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— CH. 1 · FROM QUIZ WINNER TO HISTORIAN —

Mark Lewisohn

~2 min read · Ch. 1 of 5
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  • Mark Lewisohn was born on the 16th of June 1958 in England. His entry into professional history began with a simple quiz at the first London Beatles convention in the late 1970s. He won that contest and subsequently answered fan letters for a publication called Beatles Monthly. This task led to him researching the band deeply when he found few others had done so properly. Writing books and consulting on television series followed naturally from those early days. One thing just led to the next as his career unfolded.

  • EMI invited Mark Lewisohn to listen to all original session tapes in the mid-1980s. This access allowed him to write The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions which appeared in 1988. The book functioned as a diary listing every recording session chronologically at Abbey Road Studios. It included specific details about who played on each track and how many takes were recorded during any given session. An introductory interview with Paul McCartney accompanied the text. The format established a pattern Lewisohn would follow for subsequent books regarding live performances and daily activities.

  • Lewisohn announced work on a three-volume biography in 2005 after years of research. Volume One titled Tune In arrived in October 2013 following extensive preparation time. He estimated the second volume would appear around 2020 and the final one by 2028. By August 2018 he stated it was too early to predict publication dates for future volumes. A multimedia lecture tour called Hornsey Road ran through autumn 2019 across England, Dublin, and Edinburgh. Revenue from this sold-out tour helped fund his ongoing work on the remaining trilogy volumes.

  • Lewisohn expanded his bibliography beyond music history with guides to British television comedy. Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy first appeared in 1998 and received an update in 2003. It remained available online as the BBC Guide to Comedy until 2007. Funny Peculiar served as a biography of Benny Hill released in 2002. He has written for magazines such as Match of the Day and Radio Times. Additional editorial work included helping to edit Hendrix: Setting The Record Straight by John McDermott and Eddie Kramer.

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1958 births20th-century English biographers20th-century English historians20th-century English Jews20th-century English male writers21st-century English biographers21st-century English historians21st-century English Jews21st-century English male writersBeatles historiansEnglish male non-fiction writersEnglish music historiansJewish English writersJewish historians

Common questions

When was Mark Lewisohn born and where?

Mark Lewisohn was born on the 16th of June 1958 in England. His entry into professional history began with a simple quiz at the first London Beatles convention in the late 1970s.

What book did Mark Lewisohn write after listening to session tapes in the mid-1980s?

Mark Lewisohn wrote The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions which appeared in 1988. This book functioned as a diary listing every recording session chronologically at Abbey Road Studios.

When did Mark Lewisohn announce his three-volume biography project and when did Volume One arrive?

Lewisohn announced work on a three-volume biography in 2005 after years of research. Volume One titled Tune In arrived in October 2013 following extensive preparation time.

How does Mark Lewisohn fund his ongoing work on the remaining trilogy volumes?

Revenue from this sold-out tour helped fund his ongoing work on the remaining trilogy volumes. A multimedia lecture tour called Hornsey Road ran through autumn 2019 across England, Dublin, and Edinburgh.

Which comedy guides has Mark Lewisohn written or edited since 1998?

Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy first appeared in 1998 and received an update in 2003. Funny Peculiar served as a biography of Benny Hill released in 2002.

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