Musician

Died On This Date (June 9*, 2010) Ken Brown / The Quarrymen; Credited For Formation Of The Beatles

themusicsover June 9, 2010 No Comments

Ken Brown
DOB Unknown – June 9, 2010 (Presumed)

Ken Brown is perhaps best remembered as the guitarist in the Quarrymen who was to some, the main reason the Beatles ever formed.  While Paul McCartney and John Lennon were writing songs together, Brown was playing in the Les Stewart Quartet with George Harrison.  In the summer of 1959, Pete Best’s mother opened the Casbah Coffee Club where Brown got the group booked as the house band.  But due to a dispute over rehearsals, Stewart lost interest so Brown asked Lennon and McCartney to join the band and they quickly renamed themselves the Quarrymen.  That following October, the band found themselves in a disagreement over money, so McCartney, Lennon, Harrison and Stu Sutcluffe (who had recently joined the band) left the group, soon recruited Best, and the rest is history.  In later years, Brown could be found making music in his home studio and playing occasional reunion gigs or Casbah anniversary shows.  On June 14, 2010, Brown’s body was found in his home after a family member became concerned having not heard from him for a while.  Cause of death was not immediately released, but foul play is not suspected, and it is believed that he had been dead for several days [Ed.: I settled on June 9 as the date until I hear otherwise]. Ken Brown was 70 years old when he passed away.