I Wanna Hold Your Band
Elvis wanted Beatles to play with him and Tom Jones.. as the backing group
ELVIS Presley, Tom Jones and The Beatles all on one stage? Now that’s a gig that would have left fans all shook up…
According to Sir Tom, the King of Rock ’n’ Roll wanted The Beatles to perform as his backing band after the Fab Four split in 1970.
Elvis came up with the cheeky idea when he and Welsh crooner Tom were performing in Las Vegas.
He suggested that John, Paul, George and Ringo reunite especially to accompany the duo on stage – without playing any of their own songs.
Sir Tom, 80, said: “When Elvis heard that The Beatles had broken up, I was in Vegas with him. It was 1970.
“He said, ‘Hey Tom, is it true The Beatles have broken up and they are not going to do any more live shows?’
“I said, ‘Yeah, apparently’. He said,
What they could have played...
1. YOU DON’T HAVE TO SAY
YOU LOVE ME DO
2. SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN
3. THE WONDER OF YOU’VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY
4. IT’S ONLY LOVELY RITA
5. HELP! YOURSELF
He laughed when he said, ‘Wouldn’t it be a
great idea?’
‘Well that is a shame!’” The King then asked Tom if he knew why the split had happened but he admitted he didn’t.
Tom recalled: “He then said, ‘I thought that maybe we could get the four of them together. You could sing your songs, I could sing some of my songs and they could back us up – with no Beatles songs’.
“He was laughing when he said, ‘Would it not be a great idea though?’ I said, ‘Oh yeah’.”
Sir Tom, who is promoting his new album Surrounded By Time, added on Sirius XM: “You could only get away with that if you were Elvis Presley.”
The Beatles and Elvis met once in 1965 in Beverly Hills. They were thought to have been fans of each other’s music.