In 1956 Tony formed his first band. In 1958, at 18, he began appearing on the BBC's Oh Boy, playing electric guitar. He was eventually offered a contract to perform at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg, Germany.
While performing in Hamburg between 1960 and 1963, Sheridan employed various backup bands. In 1961, one such band, who had met Sheridan during their first visit to Hamburg in 1960, and who worked with him on their second, was The Beatles (with their line-up at the time as John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best). When German Polydor agent Bert Kaempfert saw the pairing on stage, he suggested that they make some recordings together. In 1962, after a series of singles (the first of which, "My Bonnie"/"The Saints" made it to #5 in the Hit Parade), Polydor released the album My Bonnie across Germany. The word Beatles was judged to sound too similar to the German Pidels (pronounced peedles), the plural of a slang term for penis, hence the album was credited to Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers. After The Beatles had gained fame, the album was re-released in Britain, with the credit altered to Tony Sheridan and The Beatles.
By 1967, Sheridan had become disillusioned with his Beatle-brought fame. As he was more concerned by the Vietnam War, Sheridan agreed to perform for the Allied troops. While in Vietnam however, the band that he had assembled was fired upon and one of the members was killed. Reuters reported that Sheridan himself had died. For his work entertaining the Allies, Sheridan was made an honorary Captain of the United States army.
In the early 1970s, Sheridan managed a West German radio programme of blues music, which was well-received. In 1978, the Star Club was reopened, and Sheridan performed there along with Elvis Presley's TCB Band.
On August 13, 2002, Sheridan released Vagabond, a collection largely of his own material, but also including a new cover version of "Skinny Minnie", a song he had years earlier recorded for his first album.
Cry for a Shadow
Tony Sheridan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Far, far away
That's where my heart is yearning ever,
Home where the old folks stay
Way down upon the Swanee River,
Far, far away-hey
Whoa, that's where my heart is yearning ever,
All up and down the whole creation,
Sadly I roam
I'm a still a-longin' for the old plantation,
Oh, for the old folks at home
Ah-oh-oh!
Oh, my my!
Well, way down upon the Swanee River,
Far, far away-hey.
Whoa, that's where my heart is yearning ever,
Home where the old folks stay.
All up and down the whole creation,
Sadly I roam.
I'm still a-longin' for the old plantation,
And for the old folks at home.
All the world is sad and dreary,
Ev'rywhere I roam
Oh, darkies, how my heart grows weary,
Far from the old folks at home
Far from the old folks at home
Far from the old folks at home
Far from the old folks at home
The song's lyrics revolve around a deep sense of longing for home and a simpler way of life that was left behind. The singer expresses how his heart aches for his hometown on the Swanee River, where his elderly relatives still live. Despite traveling far and wide, he finds no solace, and his heart remains restless. As he wanders, he feels lonely and disconnected from the world. The singer particularly pines for his old plantation and wishes to be with the people he grew up with. The song is filled with melancholy and sadness as the singer struggles to come to terms with being away from his childhood home and loved ones.
One interpretation of the song suggests that it may have been written about the American Civil War, which ended just a few years earlier. The war left many people displaced and homesick, and the lyrics of "Cry for a Shadow" may reflect this feeling of displacement among Southerners. The song's title itself hints at a sense of melancholy and longing, as shadows can be interpreted as representations of faded memories or a reflection of what was left behind.
Interestingly, "Cry for a Shadow" was not originally intended to have lyrics at all. The song was composed by two Beatles, George Harrison and John Lennon, in 1961 for the German musician Tony Sheridan. The original instrumental version of the song was recorded in June 1961, and a second version with an added bass track was recorded in January 1962. It was not until late 1963 that lyrics were added to the song for a recording by an unknown artist. Despite its origins as an instrumental track, "Cry for a Shadow" became a popular song in its own right and has been covered by numerous artists over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
Way down upon the Swanee River, Far, far away
I yearn for my home on the other side of the Swanee River that is far away from where I am now.
That's where my heart is yearning ever, Home where the old folks stay
My heart longs for home, where my old folks live.
All up and down the whole creation, Sadly I roam
I have roamed around the world and felt sad and lost.
I'm a still a-longin' for the old plantation, Oh, for the old folks at home Ah-oh-oh! Oh, my my!
I still long for the old plantation where my loved ones once lived. Oh, the memories!
All the world is sad and dreary, Ev'rywhere I roam
I have traveled all over the world and it's all sad and dreary to me.
Oh, darkies, how my heart grows weary, Far from the old folks at home Far from the old folks at home Far from the old folks at home
I miss my old folks and the plantation so much that my heart grows weary. I am far away from the home I once knew.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALFRED NEWMAN, STEPHEN COLLINS FOSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sylvia wiggins
This is not the Beatles,but The Big Six,who were also known as the Beat Brothers,because of record contracts.Recorded in 1964,I was the keyboard player in the Big Six.We backed Tony on all his records from 1963-1967.--John Wiggins.
Renshen1957
Great work on the keyboards.
Donk'Q Donk'Q
I've read somewhere The Beat Brothers were originally The Tielman Brothers who inspired The Beatles of their stage act.
Santi66
Great BIG SIX!
Ted Tunnicliffe
Nice to hear from the Wiggins family. All the very best to you. Ted T.
heinz wand
This is not the Beatles,but The Big Six is correct! But " The Beat Brother" was the name for the Beatles! This version with Tony and the Big Six was recorded in 1969, as the flip of "Jailhouse Rock" I own the original single!
Klaus Pohl
I am from Hamburg and was 16 at that time. Spend all my pocket money at the Top Ten and the Star Club. Tony was the pathfinder for British groups and he will be remembered in Hamburg forever. George Harrison stole my girl friend...but that is another story. We love you Tony! Klaus Pohl now in Phoenix, Arizona
Ted Tunnicliffe
I bet it is..! I was there. :-) Top Ten house band - the Krewkats.
Max Sugar
Ich war noch in den 90´Jahren einmal im Jahr bei Horst Jankowiak und seiner Frau Monika im Gretel&Alfons. Er hat uns so viele nette Geschichten erzählt vom Star-Club und den Beatles. War klasse!
Ronald Hoerstmann
this time I allways don't forget and if I hear this music my body jumps