word album, “Fab Fan Memories – The Beatles Bond.” The Grammy-nominated recording featured Louise Harrison, George Harrison’s big sister. After losing the award to the invincible Betty White, the band decided to honor the star with a new song and video, "Oh Betty!" It features The WannaBeatles as a '60s-style singing quartet (with a little help from a sweet Betty White look-alike). That video is available for viewing at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_9TG-qwgKU.

            "It's no secret that the Beatles were influenced by the sounds coming out of Nashville," said Toledo, drummer/percussionist for the WannaBeatles. "We are so glad to live in a town whose songwriters and players are Beatles fans through and through."

            To find out more about the "From Me To You" world tribute to the Beatles video and The WannaBeatles, visit http://wwwTheWannaBeatles.com or send an e-mail inquiry to dsmusic1@me.com .

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The WannaBeatles to Honor Betty White with Song and Video

            NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 2012) – The WannaBeatles didn't win a Grammy for their CD "Fab Fan Memories -- The Beatles Bond", but they still love Betty White.

            To prove that, the Nashville band plans to release a song and video honoring the ever-popular 90-year-old actress (the one who beat them out for a Grammy in the "Best Spoken Word Album" category).

            The fun-filled "Oh Betty (The Betty White Song)" will be released this fall to pay tribute to the wisecracking lady who has brought laughter to billions of fans around the world. A video of the song featuring a Betty White look-alike and dozens of silver-haired wannabes will be shot on Aug. 9 at the Palace Theater in Gallatin, Tenn., near Nashville.

            "We're taking the Betty White craze to a new level," said WannaBeatles guitarist/trumpeter Bryan Cumming. "This is the first time a tribute song has been written and recorded for the actress. Our song is a fun little love letter put to music."

            The WannaBeatles worked hard to craft a song that exudes the true spirit of what Betty White is all about.  The toe-tapping, hook-driven tune is reminiscent of clever, song-along hits from the 1950s and '60s.  The star said she was "very flattered" after listening to the song.

            The Beatles tribute band has launched a "Calling All Bettys!" contest in an effort to find the best Betty White look-alike.  The first-place winner will take center stage in the "Oh Betty" video at the Palace Theater in Gallatin, receive a cash prize, and enjoy a complimentary dinner for two at The Whippoorwill. Contest runners-up will be invited to fill the venue with a sea of Bettys.  To enter the competition, individuals should send two photos (one close-up and one full-length) of themselves dressed in the most creative Betty attire to dsmusic1@me.com.  All entries must be received by July 16.  To learn more about the contest and hear a clip of the song, visit http://www.thewannabeatles.com/betty.htm.

            "Although we lost, there's a wonderful Grammy connection between The WannaBeatles and Betty White," said WannaBeatles singer-guitarist Dennis Scott.  "The WannaBeatles hold the unique honor of being the only group to lose a Grammy to the beloved star.  But now during the 50th anniversary of the Beatles, we have the opportunity to be part of a new craze -- BettyMania!"

            The WannaBeatles (Bryan Cumming, Nathan Burbank, Dennis Scott and David Toledo) received their first Grammy nomination in December as the producers of "Fab Fan Memories - The Beatles Bond", a CD featuring songs, stories, recollections and fond thoughts about The Beatles from celebrities and everyday fans.  The project was nominated in the "Best Spoken Word Album" category.  The other nominees included Tina Fey, Betty White, and Val Kilmer. The audio book features narration by George Harrison's older sister, Louise Harrison, with performances by The Liverpool Legends of Branson, Mo., and The WannaBeatles in Music City.

            The WannaBeatles performed original Beatles-flavored songs on the CD. Heartfelt and amusing introspections were provided by fans, including special guests such as Nancy Lee Andrews, Janis Ian, Phil Keaggy, Melissa Manchester, Ken Mansfield, Alan Menken, Wesley Orbison, Bruce Spizer, Billy Swan, and Rod Davis of The Quarrymen.

            Shortly after earning a Grammy nomination, The WannaBeatles launched a spirited campaign to meet Sir Paul McCartney at the awards show in Hollywood on Feb. 12.  The campaign included the release of a new song and video, "We Wanna Meet Paul".

            "Although we didn't get to meet Paul at the Grammy's, we haven't given up," said WannaBeatles percussionist David Toledo. "Betty and Beatles are an unbeatable combination.  Maybe Betty can make the introduction for us.  It ain't over till the funny lady sings!"           

           To learn more about The WannaBeatles or "Oh Betty! (The Betty White Song)", visit http://www.TheWannaBeatles.com or send an email inquiry to dsmusic1@me.com.