My Bonnie is a 1962 album by English rock and roll singer-songwriter and musician Tony Sheridan. Sheridan, then playing in clubs in Hamburgwith the Beatles, was discovered by producer Bert Kaempfert and subsequently signed with him to record. Sheridan recorded several songs with the Beatles, two of which were later released as a single. Further recordings without the Beatles filled out the album. Because of the later fame of the Beatles, the material has been repackaged several times.
Background and recording
In June 1961, Sheridan and the Beatles were both playing in Hamburg's Top Ten Club, the two frequently performing together. German producer Bert Kaempfert visited the Top Ten on the recommendation of music publisher Alfred Schacht and singer Tommy Kent, and subsequently signed Sheridan and the Beatles to his company Bert Kaempfert Productions. Kaempfert set a recording date for 22 June at Hamburg's Friedrich-Ebert-Halle. Engineered by Karl Hinze, the session featured Sheridan and the Beatles playing "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean", "The Saints", "Why", "Nobody's Child", and "Take Out Some Insurance". The Beatles performed "Ain't She Sweet" and an original song, "Beatle Bop". Sutcliffe attended the session, but did not play, leaving McCartney to play bass. From these sessions, "My Bonnie" was released as a single through Polydor Records credited to "Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers", as the Beatles' contract enabled the record company to use a pseudonym. A single with "My Bonnie" backed by "The Saints" was released in Germany in October 1961 and was a moderate success, peaking at number 32 in the national chart published in Der Musikmarkt, number 11 in the national jukebox charts, and number four in a local Hamburg chart. Kaempfert and Sheridan conducted another session on 21 December 1961 at Musikhalle Hamburg, without the Beatles. Ten songs were recorded at this session, which along with "My Bonnie" and "The Saints" formed the My Bonnie LP, released 5 January 1962.
In 2001, The My Bonnie LP was issued on CD by Polydor, with 10 bonus tracks:
"My Bonnie "
"Ich Lieb' Dich So"
"Der Kiss-Me Song"
"Madison Kid"
"Let's Dance"
"Ruby Baby"
"What'd I Say"
"Veedeboom Slop Slop"
"Let's Slop"
"My Bonnie "
Singles
"My Bonnie", with "The Saints" as the single's B-side, was first released in October 1961 in West Germany. The German import became popular in Liverpool, and Epstein secured a British release on 5 January 1962, credited to Tony Sheridan and the Beatles After the Beatles gained fame several songs from their sessions together were released. "Sweet Georgia Brown", backed with "Take Out Some Insurance", was released as a single in 1964. Although "Take Out Some Insurance" was from the June 1961 sessions, the A-side was not. Backing tracks to "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Swanee River" were recorded by the Beatles 24 May 1962. This session was arranged by Brian Epstein and Bert Kaempfert to free the Beatles from their contract with Kaempfert and Polydor. Sheridan's vocals to "Sweet Georgia Brown", referencing the Beatles' fame, were added later. These versions of "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Swanee River" are not the recordings featured on My Bonnie. The version of "Swanee River" featuring the Beatles is considered lost. "Ain't She Sweet" / "Nobody's Child" and "Why" / "Cry for a Shadow" were also released as singles.
Other releases
Polydor issued two EPs from the album sessions. The first, Ya Ya, contained "Ya Ya" / "Sweet Georgia Brown" / "Skinnie Minnie". The second, My Bonnie contained "My Bonnie" / "Cry for a Shadow" / "The Saints" / "Why". This EP was previously released in France in January 1962 as "". To capitalize on the Beatles' fame, their recordings with Sheridan have been rereleased multiple times by different record companies:
