Pre-Beatle Len Garry, 84, died on March 2. The singer and bass guitarist joined The Quarrymen in 1956; the rock/skiffle/ska band consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Eric Griffiths, Pete Shotton, Colin Hanton, and Rod Davis. They played at The Cavern in Liverpool, but Garry had to leave the group in 1958 after developing tubercular meningitis. He never recorded with them, and was long-gone from the group by the time George Harrison joined them (Ringo Starr didn’t join up till 1962, by which time they’d been renamed The Beatles). Garry went on to work as an architect, but continued to moonlight as a musician, playing with Quarrymen reunions till recently. If he held any regrets or bitterness, Garry didn’t voice them. He recalled that "John always wanted someone to support him, no matter what he did, and Paul came along at the right time. It wasn't just about playing guitar together or singing, it was about composing as well."
