Short answers, pulled from the story.
Tony Sheridan is known as an early collaborator of the Beatles who recorded with them in Hamburg in June 1961 for Polydor under producer Bert Kaempfert. He is the only non-Beatle to appear as lead singer on a Beatles recording that charted as a single, and one of only two non-Beatles to receive label performance credit on a record with the group.
The word "Beatles" was judged to sound too similar to the Hamburg dialect word "Pidels", a slang term for penis, so the 1962 West German album was credited to "Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers". After the Beatles became famous, a UK re-release changed the credit to "Tony Sheridan and the Beatles".
Tony Sheridan was born Anthony Esmond Sheridan McGinnity on the 21st of May 1940 in Norwich, Norfolk. He died on the 16th of February 2013 in Hamburg, following heart surgery.
Ringo Starr briefly played in Tony Sheridan's backing band during early 1962, before returning to Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Starr was reportedly dissatisfied with Sheridan performing songs without having rehearsed them with the band.
During two-day sessions in June 1961, Sheridan recorded seven songs with Beatles backing: "My Bonnie", "The Saints", "Why", "Nobody's Child", "If You Love Me, Baby (Take Out Some Insurance on Me Baby)", "Sweet Georgia Brown", and "Swanee River". The Beatles also recorded two tracks without Sheridan: "Ain't She Sweet" and "Cry for a Shadow".
Tony Sheridan agreed to perform for Allied troops in Vietnam after growing disillusioned with his Beatle-connected fame. While there, his band was fired upon and one member was killed. For his work entertaining the troops, Sheridan was made an honorary Captain of the United States Army.