Moray music fans are being urged to help shape a new book about the Fab Four by reliving the early days of Beatlemania.
The Beatles’ first Scottish concert took place at the Two Red Shoes ballroom in Elgin in the early 1960s, and now those who attended the historic show are being asked to share their recollections.
Author Richard Houghton is penning a book detailing the band’s formative years, and reckons their venture into Moray represented a pivotal moment on their road towards super-stardom.
The show, which was held on January 3, 1963, was one of the group’s first outside of Liverpool and took place before they achieved any notable chart success.
Reports from the evening indicate the concert began before an audience of just 80, but by the time the band completed their set the hall was packed with 200 revellers.
Mr Houghton said: “Shortly before the Elgin concert, The Beatles played to 13 people in Aldershot, so attracting 200 people was a real flip for them.
“It was one of the first times they were an attraction in their own right, but they were a phenomenal live act at that point having gained experience in Liverpool and Hamburg.
“I’ve never heard from anyone with firsthand accounts of that concert so hopefully there will be a handful who remember it.”
Mr Houghton however admitted he fears that as John, Paul, Ringo and George were relative unknowns at the time some who attended the gig may not be aware they saw The Beatles in action.
“Some people could have gone and then not realised they had seen the biggest band of all time,” he added.
“But if you were at that show, and saw The Beatles before they had their first hit, you were there at the start of modern music history.”
Tickets to the gig cost six shillings – £18 today – and buses from Buckie, Forres and Lossiemouth braved snowy conditions to reach the venue.
Mr Houghton became inspired to document The Beatles’ early years through the eyes of their fans after penning a similar tome about rock legends The Rolling Stones.
Anyone with memories of seeing the band in Elgin can contact Mr Houghton via thebeatlesinthe60s@gmail.com or by writing to 7 Hartley Road, Manchester, M21 9NG.