Shirley Evans, accordionist with The Beatles, dies aged 78

Jul 22 2010 by Alan Weston, Liverpool Daily Post

Shirley Evans

A WIRRAL-BORN musician who featured in The Beatles’ film, Magical Mystery Tour, and played accordion on one of the band’s legendary unreleased tracks has died at the age of 78.

Shirley Evans was already a well-established accordion player by the team she teamed up with the Fab Four in 1967.

In the film – first shown on BBC TV – Shirley was seen on the coach playing singalong numbers Toot Toot Tootsie, When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, When The Red Red Robin, and The Can Can.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote an instrumental number for her, called Shirley’s Wild Accordion, which she recorded at Abbey Road with backing from George Harrison on guitar, Ringo Starr on drums, McCartney on maracas and Lennon acting as producer – the first time he took on such a role for a recording.

But the number – complete with encouraging vocal sounds, shouts of “come on Shirl” and whistling – was eventually deleted from the final edit. To this day, the track remains unreleased in the vaults at EMI Studios.