October 19, 2011 15:41

Handwritten letter written by The Beatles auditioning for mystery drummer surfaces

Advert response set to fetch £9,000 in London auction next month

Photo Gallery: The Beatles
Photo: PA Photos

A handwritten letter by The Beatles inviting a mystery drummer to audition for the band is to be auctioned off.

Paul McCartney penned the letter on August 12, 1960 in response to a notice in the Liverpool Echo newspaper from the drummer advertising their availability. At the time Pete Best was the band's sticksman and it was not known they were looking for a replacement drummer.

He wrote:

We would like to offer you an audition for the position of drummer in the group.

McCartney added: "You will, however, need to be free soon for a trip to Hamburg (expenses paid £18 per week (approx) for two months). If interested ring Jacaranda club and ask for a member of The Beatles."

Three days later, the band travelled as a five-piece along with Stuart Sutcliffe to Germany for their tour. The identity of the drummer is not known, nor if the proposed audition ever took place.

The letter is expected to fetch up to £9,000 at a London auction on November 15, reports BBC News.

Old documents revealing The Beatles refused to play to a "segregated crowd" when they toured the US in the mid-1960s also went under the hammer recently.