Bill Gates and The Flamingoes (Coventry Band)

Bill Gates and The Flamingoes
(and the Beatles!!)

By Pete Clemons

Some years ago, I wrote a piece about Coventry band The Flamingoes who existed somewhere between 1963 and 1966. 

The Flamingoes featured Alan Payne on lead guitar, Ollie Warner on bass guitar, Rob Woodward (Lieutenant Pigeon) keyboards, Murray Winters (Mackenzie) on lead vocals and Bill Gates on drums.

During the creation of the article I had met up with Gill Gates, who had been married to Bill. I clearly remember Gill mentioning the fact that Bill had had a brush with The Beatles. But it was such a huge comment that I admit to possibly not taking it too seriously.

That was, however, until guitarist Alan Payne confirmed it. And it was at that point when I began to take the comment seriously.

Bill Gates was born on the 2nd August 1938 in a British Military Hospital and indeed served in the British Army. Bill’s army service records show that he was stationed in Germany between 1960 and 1963.

Early August 1960 saw drummer Pete Best join The Beatles. The Beatles arrived in Hamburg, Germany during the evening of 17 August 1960. They stayed in Hamburg till November 1960. Firstly, playing the Indra Club then moving onto the Kaiserkeller.

The Beatles returned to Hamburg during April 1961 to take up a residency at the Top Ten Club where they stayed till July of the same year.

A year later and another Hamburg residency when The Beatles performed at the Star Club between April – May 1962. Pete Best was then fired during August 1962.

A final Hamburg residency took place at the Star Club took place between November and December 1962. But by this time, Ringo Starr had been installed into the drum seat.

Gill was insistent that Bill Gates stepped in for Pete Best at a Beatles gig in Hamburg possibly during 1962.

Alan Payne went even further: ‘In '62 Bill played with The Beatles in their Hamburg days’. He continued: ‘Indeed Paul McCartney particularly liked him and wanted him to join The Beatles in the days prior to Ringo Starr days. Not only cos he was this great drummer but had an amazing high ranged voice - he did most of the singing in The Flamingoes but Bill was doing his national service at the time and despite all the efforts from Paul and Brian Epstein they couldn't get him out of the army, which is incredibly sad not only for Bill but I can only imagine what the Beatles records and vocal arrangements and harmonies would have been like with him in the mix’.

Additionally, Alan went on to give another gem of a quote: ‘On another occasion some years later after leaving the army, coming home to Coventry and forming the Flamingoes we did a gig with The Who at Rugby Town Hall (some 12-15 miles from Coventry). Bill did the most phenomenal drum duet with Keith Moon that night - words cannot express just how amazing they both were, Bill with his incredible showmanship - very Buddy Rich like, running round his unbelievably big triple Slingerland drum kit throwing this drumsticks at various drums and catching them in this almost acrobatic routine and the Keith Moon doing something similar and finally doing his famous party trick of kicking all the drums off stage’.

Alan concluded ‘So thank you Mr Bill Gates for changing my life forever’.

Sadly, Bill Gates is no longer with us. He passed away on 2nd July 1993. But after gathering evidence like this I am now absolutely convinced that Bill did indeed perform for The Beatles. What is more, he could have changed the face of musical history as we know it.

The original article on the Flamingoes by Pete Clemons is here (click the link to read the full article)