In Memoriam: Chas Newby

Chas Newby, one of the last former Beatles, has died at the age of 81. The news was shared with us by his son, Steve Newby, who called his father a great man and good bass player.

Newby was a childhood friend of Beatles drummer Pete Best and has played in his band The Black Jacks. In 1960, the The Quarrymen changed their name to The Beatles. After an engagement in West Germany, most of the band returned back to England except for bassist Stuart Sutcliffe. Best suggested Newby to fill in the vacant spot, and he played four gigs with the band in December of 1960.

John Lennon asked Newby to join The Beatles on their next foray into West Germany, but he opted to continue to pursue his academic career. He went on to study chemistry and became a teacher in Worcestershire.

“Music was never going to be a living for me,” Newby said in a 2012 interview with Sunday Mercury. “I wanted to do chemistry. John, Paul and George — they just wanted to be musicians. People sometimes don’t believe me when I say I’ve no regrets. But I really haven’t. I have enjoyed my life immensely.”

The bassist would reunite with his old friend Pete Best for an occasional gig and also joined the reunited Quarrymen in 2016.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Chas Newby.