The Beatles made Norwich man famous
William Darby, better known as Pablo Fanque. DAVID BALE
06 June 2009 07:00
Millions of music lovers around the world have heard of Pablo Fanque - thanks to the Beatles' song For the Benefit of Mr Kite.
John Lennon wrote the song for the Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album and based the lyric on an antique circus poster he bought, in which the Henderson family is described as “late of Pablo Fanque's fair”.
But not so many people know that Pablo Fanque was born in Norwich, somewhere in the Timberhill area of the city centre, or that he was Britain's first black circus owner.
To commemorate that fact the Norwich Heritage, Economic and Regeneration Trust (HEART) plans to install a blue plaque in Timberhill and wants to use the lyric on the inscription.
However, it needs to get permission from Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which owns the copyright to the Beatles' catalogue.
A spokeswoman for Heart said: “Pablo Fanque was born and lived in Norwich, and we feel that he is deserving of a blue plaque.
“We know that he attended two churches, All Saints' Church and St John's Timberhill, so the plaque will be placed somewhere between them.
“We want to put the lyric from the song that mentions his name on the plaque, but realise we need permission from the song's owners to do that.
“We are in talks with them about this and, being a charity, have requested the standard fee for this might be waived or reduced.
“We have no idea how much they would normally charge for this and, obviously, we do have a limited budget for the plaques.”
As Beatles' fans know, John Lennon bought the poster in an antique shop on January 31, 1967 while filming the promotional video for the song Strawberry Fields Forever in Kent. Mr. Kite is believed to be William Kite, who worked for Pablo Fanque from 1843 to 1845.
One of the most musically complex songs on Sgt. Pepper, it was recorded on February 17, 1967. Lennon wanted the track to have a “carnival atmosphere”, and told producer George Martin he wanted “to smell the sawdust on the floor”.
In the middle eight bars, multiple recordings of fairground organs and calliope music were spliced together to attempt to produce this request; after a great deal of unsuccessful experimentation, George Martin instructed engineer Geoff Emerick to chop the tape into pieces with scissors, throw them up in the air, and re-assemble them at random.
The plaque is part of Heart's plans for the Timberhill/Elm Hill area, and involves blue plaques, street name interpretation signs, guided walking trails and heritage “totems”, as well as public realm improvements.
Timberhill and Elm Hill were selected as areas because they embody two of the city's principal economic offers - speciality retail and heritage.
Other plaques planned include one at the former Orford Cellar in Timberhill, where artists such as Jimi Hendrix, once played, but there is no installation date fixed yet.
The funding from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) follows a successful pilot in the Norwich Lanes that was pioneered by Heart with the support of traders and Norwich City Council.
As reported in the Evening News yesterday, a second pocket-sized walking guide to Timberhill was launched by Heart.
Sony/ATV Music Publishing confirmed that it was in correspondence with Heart.
Which Norwich figure do you think deserves a blue plaque? Ring reporter David Bale on 01603 772427 or email
david.bale2@archant.co.uk
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