Moray Beatles fans set the record straight
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TWO avid local Beatles fans are working to ensure that a visionary Moray promoter is not written out of his rightful place in music history.
Albert Bonici was an energetic music promoter and self-made man of Italian descent who ran The Park Cafe and the legendary Two Red Shoes dance club in Elgin. He had a keen nose for the next big thing.
Bonici is known as the man who had the foresight to sign up The Beatles in late 1962 for a small Scottish tour in January 1963. Importantly he had a clause inserted into the contract to promote any subsequent tours of Scotland.
So – at the height of Beatlemania – Bonici went on to promote two further tours in late 1963 and 1964 in the Central Belt.
Although this was Bonici's biggest coup, it was also just one important instance of his passionate commitment to "bringing something special" to the local community. He brought many stars of 1960s music to Elgin, including Dusty Springfield, The Kinks, The Who, Pink Floyd and Cream, and also promoted the Rolling Stones Scottish tour.
This year would have been Bonici's 100th birthday and the 60th anniversary of the Two Red Shoes, as well as the 50th year since The Beatles' break-up, prompting a flurry of nostalgic press features.
However, in one recent article about the Central Belt tours, another promoter entirely was given the credit.
Mark Aldridge – part of a committee organising an Elgin tribute gig for Bonici led by local Beatles devotee and Scotbeat blog writer David Dills – took corrective action to ensure Bonici was put back in place as the main man.
The article, which appeared in a Dundee newspaper last week, had credited 20-year-old promoter Andi Lothian for The Beatles tours, who was in reality a sidekick hired by Bonici. Mark, a council administrator from Elgin, wrote to the paper to clarify this and another article was written – reclaiming Bonici's rightful place in history.
Mark said: "I reckon Albert deserves at least a radio documentary as he was so ahead of his time.
"His is a great story of imagination and foresight, especially being up here in the north-east.
"Although The Beatles' foremost biographer, Mark Lewisohm, has written about Albert's role in all of this, Albert does tend to be sidelined as a result of Andi Lothian's stories, including two recent Scottish TV shows last year on STV and the BBC."
He added: "When Albert signed the original deal for The Beatles they were just another band – there was nothing to indicate they would go on to become the massive phenomenon they were.
"The Silver Beetles, featuring John, Paul and George, had been up here earlier in 1960 as a backing band for Johnny Gentle, playing Keith, Forres, Nairn, Peterhead and Fraserburgh, but they were not known at all and just teenagers."
He added: "When Albert became involved, The Beatles were just about to release their first single, Love Me Do, in October 1962, which would be a moderate UK chart hit at number 17 and still unknown."
The tribute gig Bonici, The Band – The Two Red Shoes Story had been planned for July 18 at Elgin Town Hall, featuring original local bands from the era including The Copycats, Windy Miller, Apaches, The Diamonds, the Two Red Shoes Band and Ian Fraser. It will be rescheduled when the coronavirus situation becomes clearer.
The concert idea was the culmination of David’s years of work in researching Bonici and his contribution to Moray through his Scotbeat blog.
Mark said: "David's Scotbeat blog and the gig is all to try and ensure Bonici is recognised for what he achieved and his part in The Beatles story and Scotland's music scene."
A planned double exhibition by David on Albert Bonici and the Two Red Shoes, due to start in March at Elgin Museum, has also been put on hold due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
David said: "Albert loved jazz and appreciated various forms of popular music and dance. Besides being a visionary, he was a successful promoter because he listened and cared about the musicians and the young music fans he served.
"There were lots of promoters just out for the money. Albert was indeed a businessman but he was also a very charitable man. He really wanted to bring something special to the community."
He added: "I've had so many people come up to me over the years to say what a special guy he was.
"A hundred years later people still remember what he did in this community – he generated a lot of happy memories."
David's music blog can be read at https://scotbeat.wordpress.com/.
