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- Peter Rhodes
World listening in to Pete’s Beatles show
Friday 18th September 2009, 11:25AM BST.
A West Midlands Beatles fanatic is entertaining listeners around the world with his own radio show dedicated to the Fab Four.
Pete Dicks of Brownhills started BeatlesandBeyond 10 years ago, recording in a makeshift studio in his cellar. Now it has been picked up by radio stations and played as far afield as New Zealand, Dubai, Australia and India. The 56-year-old said: “The dream is for it to become a career and everything is in place for that to happen, I just need a partner to help get it off the ground.”
The married father-of-one said: “I was only really interested in classical music until 1967 when I heard the Sgt Pepper’s album which blended pop and classical.
“The remit of BeatlesandBeyond is to inform, entertain and educate the listener about the amazing effect that four guys from Liverpool had on the world.”
Since launching in 1999 BeatlesandBeyond has been played on numerous stations and led self-employed Mr Dicks to meet Yoko Ono, ex-Beatles drummer Pete Best and be friends with Julia Baird – Lennon’s half sister. It is recorded on a computer before being sent to radio stations via MP3 files and broadcast on the airwaves and internet.
Wife Janet said: “He works really hard on it and has interviewed some very famous people. He often disappears to the cellar to record the show and I will take him down a cup of tea.”
The show cannot play more than three Beatles tracks in a row by law so BeatlesandBeyond is made up of anything and everything to do with the legends.
Mr Dicks said: “If it is connected to The Beatles in any way then I will use it.”
It includes solo works of John, Paul, George and Ringo as well as cover versions of their songs; Apple, Dark Horse and Ringo Records label records; tribute bands, interviews and more.ÊThe show has been recommended by Liverpool’s Beatles Story Experience. The show’s website is www.beatlesandbeyond.com
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I just saw the link to this article via Pete’s Facebook page, and I simply had to respond to it. In 2005, I had just recorded and self-released my first Beatles related song, “Walking On Abbey Road”, and put it out on the internet for whomever might find it of interest. A few weeks later, I received an email from Pete Dicks 0f BeatlesandBeyond asking for a CD of the track so that it could be played on his show. Needless to say, I sent him the CD and he so generously put it on his show shortly thereafter.
Since that time, I’ve recorded and released five albums of original Beatles-inspired music, with number six well under way, and Pete has been there every step of the way for me, playing many of my songs on the show. I am so grateful for the loyalty and integrity that I’ve found in Pete; he is indeed a rare gem of a man in the world of music. He is adored and admired by his listeners and contributing artists who find in him a shining beacon of light through his commitment to The Beatles, his tireless drive to bring as much of the world of The Beatles to everyone as possible, and his support of other Beatles-influenced artists, myself included.
I can never thank Pete enough for his kindness, generosity, and loyalty to me, other than to offer him mine in return, which I’ve tried my best to do for the past five years.
If you haven’t spent some time listening to BeatlesandBeyond, you must. The show is available on many stations and in a wide variety of time slots, so you’ve got no excuse for not tuning in. Believe me, you will find yourself drawn in to the wonderful Beatle world which Pete works so diligently to create.
Mike Ringler
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