Recording "Summertime"

From UltimateClassicRock:

Ringo Starr sat in on his first studio session with the Beatles on Oct. 15, 1960 — nearly two years before he became a member of the band.

The date, which marks the first time Starr performed with George Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, happened while the musicians were honing their chops through a series of live dates in German clubs. Starr, then employed as the drummer for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, was in the midst of a residency at the Kaiserkeller club in Hamburg — the same venue occupied by their rivals the Beatles.

The competition between the two groups didn’t stop promoter Allan Williams from uniting them for a session supporting Hurricanes member Lu Walters, whom he’d booked into the local Akoustik Studio to record three tracks: the Peggy Lee hit “Fever,” Kurt Weill’s “September Song” and George Gershwin’s “Summertime.” Williams, who also managed the Beatles, decided the latter song needed something extra, so he enlisted his clients to sit in for the Hurricanes and back Walters on the track. The Beatles’ drummer at the time, Pete Best, was in town on an errand, so Starr remained behind the kit for the recording.[…]

Session activities

1. Summertime

   Written by George Gershwin

   Recording

   Unreleased track

Staff

Musicians

Going further

• http://www.beatlesbible.com/1960/10/15/recording-summertime/