Stuart Sutcliffe
Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe ( born June 23, 1940 in Edinburgh, Scotland, † April 10, 1962 in Hamburg) was briefly a member of the Beatles and painter whose style was based on abstract expressionism. He was of those who are called Fifth Beatle, the only " real " fifth member of the band playing.
The Beatles
Even if Sutcliffe had early piano lessons and could play some guitar, he was never a talented musician. He joined the band in because of his friendship with John Lennon, whom he had met at the Liverpool "College of Art". Lennon moved him to a portion of the money he had earned by selling one of his paintings at an exhibition by John Moores in Liverpool, / to buy a bass guitar of the type Höfner 500 5.
Sutcliffe felt because of its limited musical skills are not very comfortable on the stage. Its highest point at every performance was the song Love Me Tender to sing. He left the Beatles in May in 1961 before their breakthrough. Even in the recordings with Tony Sheridan ( My Bonnie etc. ) in June 1961, he was no longer there. Paul McCartney, initially one of three guitarists took over from Sutcliffe on bass. Klaus Voormann, a friend of the band and later CoverDesigner the album Revolver, acquired Sutcliffe instrument with the intention to join the band itself. This, however failed in mind that even McCartney had already bought a bass guitar.
So the Beatles from March 1960 ( ex. Moondogs ) until May 1961 were actually once of five band members. After the departure Sutcliffe they were - including a last replaceability 1962 ( Pete Best with Ringo Starr ) - always remained four Beatles until its dissolution in 1970.
Sutcliffe decided to stay in Hamburg with his girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr, and focused henceforth on his studies, for which he was supported by the senate of Hamburg with a small stipend. Shortly before his death he even stepped on a few times in Hamburg with the Hamburg-based band " The Bats ".
Sutcliffe's importance to the Beatles lay less in his musical talent as in his personality. He was the first who carried the typical for the Beatles mushroom head hairstyle. His style, supported by his girlfriend Kirchherr, contributed much to the early " Beatles " look.
Sutcliffe's time with the Beatles and his relationship with Kirchherr and Lennon are the subject of the feature film Backbeat.
By participating in some recordings that were released on CD Anthology 1, his family received many millions of euros.
The painter
As a painter, he showed considerable talent at an early age. The few existing works show influences of both English and European abstract artists as well as those of the American movement of abstract expressionism. Its rather figurative works are strongly reminiscent of the Kitchen Sink School, and in particular to John Bratby. His later works can rather be compared to John Hoyland and Nicolas de Staël because of the more soulful style.
Death
On April 10, 1962 Sutcliffe died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital of a cerebral hemorrhage. Astrid Kirchherr was sitting next to him when he died.
Sutcliffe's younger sister Pauline in 2001 published a book of her memoirs, in which she defended the thesis, John Lennon was on the death of her brother to blame, since the two had an argument in Hamburg, is said to have kicked in the head when Lennon Sutcliffe. Other sources of lead Sutcliffe's death back to a head injury he suffered in a fight after a Beatles concert in January 1961 in Liverpool " Lathom Hall " and the Lennon and Pete Best freed him from the hands of the attacking bat. Sutcliffe was here wounded in the head, Lennon broke his little finger. Sutcliffe refused at that time from any investigation and first went to the doctor in Germany, as the headaches were unbearable. According to Kirchherr Sutcliffe suffered from a rare disease that made up his brain. This led to the pain, temporary blindness and ultimately his death. Even before his death he had collapsed several times.