At the invitation of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. of Tarzana, California, Disney Theatrical, NY and Phil Collins, I flew to Hamburg for an almost two-week stay in October 2008. This gave me time to explore Hamburg before and after the main focus of the visit: the German Tarzan Stage Musical Premiere.

I've been a Beatles admirer since the early '60s, having performed many of their songs in our stage act, as well as having played in a Beatles tribute band. Their favoured leather outfits in the early years were even my stage gear of choice throughout most of the '60s and '70s. It was natural then, that I take advantage of the opportunity to study the Beatles' early influences in Hamburg's Reeperbahn district. Making daily treks from my home base, Hotel 66 on Hein-Hoyer, in the heart of the St. Pauli district I tried to follow the footsteps that The Beatles would have taken during their formative, pre-fame time in Hamburg.

I interviewed people who actually remembered the band in those early years, talked to many more who were impacted by them, including tourists who had come here from all over the world. I also visited so many of the places that have been mentioned in the countless biographies of the band. During this adventure I took hundreds of photos, many of which I share in this project and I've included many more photos that I've discovered during my later research. 

It was a strange feeling exploring the city that my uncles had flown missions over in their WWII RCAF Lancaster bombers in those sad and terrible years, so long ago. This was a really wonderful experience visiting with so many warm, friendly and welcoming people. My one regret was that my partner in life, Sue-On, couldn't share this adventure with me -- she had to stay back in Canada to teach her classes at Brandon University -- luckily I was on research leave.

THE BEATLES IN HAMBURG: 1960-1962
www.hillmanweb.com/BEATLES

Be sure to visit my follow-up Beatles Tribute:
THE BEATLES: POST-HAMBURG YEARS
www.hillmanweb.com/beatles4