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— CH. 1 · FROM QUIZ WINNER TO HISTORIAN —

Mark Lewisohn

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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 historians20th-century English male writers21st-century English historians21st-century English male writersEnglish male non-fiction 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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All sources

18 references cited across the entry

  1. 1webMark Lewisohn
  2. 2inlineCatching Up With Mark Lewisohn What Goes On, 4 April 2005
  3. 3inline"Historian given £1.2m to write Beatles trilogy" The Independent, 26 April 2004
  4. 4journalThe Truest Beatles Biography YetJeff Slate — 21 November 2013
  5. 5webThe Mark Lewisohn Interview Part OneNothing Is Real — YouTube
  6. 6newsGetting the Beatles TapedPenny Kiley — 9 November 1988
  7. 7webLewisohn: "The shadow of The Beatles is still enormous"John Byrne — 30 September 2019
  8. 8newsThe Complete Beatles ChronicleStaff — 19 June 2008
  9. 9webDid John Lennon Say Ringo "Wasn't Even The Best Drummer In The Beatles"?Radio X — 7 July 2024
  10. 10webRingo Starr wasn't even the best drummer in The Beatles: The TruthAndrew Dixon — 28 August 2022
  11. 11inlineMark Lewisohn announces new comprehensive Beatles bio What Goes On, 11 April 2005
  12. 12webThe Beatles: All These Years, Volume One – Tune In by Mark Lewisohn – reviewKitty Empire — 20 October 2013
  13. 13webQ&A with Mark LewisohnTim Whiting
  14. 14newsA Lifetime's Work: Writing the Beatles' BiographyAllan Kozinn — 28 December 2013
  15. 15tweetSorry folks, but it's way too early to say when Volume 2 will be out. Tune In was bigger than War and Peace, and the next one will be its equal or more. It's an immensely researched and complex history and won't be out until it's done. Hang in there – it will be worth the wait.Mark Lewisohn — 10 August 2018
  16. 16webThis tape rewrites everything we knew about the BeatlesRichard Williams — 11 September 2019
  17. 17webEvolver:622022
  18. 18webEvolver 62