A rebel at school, a member of a Liverpool skiffle group who went on to become a multi- millionaire, touring America with his band. John Lennon? No, actually, I’m thinking of his best mate at school, Pete Shotton who died recently aged 76. He’s the blond one behind Lennon in the above photo of the Quarrymen, the skiffle band formed by Lennon in the late 1950s.

It’s arguable who had the most interesting life, Lennon or Shotton. Shotton left the Quarrymen when McCartney and Harrison joined but Lennon never forgot him. Several times, after hitting the big time, Lennon gave Shotton money. Shotton used it to open a supermarket then bought the franchise for a chain of American-style diners called Fatty Arbuckle. He eventually sold them for £20 million. When the Beatles needed someone to help run their Apple boutique in London they sent for Shotton. When it closed he became Lennon’s P.A. (until Yoko arrived). In the 90s, on the anniversary of the Cavern, the Quarrymen were reformed and Shotton appeared with them at Beatles conventions around the world.
Lennon and Shotton, two kids larking about in Liverpool. Two exciting but different lives, one a full life, the other cut short. Lennon was 40 when he was murdered in New York. You don’t have to be famous to live well. And fame doesn’t always mean an easy life.

“Though I know I’ll never lose affection / For people and things that went before / I know I’ll always stop and think about them” (In my life – John Lennon)