Bill Naughton, Jr.
  • Meet The Beatles
Biography
He played Beatles records at home on a turntable and then on the radio as a disc jockey, he sang Beatles songs and accompanied himself on guitar at venues like the Sunrise Resort, and then he wrote a song, “Meet The Beatles,” about the impact that landmark album had on a five year old child in 1964. Now, four years after he began writing the song, it has been officially recorded and released as a “single” under his own name and on his own independent record label. But it’s not entirely a solo effort, as Bill Naughton, Jr., the DJ turned singer-songwriter, is quick to point out. “I wrote the song and I sing it but I couldn’t have made the recording as good as it turned out without the great musicians who joined me in the studio, and the producer, who really made the music come alive,” he said this week after the song was released for download on iTunes, Amazon and dozens of other digital outlets.

Naughton is accompanied on the record by two members of the popular Connecticut band, Beatles Forever, lead guitarist Terry Miggins and bass player Jerry Clapis. Jay Miggins played drums and percussion. The record was produced by Michael Arafeh at the Coffeehouse Recording Studio in Middletown. It bounces along at a country-folk-rock pace for exactly three minutes, employing a recurring guitar riff that is both original and memorable, the kind of musical twist that you catch yourself humming throughout the day. There are even some sound effects mixed into the powerful middle section of the song that transport the listener back to the days of screaming girls at airports and concerts. And then there’s that jangling twelve-string guitar chord – or at least it sounds something like it – that blasts you back to reality and into the final chorus, “Meet The Beatles everybody, here they come… John, Paul George and Ringo with guitars and bass and drums…My Dad was not convinced at first but I was on cloud nine…My Mom played Meet The Beatles and that music changed my life.”

For anyone who was around in 1964, when Beatlemania arrived in the United States in the form of four long-haired lads from Liverpool who burst onto the music scene with multiple hit singles and albums, this song is pure nostalgia. In three verses and a chorus that repeats three times, it tells the story of a young family who listens to records every night - from Dylan to Bach, with a little Bosa Nova thrown in - and a Mom who one day brings home something new to play, the “Meet The Beatles” album, and although the music doesn’t impress the Dad in the house, listening to that album turns out to be a life changing experience for their five year old child.

It’s a very clever song, built around an irresistible, sixties sounding electric guitar groove, that’s perfectly timed to take part in the 50th anniversary celebration of Beatlemania in the United States.
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  • Members:
    Bill Naughton, Jr.
  • Sounds Like:
    A CD
  • Influences:
    The Beatles; Jim Croce; Bob McDill
  • AirPlay Direct Member Since:
    01/28/14
  • Profile Last Updated:
    08/15/23 03:06:32

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