The Fab Four (tribute)
The Fab Four | |
|---|---|
 (From left to right) Ardavan Sarraf, Erik Fidel, Gavin Pring, Ron McNeil | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Ultimate Tribute |
| Origin | California |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Delta Ent. (Laserlight), New World Digital |
| Members | Ardavan Sarraf Ron McNeil Adam Hastings Gavin Pring Jon Fickes Neil Candelora Tyson Kelly Steve Landes Doug Couture Robbie Berg Erik Fidel Richard Lewis Miles Frizzell Gilbert Bonilla John Auker |
| Past members | David Brighton Frank Canino Frank Mendonça Jim Owen Joe Gallo Michael Amador Rolo Sandoval Brendan Peleo-Lazar Luis Renteria Joseph Bologna Joshua Jones |
| Website | www.TheFabFour.com |
The Fab Four is a California tribute band paying homage to the Beatles. Founded in 1997 by Ron McNeil (born Ronald Mendonça[1]), a John Lennon impersonator, the group began performing Beatles music throughout southern California.[2] They have played in many places worldwide, including Japan, Malaysia, France, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Mexico and Brazil, covering nearly the entire Beatles songbook and material from Beatles members' solo projects.
The band's beginnings included Tuesday night performances at a small venue called Music City in Fountain Valley, as well as regular performances at Disneyland's Tomorrowland Terrace in Anaheim, The Hop in Puente Hills and Scruffy O’Sheas in Marina del Rey.[3] The core group consisted of McNeil (John Lennon), along with Ardavan Sarraf (Paul McCartney), Michael Amador (George Harrison) and Rolo Sandoval (Ringo Starr). Sarraf, a natural right-hander, taught himself to play the bass guitar left-handed to emulate McCartney.[4]
From 2005 to 2008, the Fab Four brought in a second cast of musicians to help perform a full stage show six nights a week in Las Vegas, with various members alternating between cast. Performing as Fab Four Mania, the Vegas cast performed regularly at locations such as the Las Vegas Hilton,[5] The Aladdin,[6] The Sahara[7][8] and The Riviera.[9]
In 2013, the PBS special "The Fab Four: The Ultimate Tribute," filmed at Pechanga Resort & Casino in 2012, received an Emmy Award.[10][11]
In 2018, McNeil said "After 25 years, I want to be home a little more. But I'm still president of the company, and everybody who started this with me are still my business partners, even though only Ardy's still on stage. So it'll be carrying on, which is great." He anointed Liverpool-born Adam Hastings as his replacement.[12] As of 2019, the most common lineup consisted of Sarraf (McCartney), Hastings (Lennon), Gavin Pring (Harrison) and Joe Bologna (Starr).
From 2020 to 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fab Four live-streamed numerous concerts, with McNeil, Sandoval and Erik Fidel coming back.
The cast
[edit] |
Since 2021, The Fab Four has had a rotating cast that changes almost every show. Listed below are the cast members that are currently part of The Fab Four’s regular rotation.
- Ron McNeil
- Adam Hastings
- Jon Fickes
- Gilbert Bonilla
- Ardavan "Ardy" Sarraf
- Neil Candelora
- Miles Frizzell
- Gavin Pring
- Robbie Berg
- John Auker
- Chris Colon
- Erik Fidel
- Richard "Richie" Lewis
An actor portraying Ed Sullivan is the MC of Fab Four shows, in reference to The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show.
- George Trullinger
- Jeff DeHart
Side projects
[edit]Wingsband
[edit]Formed by Ardavan Sarraf, Wingsband is a Paul McCartney and Wings tribute act that covers many of McCartney's biggest post-Beatles hits. The band features Ron McNeil as Denny Laine, Michael Amador as Henry McCullough and Rolo Sandoval as Joe English, plus a horn section led by Wendell Kelly (The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Whitney Houston) and singer/songwriter Christine Rosander as Linda McCartney. Both Laurence Juber, Wings guitarist from 1978 to 1981, and Denny Seiwell, the original Wings drummer from 1971 to 1973, have performed onstage with Wingsband at The Grove in Anaheim, CA.
George Harry’s Son
[edit]George Harrison impersonator and Liverpool native, Gavin Pring, created a tribute act called George Harry's Son to celebrate Harrison's solo material, as well as his hits from the Beatle years. Pring has brought this act to the top Beatles music festivals, including the annual Beatleweek in Liverpool[13] at the Mathew Street Festival and Abbey Road on the River in the United States. Pring also performed on the same stage as Paul McCartney in 2002 for the tribute show held on Harrison's birthday.
Rutlemania
[edit]In 2007, The Fab Four was approached by Eric Idle from the British comedy group Monty Python to perform a set of shows celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Rutles, a Beatles parody group formed in 1975 by Idle and Neil Innes. The show featured McNeil as Ron Nasty (originally played by Innes), Sarraf as Dirk McQuickly (Idle), Amador as Stig O’Hara (Ricky Fataar) and Sandoval as Barry Wom (John Halsey), and was performed multiple nights in both Los Angeles[14][15] and New York.[16][17]
Yellow Submarine movie remake
[edit]In 2010, The Fab Four was cast to do the motion-capture performance footage for director Robert Zemeckis' 3-D remake of The Beatles animated film classic, Yellow Submarine. The movie was set to be released sometime in 2012, but Disney canceled the project when Zemeckis' film Mars Needs Moms performed poorly in the box office and critics' reviews of Zemeckis' animations were mostly negative.[18][19][20][21]
Notable appearances
[edit]- Recorded Beatles tracks "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "Please Please Me" and "Kansas City" that were featured in the biopic The Linda McCartney Story in 2000.[22]
- Performed at the Hollywood Bowl in 2003 for the 37th anniversary of the Beatles’ concerts there.[23]
- Performed at the official DVD release party for the Miramax edition of A Hard Day’s Night at the Los Angeles House of Blues in 2004.
- Featured as a headlining act during Liverpool’s annual Beatleweek in 2004, 2008 and 2011.[24]
- Featured on many TV shows and channels, including Entertainment Tonight, Good Morning America, Hallmark Channel and Ellen DeGeneres’ Really Big Show in 2007.[25]
- Had their version of "The Little Drummer Boy" played on the show House M.D. in the 2008 episode "It's A Wonderful Lie."[26]
- Performed the motion capture for the Harmonix video game The Beatles: Rock Band in 2009.[27]
- Featured in their own PBS special, filmed at Pechanga Resort & Casino in January 2012.[28]
- Performed at an unveiling of Madame Tussaud's Beatles wax figures, when the figures were brought to Las Vegas from London for a short exhibit in 2012.[29]
- Performed the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band album in its entirety on The World's Greatest Tribute Bands on AXS TV, recorded live at the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood in May 2017.[30]
- Featured as guests and performers several times on the weekly radio show Breakfast with the Beatles, hosted by Chris Carter.
- Have played at the Le Palais Des Sports in Paris, where the Beatles once performed.
- Performed alongside Micky Dolenz, (The Monkees) and Mark Lindsay (Paul Revere & the Raiders).[31]
- Named the official Beatles tribute band of radio station K-earth 101.
Discography
[edit]- Ron McNeil – vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica
- Ardavan Sarraf – vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, guitar
- Michael Amador – vocals, lead guitar, keyboards, sitar
- Rolo Sandoval – vocals, drums, percussion
All songs were arranged, performed, recorded and produced by The Fab Four.
A Fab Four Christmas
[edit]Release Date - October 16, 2002
Label - Delta Ent. (LaserLight)
| No. | Title | Based on | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Johnny Marks) | "I Saw Her Standing There" | |
| 2. | "Joy to the World" (Lowell Mason) | "Please Please Me" | |
| 3. | "Feliz Navidad" (José Feliciano) | "And I Love Her" | |
| 4. | "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (Felix Mendelssohn) | "Help!" | |
| 5. | "Away in a Manger" (Traditional) | "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" | |
| 6. | "Good King Wenceslas" (John Mason Neale) | "Tell Me What You See" | |
| 7. | "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" (Edmund Sears) | "Baby's in Black" | |
| 8. | "Winter Wonderland" (Felix Bernard / Richard B. Smith) | "Honey Don't" | |
| 9. | "Frosty the Snowman" (Walter E. Rollins / Steve Nelson) | "Mr. Moonlight" | |
| 10. | "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" (Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne) | "Eight Days a Week" |
Have Yourself a FAB-ulous Little Christmas
[edit]Release Date - October 16, 2002
Label - Delta Ent. (LaserLight)
| No. | Title | Based on | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" (J. Fred Coots) | "When I'm Sixty Four" | |
| 2. | "Silent Night" (Franz Gruber) | "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" | |
| 3. | "The Christmas Song" (Mel Torme) | "Here, There and Everywhere" | |
| 4. | "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (Traditional) | "Within You, Without You" | |
| 5. | "The Little Drummer Boy" (Katherine Davis) | "Sun King" | |
| 6. | "Dear Santa" (Richard Starkey / Mark Hudson / Steve Dudas) | "Oh! Darling" | |
| 7. | "What Child Is This?" (William Chatterton Dix) | "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" | |
| 8. | "Blue Christmas" (Billy Hayes) | "Revolution 1" | |
| 9. | "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (Johnny Marks) | "Got to Get You Into My Life" | |
| 10. | "Jingle Bells" (James Lord Pierpont) | "Tomorrow Never Knows" |
HARK!
[edit]Release Date - 2008
Label - Robo Records
- In 2008, all songs from both albums were digitally remastered and released on a single album entitled HARK!,[32] available on Amazon, iTunes and The Fab Four's official website. The compilation includes the bonus tracks "Sleigh Ride" and "The First Noel", in the style of "Lady Madonna" and "Let It Be", respectively.[33]
The Ultimate Beatles Tribute in Concert, Vol. 1
[edit]Release Date - 2002/2011
Label - Self-released
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Twist and Shout (Short Version)" (Phil Medley / Bert Berns) | |
| 2. | "Please Please Me" (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) | 2:06 |
| 3. | "All My Loving" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:12 |
| 4. | "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:24 |
| 5. | "From Me to You" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:03 |
| 6. | "Love Me Do" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:27 |
| 7. | "Do You Want to Know a Secret" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:01 |
| 8. | "Boys" (Luther Dixon / Wes Farrell) | 2:31 |
| 9. | "You Really Got a Hold on Me" (Smokey Robinson) | 2:57 |
| 10. | "This Boy" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:25 |
| 11. | "A Hard Day's Night" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:32 |
| 12. | "I Should Have Known Better" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:51 |
| 13. | "If I Fell" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:18 |
| 14. | "Eight Days a Week" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:48 |
| 15. | "Can't Buy Me Love" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:12 |
| 16. | "Act Naturally" (Buck Owens) | 2:41 |
| 17. | "Help!" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:20 |
| 18. | "Michelle" (Lennon / McCartney) | 3:00 |
| 19. | "I Feel Fine" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:28 |
| 20. | "Yesterday" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:12 |
| 21. | "She Loves You" (Lennon / McCartney) | 2:20 |
| 22. | "Roll Over Beethoven" (Chuck Berry) | 2:38 |
| 23. | "I Saw Her Standing There" (Lennon / McCartney) | 3:33 |
| 24. | "Twist and Shout" (Medley / Berns) | 2:49 |
| 25. | "Outro" (N/A) |
TV Special Soundtrack
[edit]Release Date - 2013
Label - Self-released
- The soundtrack to the PBS special The Fab Four: The Ultimate Tribute, recorded live at Pechanga Resort & Casino in January 2012. Available exclusively on CD at the Fab Four's official website.[36]
Personnel
[edit]- Ron McNeil – Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Harmonica
- Ardavan Sarraf – Vocals, Bass, Keyboards, Guitar
- Gavin Pring – Vocals, Lead Guitar, Keyboards, Sitar
- Erik Fidel – Vocals, Drums, Percussion
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 2. | "All My Loving" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 3. | "A Hard Day's Night" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 4. | "Eight Days a Week" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 5. | "Can't Buy Me Love" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 6. | "Help!" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 7. | "She Loves You" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 8. | "I Saw Her Standing There" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 9. | "Twist and Shout" (Medley / Berns) | |
| 10. | "Yesterday" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 11. | "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 12. | "With a Little Help From My Friends" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 13. | "Strawberry Fields Forever" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 14. | "Yellow Submarine" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 15. | "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 16. | "A Day in the Life" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 17. | "Imagine" (Lennon) | |
| 18. | "Here Comes the Sun" (George Harrison) | |
| 19. | "Get Back" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 20. | "Revolution" (Lennon / McCartney) | |
| 21. | "Hey Jude" (Lennon / McCartney) |
References
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- ^ "The Fab Four: Beatles concert experience comes to the MAC". phoenix.org. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
- ^ "The Fab Four - Artist Profile". eventseeker.com. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
- ^ Demuth, Gary. "Band's devotion to detail part of bringing The Beatles to life". The Hutchinson News. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
- ^ Quezada, Zeke. "Las Vegas Hilton Theater: Entertainment Schedule". about.com. Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
- ^ Weatherford, Mike (2006-07-28). "'Fab Four' reminds fans of simple roots: Beatles tribute isn't as fancy as 'Love,' but still a crowd-pleaser". reviewjournal.com. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
- ^ Heather (2008-02-08). "Fab Four Mania at the Sahara Hotel". thelasvegasadventurer.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-12. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
- ^ Weatherford, Mike (2008-01-11). "Mop Top Mania: 'Fab Four' balances authenticity with wise-cracking fun". reviewjournal.com. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
- ^ Weatherford, Mike (2008-10-16). "Beatles tribute reopens at Riviera". lvrj.com. Retrieved 2012-04-29.
- ^ Graff, Gary (2018-10-17). "The Fab Four at Sound Board, 3 Things To Know". The Oakland Press. Archived from the original on 2019-04-23.
- ^ The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Pacific Southwest Chapter (2014-02-01). "2013 Emmy Award Winners" (PDF). nataspw.org. Retrieved 2014-11-15.
- ^ "The Fab Four at Sound Board, 3 Things To Know | Arts & Entertainment | theoaklandpress.com". 2019-04-23. Archived from the original on 2019-04-23. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
- ^ "GEORGE HARRY'S SON - A George Harrison Themed Supergroup from Liverpool". beatlenews.com. 2004. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ^ Thompson, Elise (2007). "Rutlemania!". laist.com. Archived from the original on 2008-03-27. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ^ "The Set List: Rutlemania Returns to Hollywood". Variety. 2008-03-07. Archived from the original on 2008-03-11. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
- ^ Jarnow, Jesse (2007). "Live: Rutlemania at the Blender Theater the Gramercy at Your Mom". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 2008-10-22. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ^ Lustig, Jay (2007). "Celebrating the band that celebrated the four lads from Liverpool". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ^ Perpetua, Matthew (2011-03-15). "Disney Kills 'Yellow Submarine' Remake". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (2010-01-12). "Actors, Tribute Band Cast as Beatles in Zemeckis' "Yellow Submarine" Remake". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
- ^ Hall, Russell (2010-01-13). "Main Cast Selected For Beatles' Yellow Submarine Remake". gibson.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-03. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
- ^ Foster, Patrick (2010-01-14). "Beatles actors who will all live in a 3-D Yellow Submarine are named". timesonine.co.uk. London. Archived from the original on 2012-07-12. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
- ^ "The Linda McCartney Story". IMDb. 2000. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
- ^ Lisi, Michael (2003-02-12). "Fab Four re-enacts Beatles' shows word for word". dailygazette.com. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
- ^ "Liverpool Tour". liverpooltour.com. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
- ^ "Ellen's Really Big Show". EllenTube. 2007. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- ^ "House M.D., It's a Wonderful Lie - Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved 2014-11-15.
- ^ "The Fab Four" – via Facebook.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ "The Fab Four: The Ultimate Beatles Tribute". KPBS Public Media. 2012-06-01. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
- ^ "Madame Tussauds Las Vegas Welcomes The Beatles Abbey Road Traveling Experience". VegasNews.com - Las Vegas News. 20 March 2012.
- ^ "The Beatles tribute by The Fab Four (performing Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album) : The World's Greatest Tribute Bands on AXS TV hosted by Katie Daryl The World Famous Whisky A Go Go".
- ^ "Celebrate 50 Summers of Love With Micky Dolenz, Mark Lindsay, and The Fab Four". NewJerseyStage.com. 2017-07-04. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- ^ "The Fab Four (2) - Hark!". Discogs.
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- ^ "The Fab Four Online Store". thefabfour.com.
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