New auction items prove Paul McCartney attended ‘Sgt. Pepper’ photo shoot
A new set of items up for auction disprove a long-standing rumour that Paul McCartney did not attend the photo sessions for The Beatles‘ iconic 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
A 39-year-old press package for a planned 1984 reissue of Sgt. Pepper is going on the auction block on August 18th. A memo from Brian Southall, a former general manager of public relations for The Beatles’ EMI label, will be auctioned as well, with Southall certifying that the items prove McCartney was in attendance.
The photoshoots for Sgt. Pepper was held on March 20th, 1967, just hours after the band finished recording ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’. Designed by pop artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth, the session was directed by Robert Fraser and photographed by Michael Cooper. However, on the album’s back cover, McCartney appears with his back turned to the camera, giving birth to a myth stating that he didn’t attend the sessions and was instead replaced with a stand-in, with his likeness being added after the fact.
Martin Hughes, of Wessex Auction Rooms in Chippenham, has called an image from the 1984 press package showing McCartney in profile from the back-cover shoot “the jewel in the crown” of the auction.
“It had long been rumoured that Paul McCartney was not at the Sgt Pepper’s sleeve photo shoot because the back of the album only showed him from behind,” Hughes explained in a statement.
“This image showed the side of his face which would prove that he was indeed there on the day,” Hughes added. “Beatles fans from around the world – and there are a few of them – will be queuing up to bid on this.”
The online auction is set to take place on August 18th, with the press pack estimated to go for a figure between £5,000 and £7,000.
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