<P> Jimmie Nicol's first professional career break came when he was talent spotted by Larry Parnes whilst drumming with various bands in London's The 2i's Coffee Bar in 1957, a time that saw Britain's skiffle - dominated music scene giving way to rock and roll which was being popularised by its Teddy Boy youth . Parnes then invited Nicol to join Colin Hicks & The Cabin Boys whom Parnes co-managed with John Kennedy (Colin Hicks is the younger brother of English entertainer Tommy Steele, whom Parnes also managed). After taking a temporary break playing as part of the original pit band in the Lionel Bart musical Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be at the Theatre Royal Stratford East Nicol rejoined Hicks's band for their appearance in the 1958 Italian film documentary Europa Di Notte, breaking them in Italy and subsequently allowing them to tour there extensively . During the early sixties, Nicol went on to play for a number of artists, including Vince Eager, Oscar Rabin, and Cyril Stapleton . He was kept in regular work through Charlie Katz, a well - known session fixer during that period . Nicol has cited drummer Phil Seamen and saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley as being his main influences . </P> <P> In 1964 Nicol helped to form The Shubdubs with former Merseybeats bassist Bob Garner, a jazz line - up similar in musical style to Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, a group with whom Nicol had sat - in when they were the resident house band at London's now defunct Flamingo Jazz Club . Other members of The Shubdubs were Tony Allen (vocals), Johnny Harris (trumpet), Quincy Davis (tenor saxophone), and Roger Coulam (organ--went on to form Blue Mink). It was at this point that he received a telephone call from The Beatles' producer, George Martin . Nicol recalled: "I was having a bit of a lie down after lunch when the phone rang ." </P> <P> When Ringo Starr collapsed with tonsillitis and was hospitalised on 3 June 1964, the eve of The Beatles' 1964 Australasian tour, the band's manager Brian Epstein and their producer George Martin urgently discussed the feasibility of using a stand - in drummer rather than cancelling part of the tour . Martin suggested Jimmie Nicol as he had recently used him on a recording session with Tommy Quickly . Nicol had also drummed on a' Top Six' budget label album as part of an uncredited session band, as well as an extended play single (with three tracks on each side) of Beatles cover versions (marketed as' Teenagers Choice' and entitled Beatlemania) which meant that he already knew the songs and their arrangements . Producer Bill Wellings and Shubdubs trumpeter Johnny Harris (freelancing as an arranger and composer) were responsible for putting together alternative budget cover versions of songs taken from the British Hit Parade aimed at cash - strapped teenagers . Harris said: "The idea was for me to try and guess which six songs would be topping the charts about a month ahead . I would do the arrangements and then go into the studio and record "sound a-likes"; the first EP (extended play) released got to number 30 in the charts . Jimmie was on drums and, as you can imagine, we covered a lot of the Beatles' songs ." Although John Lennon and Paul McCartney quickly accepted the idea of using an understudy, George Harrison threatened to pull out of the tour telling Epstein and Martin: "If Ringo's not going, then neither am I. You can find two replacements ." Martin recalled: "They nearly didn't do the Australia tour . George is a very loyal person . It took all of Brian's and my persuasion to tell George that if he didn't do it he was letting everybody down ." Tony Barrow, who was The Beatles' press officer at the time, later commented: "Brian saw it as the lesser of two evils; cancel the tour and upset thousands of fans or continue and upset the Beatles ." Ringo stated that "it was very strange, them going off without me . They'd taken Jimmie Nicol and I thought they didn't love me any more--all that stuff went through my head ." The arrangements were made very quickly, from a telephone call to Nicol at his home in West London inviting him to attend an audition / rehearsal at Abbey Road Studios, to packing his bags, all in the same day . At a press conference a reporter mischievously asked John Lennon why Pete Best, who had been The Beatles' previous drummer for two years but dismissed by the group on the eve of stardom, was not being given the opportunity of replacing Ringo, to which Lennon replied: "He's got his own group (Pete Best & the All Stars), and it might have looked as if we were taking him back, which is not good for him ." Later, on the subject of remuneration, Nicol recalled: "When Brian (Epstein) talked of money in front of them (Lennon, McCartney and Harrison) I got very, very nervous . They paid me £ 2,500 per gig and a £ 2,500 signing bonus . Now, that floored me . When John spoke up in a protest by saying "Good God, Brian, you'll make the chap crazy!", I thought it was over . But no sooner had he said that when he said, "Give him ten thousand!" Everyone laughed and I felt a hell of a lot better . That night I couldn't sleep a wink . I was a fucking Beatle!" These sums of money, which were vast in 1964, are unverified . </P> <P> Nicol's first concert with The Beatles took place just 27 hours later on 4 June at the KB Hallen in Copenhagen, Denmark . He was given the distinctive Beatle moptop hairstyle, put on Ringo's suit and went on stage to an audience of 4,500 Beatles fans . McCartney recalled: "He was sitting up on this rostrum just eyeing up all the women . We'd start "She Loves You": (counting in) "one, two", nothing, "one, two", and still nothing!" Their set was reduced from eleven songs to ten, dropping Ringo's vocal spot of "I Wanna Be Your Man". McCartney teasingly sent Starr a telegram saying: "Hurry up and get well Ringo, Jimmy is wearing out all your suits ." Commenting later on the fickle nature of his brief celebrity, Nicol reflected: "The day before I was a Beatle, girls weren't interested in me at all . The day after, with the suit and the Beatle cut, riding in the back of the limo with John and Paul, they were dying to get a touch of me . It was very strange and quite scary ." He was also able to shed some light on how they passed the time between shows: "I thought I could drink and lay women with the best of them until I caught up with these guys ." </P>

Who filled in for ringo starr during a beatles tour when ringo had tonsillitis