A newly discovered letter written by Paul McCartney suggests an unknown drummer may have missed out on a chance to join the Beatles before their Hamburg tour.
Christie's will auction a handwritten letter that surfaced earlier this year folded inside a book at a Liverpool swap meet. The letter purportedly was written by Paul McCartney in Aug. 12, 1960, three days before the band was due to depart for its first tour of Hamburg, Britain's The Sunday Telegraph reported.
The band, lacking a drummer, consisted of McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Stuart Sutcliffe at the time, UPI.com reported.
On Aug. 8 an ad had appeared in a local paper, the Liverpool Echo: "Drummer - Young - Free."
An 18-year-old McCartney responded to the ad in the Aug. 12 letter to be auctioned, "Dear Sir, In reply to your advertisement [sic] in Echo, Wed. night, we would like to offer you an audition for the position of drummer in the group.
"You will, however, need to be free soon for a trip to Hamburg (expenses paid $28 per week [approx.] for 2 months.) If interested, ring Jacaranda club, Slater St. [ROYAL 65'44] and ask for either a member of the 'BEATLES' Alan Williams [sic], or else leave a message, stating when you will be available. Yours sincerely Paul McCartney of THE BEATLES."
