By Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta
Scotch Plains resident and Liverpool native Paul Groom recently spoke to a full room at Scotch Plains Library about “The Beatles: the ‘Beaginnings.’” For anyone who wanted to know about the Beatles before they became world-famous, this talk provided an insightful timeline. Groom presented the story of their rise from obscurity to international stardom from his unique perspective. Groom attended the same high school as Paul McCartney and George Harrison; the same Sunday school as John Lennon; he belonged to the youth club where Lennon met McCartney, and he lived in the same village as Harrison and Lennon.
“I come from Liverpool, and over a lifetime I’ve absorbed a lot of information,” said Groom, in his charming Liverpool accent.
The almost two-hour program included song clips from the rock ‘n’ roll group formed by John Lennon, The Quarrymen which eventually evolved into the Beatles; and a family tree of the members’ backgrounds and social statuses. Groom also invited the audience to write their favorite Beatles songs on the paper roll of an easel.
To hear about other Scotch Plains Library events, visit scotlib.org, or call 908-322-5007.
Photos by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta
(above) Scotch Plains resident, and Liverpool native, Paul Groom.
(above) There are many books available on The Beatles at the Scotch Plains Library!
(above) Beatle fans listed their favorite Beatles songs at library presentation.
