SI30. A Rare Important And Revealing John Lennon Handwritten Letter, Written In Rishikesh, India While In The Midst Of Composing Most Of The Songs That Would Later Appear On “The White Album”.

In February of 1968 The Beatles with their wives and girlfriends took a journey to an ashram in Rishikesh, India in search of spiritual enlightenment. Having recently been a key influence for and the leading figures of the magnificent and colorful ‘Summer of Love’ following the release of their masterpiece album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, The Beatles were on top of the world, but even so they knew that a change of some sort was needed. The band was invited to the ashram by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who they had met with previously in August of 1967 in Bangor, Wales while attending a weekend seminar on Transcendental Meditation. That trip that was cut short by the sudden and unexpected death of the band’s manager Brian Epstein, a tragic event which left The Beatles now in even more of a need some answers. This all coincided with The Beatles denunciation of drug use in favor of Transcendental Meditation, so off to Rishikesh they went.

While in India, John and George stayed the longest, with Ringo leaving after 10 days and Paul staying roughly 5 full weeks before heading home. In between marathon meditation sessions, long daytime walks, meals, group sing alongs and quite a bit of songwriting (Lennon said that he wrote 15 songs while in India – more than Paul and George combined), John took some time to answer a few letters he had received at the ashram. Of the few responses he sent out (mainly to friends), this one really stands out because of the content of the letter is absolutely incredible – it's unquestionably one of the best Lennon handwritten letters in existence. He goes into some detail about The Beatles purpose for going to India, religion – with John quoting Jesus and confirming his own personal obligation to Christianity, also talking about Transcendental Meditation as it relates to religion and through it how one can actually be 'experiencing God'.

John writes in full, with the ‘we’ and ‘us’ references in the first paragraph relating to The Beatles:

Dear Beth, Thank you for your letter and your kind thoughts. When you read that we are in India ‘searching’ for peace etc, it is not that we need faith in God and Jesus –we have faith them; It is only as if you went to stay with Billy Graham for a short time – it just so happens that our guru (‘teacher’) is Indian - and what is more natural than for us to come to India – his home. He also holds courses in Europe and America – and we will probably go to some of these as well – to learn – and to be near him. Transcendental Meditation is not opposed to any religion – it is based on the basic truths of all religions – the common denominator. Jesus said ‘the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand’ – not in some far distant time – or after death – but now. Meditation takes the mind down to that level of consciousness which is Absolute Bliss (Heaven) and through constant contact with that state – ‘the peace that surpasseth all understanding’ – one gradually becomes established in that state even when one is not meditating. All this gives one actual experience in God - not by detachment or renunciation – when Jesus was fasting etc in the desert 40 days & nights he would have been doing some form of meditation – not just sitting in the sand and praying – although meditating is a form or prayer. I hope what I have said makes sense to you – I sure it will to a true Christian – which I try to be with all sincerity – it does not prevent me from acknowledging Budda – Mohammed – and all the great men of God. God Bless You – jai guru dev.        with love,   John Lennon

Ending with “jai guru dev”, the mantra that John sang repeatedly in his beautiful composition “Across The Universe”, the letter was written out by John in black fountain pen on one sheet of stationary for the Maharishi’s own "Spiritual Regeneration Movement Foundation Of India". The stationary sheet was made so that it folds down into its own envelope, which John hand addressed a fan (Beth Dewer, from Surrey not far from where John lived at the time) who wrote to him at the ashram expressing her concerns for The Beatles and their newfound interest in studying Transcendental Meditation under the Maharishi and how it would potentially clash severely with Christianity. The return address John wrote on the envelope was simply "Rishikesh India Maharishi's Ashram". There is a tear along the fold line on the bottom third of the page, otherwise in good condition.

This spectacular handwritten Lennon letter will come with a Special Limited Edition copy of Paul Saltzman’s book “The Beatles In India”. Here is a link to see some of the fabulous pictures (all contained in the book) that Saltzman took while sharing time with The Beatles in Rishikesh in 1968.

https://thebeatlesinindia.com/book/

https://thebeatlesinindia.com/photos/

Postmarked March 25, 1968, the letter is quite lengthy with a lot of writing done by John which is very detailed and revealing, written during a really key period in the history of The Beatles. The Beatles journey to India to study Transcendental Meditation and being there without any outside interruptions, phone calls or business related distractions was an extremely fertile situation for their songwriting, and while there meditating their songwriting blossomed in a way it never had before. This was in fact the band’s most productive period and without India, there absolutely would be no “White Album” as we know it.

There aren’t many truly amazing John Lennon Beatle era handwritten letters out there and of those they rarely ever come to market, as most are tucked away in collections and unavailable. This letter and certainly is one of best of them, ranking way up there with the ‘cream of the crop’ for content, length of writing, and the time frame during which it was written as it relates to what was happening at that moment. Here is a rare chance to own and extremely scarce piece of John Lennon’s handwritten thoughts about Transcendental Meditation and religion, with several references to Jesus and God…..$75,000

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SI22. A Handwritten Letter Signed By All 4 Beatles While On The 1966 U.S. Tour

In the late fall of 1966, a charity LP called "Beatleviews-66" was released. The record contained interviews conducted with the Beatles while on their 1966 tour of North America.  The narrator of the LP was Ken Douglas, a deejay from radio station WKLO in Louisville, Kentucky. In the mid-1960s, Douglas was somewhat of an anomaly among deejays in America. He was British. As might be expected, amid all of the fan frenzy surrounding the Beatles and other British groups, this made Douglas (and his accent) very popular among listeners of WKLO. Never mind that he had long hair, vaguely resembled George Harrison and wore clothes that looked to be straight out of Carnaby Street.

The London-born Ken Douglas had migrated to the United States in 1964 on the heels of the British Invasion, having been exposed to America through his earlier career as the athletic director on a cruise ship. From New York, he traveled to Louisville to visit friends and met up with a man who had a men's clothing store that happened to be across the street from WKLO. Douglas got a job at the clothier and in 1965, through the store's proximity to the radio station, had a chance encounter with program director Mitch Michael.  Michael invited him to the station, gave him a tour, introduced him to the staff and, seeing the potential in having a Brit on the air, asked him if he'd like to sit in with one of his deejays and talk about London life, fashion and music. Douglas did the gig for about two months, and was soon offered his own show. For "The Ken Douglas Show", he would make frequent trips to London to interview all the top British stars, and before long, he was the top jock at WKLO.  By early 1966, the much in-demand Douglas had his own fan club with a devout following of over 1,400 members.

An encounter with Beatles press officer Tony Barrow led to a meeting with Brian Epstein, who told him that the next time the Beatles toured America, he'd be invited to join them. For the first half of the 1966 North American Tour, Douglas was at their side, in hotels, on the plane, on buses and backstage before the shows. His reports from the tour helped place WKLO at the top of the ratings heap in Louisville.

The Beatles found Douglas someone they could easily relate to - a fellow countryman. In Cleveland on August 14, 1966, Douglas sat down with Ringo Starr, who told him about his home life and fatherhood.  Douglas also reported on the chaotic scenes at Cleveland Stadium. Two days later, on August 16th in Philadelphia, Douglas snared Paul McCartney for a lengthy recorded chat. When Douglas brought up the diminishing crowds at Beatles concerts, McCartney was quick to remind him that the Beatles still played to more people than any other act. Douglas predicted that the Beatles would continue to sell records long after they stopped touring, which led McCartney to reveal that the group was far more interested in writing and recording than performing, citing the band's increasing inability to be heard above the screams. Of course, history has shown that, two weeks later, their touring days would indeed end. McCartney then spoke with Douglas about his life in London (having just bought a home near the EMI Studios), the Beatles' recording schedule after the tour, the trip he took to Paris with John for the latter's 21st birthday and the mayhem in Cleveland, commenting that he enjoyed "fan participation" as long as no one got hurt. Finally, referring to the negative publicity generated by Lennon's "Bigger Than Jesus" statement, McCartney told Douglas that when there was no good news to report, the papers preferred disparaging articles. The pair got on well together.

Within five days of Douglas' interview with McCartney, the Beatles' bassist had written him a letter, which was on Paul’s personal linen stationary. It read:

"Dear Ken and fellow Tea People,

Just a line to say best, yes best, of luck on this new and courageous enterprise. May she reign forever, and sail the ocean blue, yes blue.

All the best to everyone there from all of us here."

McCartney then signed his full name, followed by the other three Beatles - John Lennon (who has added "F.B.O." following his signature), Ringo Starr and finally, George Harrison, who has written “and not forgetting” before his signature, and a star-burst symbol afterwards. The “J” used by John is a ‘throwback’ to the style of “J” that was last seen in early 1963 – some 3 ½ years prior. All four of the signatures on this letter are perfect; they are excellent and complete examples, and are as nicely as they could have signed on that day. Additionally, McCartney has written “ESQUIRE” following his printed name in the letterhead.

The included, original mailing envelope is also fully-addressed in Paul’s hand on the front:

To
"Tea Time"
Ken Douglas
Radio WKLO
307 West Walnut St.
Louisville
Kentucky

This envelope is postmarked from Cincinnati, Ohio on August 21, 1966, the exact mid-point of the tour. Affixed is the required 5 cent postage, in the form of a blue tinted George Washington stamp. On the reverse are the printed words "J.P. McCartney, London, England", the font being an exact match to that on the stationary – therefore making this the proper accompanying envelope!

"Tea Time" refers to the frequent tea breaks that Douglas would take on the air with students visiting the station. While the content of the letter is subject to interpretation at this point in history, the "new and courageous enterprise" that McCartney writes about could refer to Douglas' possible return to the men's haberdashery business, which had been his occupation prior to his stint at WKLO.  After leaving the station in 1969, he worked briefly at WINN and WAKY in Louisville and then moved to California where he did return to the men's clothing business, this time in a partnership with his close friend Davy Jones of the Monkees. This letter could allude to an earlier possible venture in men's apparel, which indeed would happen, but not for several years after.

Handwritten letters signed by all four members of the Beatles are exceedingly scarce, with less than a handful surfacing to date. Add to that the fact that the vast majority of known (single signed) personal letters from any member of The Beatles was written in their early days, through 1963. Anything handwritten from the mid-1960s, especially while on tour in North America, is exponentially much more scarcer.

This is by far the best of the few letters signed by all of The Beatles known to exist, making this an extremely rare opportunity for the discerning collector….. $30,000

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SI5. A George Harrison Handwritten Letter to a Fan, August 1963

From August 19 through August 24, 1963, The Beatles played a series of shows at the Gaumont Theater in Bournemouth on the southern coast of England. During their extended stay in this seaside resort town, the band took up residence at the very posh and very exclusive Palace Court Hotel. While there, photographer Robert Freeman took the cover shot that would be featured on the front of the band’s second album, “With The Beatles”, which was released a few months later. Between gigs, they took time out to answer some of their fan mail. George also wrote his first song which appeared on a Beatles album, “Don’t Bother Me”, while sick in bed at the Palace Court Hotel during this time in Bournemouth.

This 2-page letter, handwritten by George Harrison “To Boote” on Palace Court stationery, is filled with interesting references. His opening line mentions the chart-topping “She Loves You” which he urges the fan to buy (it was released on August 23rd, one day before they left Bournemouth). It would instantly hit number one, and went on to become the best selling Beatles single ever in the U.K. He follows this with a reference to ‘jelly babies’, the soft British confection he had recently told the press was their favorite candy. After his comment was published, British fans inundated the group with boxes of jelly babies. In this letter, Harrison denies their affection for jelly babies, stating that no one in the band likes them and that the press made it up. (His published comment would have further repercussions a few months later when American concertgoers showered the band with thousands of jelly babies, a much harder candy The Beatles disdained because of the pain they inflicted when they were hit by them on stage.) Harrison then makes a reference to the band’s ever-growing presence in London as their recording career progressed, a move which upset their original Liverpool fans and, as they earned international acclaim, proved to be permanent.

Harrison additionally comments on the frenzied audiences at Beatles shows, stating that “we don’t mind girls screaming in the noisy numbers, but I think we would prefer them to be a little quieter in the slow songs.” He also alludes to what was obviously a question about their forthcoming shows, telling the fan that there are no scheduled appearances at the Gaumont State Theater in London’s Kilburn High Road, but that they will be playing London’s Royal Albert Hall. (This was the ‘Great Pop Prom’ show held on September 15, 1963. The Beatles topped the bill, sharing the program with eleven other acts, including a new up-and-coming band called The Rolling Stones.) Harrison signs off with a full signature which is extraordinary and as nice as he could have signed on that day, followed by three kisses (“XXX”).

The letter is written in blue ballpoint pen. The two pages each measure 5” x 8”, have three mailing fold lines and are in very good condition overall. Letters written by members of The Beatles to their fans are quite scarce. While they would reply to fan letters early in their career, the practice would stop altogether by the end of 1963 and into 1964 as they became international stars and virtually untouchable — and unreachable.....$7,500

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The letter reads:

“Dear Dawn,
Thanks for your letter, glad
you liked the show.
For fan-club information,
I can’t tell you about opening a
Stoke-on-Trent branch but I suggest
you get in touch with the Northern
Branch here in Liverpool and they can
let you know all about it. The address is
NEMS 12-14 Whitechapel
Liverpool 1.
Lancs.
Thanks again – hope to be
in Hanley again soon.
Cherrio (sp)
love
John
Lennon
X"

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