Jim Berkenstadt is Known as The Rock and Roll Detective and His New Book “The Beatle Who Vanished

Tells the story of former Beatle Jimmie Nicol. Jimmie Nicol took over for Ringo Star as the Beatles drummer for their first world tour for 13 days which led blacklisting, betrayal, drugs, divorce, bankruptcy and an eventual disappearance.

I was living in Carterton Oxforshire, England, just 75 miles northwest of London, in Febuary of 1964 when the Beatles flew from London Heathrow Airport to the United States to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show.

My father was in the United States Air Force and was stationed at Brize Norton Air Force Basef with the Strategic Air Command.

I was a little kid, only six years old, but I remember everyone in England was stricken with Beatlemania.

I remember my older sister and her 45 album collection of Beatles tunes and also that the BBC would put up a BBC logo and just play Beatles tunes on air.

My memory is not as good as it once was, but I do remember how excited everyone was that the Beatles were breaking into the American market.

I have always been a huge fan of the Beatles ever since and I jumped at the chance to interview Rock and Roll Detective and Beatles Guru Jim Berkenstadt.

I have been reading what people think of Jimmie Nicol on the web and there seems to be some controversy over whether or not Nicol should be considered a Beatle as he filled in for Ringo and got paid a flat fee, not royalties. Jim puts this question to rest in this book.

Jim is a recovering lawyer and after going over his book, which is chocked full of facts and end notes, I kinda envisioned a big nerd who only comes out of his dark Beatles research cave from time to time to give lectures or serve up tid bits of little known Beatles trivia, but I soon found that Jim was a great storyteller and was full of personality and fun.

Thanks Jim you helped me make this is a must listen to interview for any Beatle fan. – JW

Jim Berkenstadt

From Wikipedia.com

After graduating from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Science in sociology, Berkenstadt went on to get his law degree from Southern Illinois University. He passed the Illinois State Bar Examination in 1982 and the Wisconsin State Bar in 1985. In the 1980s, Berkenstadt was a litigation attorney in Chicago at Pollina & Phelan and then, after moving to Madison, Wisconsin, he continued working at the Axley Brynelson law firm.^[2] From 1987 to 2007, Berkenstadt served as vice president & general counsel at the Wisconsin Cheeseman, a gift and food manufacturing company in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

In the early 1990s, Berkenstadt began publishing articles specializing in the Beatles’ history and other rock and roll-related material, for magazines such as Goldmine (magazine), Musician, and ICE.

In 1994, Berkenstadt and co-author Belmo penned the book Black Market Beatles: The Story Behind Their Lost Recordings, aimed at fans interested in the recordings that the Beatles left in the vaults. Black Market Beatles is a part of the permanent Library and Archive Collection at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.

In September 1998, Jim and Charles Cross co-authored the book Nevermind Nirvana about the creation of the Nevermind album by Nirvana (band). It served to create the understanding behind how the album was so well received by the 90s generation of fans. Nevermind Nirvana is also a part of the permanent Library and Archive Collection at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[10]

From 1998 to 2000, Berkenstadt produced two historical albums of Big Band music that had been performed and recorded live on the rooftop of Madison’s historic Edgewater Hotel. The albums, Live at the Edgewater Jimmy Dorsey and Woody Herman, and Live at the Edgewater: Tex Beneke, Stan Kenton & Ralph Flanagan, were released on the Soundworks Label. Berkenstadt has also received an RIAA Platinum record award for his work with Garbage (band) on their album Version 2.0.

Since the late 1990s, Berkenstadt has worked on a number of projects for George Harrison, including the Martin Scorsese Emmy-nominated film, George Harrison: Living in the Material World. He also contributed to the Beatles’ Help! DVD box set, as well as VH1‘s Behind the Music.

Most recently, Berkenstadt has published his latest book, The Beatle Who Vanished, “a true account of Jimmie Nicol, an anonymous drummer whose journey from humble beginnings to an improbable climb rescued The Beatles’ first world tour from disaster by temporarily stepping in for Ringo Starr.”

Read More……

The Beatle Who Vanished

Amazon Bestsellers List

MYSTERY OF MISSING BEATLES DRUMMER REVEALED

Now Available As A Kindle Ebook

HOW COULD DRUMMER JIMMIE NICOL SIMPLY VANISH AFTER PLAYING WITH THE BEATLES IN 1964?

The Beatle Who Vanished is the first historical account of Jimmie Nicol, an unknown drummer whose journey from humble beginnings to saving The Beatles’ first world tour was only one part of his legend.

Though his 13 days of fame made headlines, the true mystery of Nicol’s story is riddled with blacklisting, betrayal, drugs, divorce, bankruptcy and an eventual disappearance that led many to question whether he is dead or alive.

Discover the incredible details of a Beatles story never before revealed!

• Draws on new documentary evidence
• Interviews with The Beatles, Nicol and eyewitnesses
• Inner circle tour accounts of Nicol and The Beatles
• Uncovers the secrets behind his post-Beatles career and disappearance
• Over 100 rare archival photographs and memorabilia illustrations
• Features a Foreword by Former Beatles Bass Player, Chas Newby

Jimmie Nicol played with the most famous rock group in the world for 13 days and then he walked out of his London flat and disappeared without a trace.

In his new book, The Beatle Who Vanished, Rock And Roll Detective®, author Jim Berkenstadt uncovers the twisting trail of intrigue that has followed Nicol since his disappearance in the late sixties.  URL is  www.thebeatlewhovanished.com.

Former Beatles bass player (1960), Chas Newby, has penned the Foreword for this book about The Beatles, which has already hit the Amazon Hot New Releases List and the Best Sellers List.

The Beatle Who Vanished is the first historical account of Jimmie Nicol, an unknown drummer whose journey from humble beginnings to an improbable climb – rescuing The Beatles’ first world tour from disaster by stepping in for the ailing Ringo Starr – was only one part of his legend. Though his 13 days of fame made headlines, the true mystery of Nicol’s account is riddled with blacklisting, betrayal, drug abuse, bankruptcy and an eventual disappearance that leads many to question whether he is dead or alive.

“Jimmie’s story grabbed me from the start, and during my six years of research and interviews with artists who knew him, the details of his life in the world of Rock ‘n Roll became more surreal,” says Berkenstadt. “This long and winding road has all the elements of a good mystery, with Nicol attempting to compete with The Beatles while battling Epstein’s alleged blacklisting; traveling the world in search of a hit record; and ultimately, vanishing.”

Berkenstadt’s non-fiction “paperback writer” is a narrative on The Beatles few have ever heard.  The chronicle of Nicol’s 1964 Beatles tour coincides with the upcoming 50^th Anniversary in 2014 of the group conquering America.

According to Garbage drummer and GRAMMY rock producer Butch Vig, “This is a fascinating and mysterious read for hardcore Beatles fans and anyone who wants to understand the meteoric rise to pop stardom and the subsequent crash landing.”

The Beatle Who Vanished is available at: www.thebeatlewhovanished.com, htpp://www.amazon.com (US), Amazon.co.uk (UK), Amazon.de (Germany), Amazon.fr (France), Amazon.es (Spain) and www.Amazon.it (Italy).  The Kindle ebook with be available (Add countries)

THE ROCK AND ROLL DETECTIVE ®

Rock And Roll Detective was founded by Jim Berkenstadt in 1991.