Pete Best first met The Beatles in The Casbah Coffee Club, shortly after that he was their drummer. Pete played with the band many times around Liverpool, the United Kingdom and Hamburg but was eventually replaced by Ringo Starr.
Now aged 73 Pete Best is still performing internationally with his band The Pete Best Band and him and his family are still owners of The Casbah Coffee Club, the place where he met John, Paul and George all those years ago.
Beat: Pete is a huge part of The Beatles' story
We inivited Pete Best to play with his band at our 25th anniversary celebrations and we were able to interview him half an hour before he took to the Beatles Story's replica Cavern Club stage.
"How often do you play drums Pete?"
"Still once a day, sometimes at home sometimes at The Cas'."
"You spend a lot of time at The Casbah Coffee Club, do you still feel the magic?"
"Yes, it really is a special place. If it hadn't been for The Casbah The Beatles may not have happened."
"How important do you think the 'Best' family name is in the continuing success of The Casbah?"
"The Best family name has always been associated with The Casbah. The fact that after all this time the best family name continues to be assosiated with the venue gives the place an authenticity and legacy that money can't buy."
"You first met John Lennon at The Casbah, what is your favourite memory of John?"
"There are so many to choose from, I'm trying but it's hard to pick one. They were just great times.
"You probably spent some of your greatest times with John, Paul and George in Hamburg. If you could relive one day from your time there, what day would that be?"
"There would be many days I would like to relive but it would have to be the recording of My Bonnie with Tony Sheridan. Recording that opened up so many doors and presented so many opportunities for us."
"My Bonnie was one of the first times that The Beatles appeared on a record. Can you remember the first record that you bought?"
"We all had similar tastes in the band it seemed. I don't remember the first album I bought but the first record I bought was Hound Dog by Elvis Presley."
"Are you still listening to Elvis? What music do you listen to nowadays?"
"Of course, everybody listens to Elvis now and then. I'm really into anything and everything."
"What tracks will you be playing tonight? Any Elvis, Pete?"
"We don't decide our set-list until we're getting ready. I'll sit down with the band after this and we'll decide what show to do."
"How did you go about constructing The Pete Best Band?"
"Brick by brick. Each of us are well-known musicians, and all of us have a passion for playing music."
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