Ivan Vaughan Archives - The Beatles Bookstore

Ivan Vaughan

Many fellow collectors and Beatle fans have asked me about favorite items in my collection. This signed book is clearly one of my favorites. This is due not only for the rarity of the signature but the historical importance that the signer had in the forming or development of the Beatles. Ivan Vaughan held the historical significance of being friends with both John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Ivan played the important role of introducing and encouraging the friendship of two people that were to lead to the cultural explosion the world still has not recovered from.

Introducing Paul McCartney to John Lennon

It was at Ivan’s insistence that Paul would accompany him to the Woolton Village Fete in July of 1957 that would light the fuse.

Ivan himself did play for a very short time with the Quarrymen, John’s skiffle group, but that tenure was over very quickly. Ive was to have a statement on the block that held the tea chest instrument he played in the group and it read “Jive with Ive.” However, Ivan later became absorbed in his academic studies which resulted in him eventually becoming a teacher.

The Quarrymen

Ivan Vaughan pictured with the tea chest that he played with the Quarrymen. The Jive with Ive lettering on the instrument was the question that John Lennon posed to Ivan Vaughan to prove that it was actually Ivan calling him at the Dakota. To memorialize his childhood friend, Paul McCartney wrote a poem for Ivan Vaughan after his passing. The poem was entitled “Ivan”, and was in his “Blackbird Singing” book of poetry

Later in life, Ivan developed Parkinson’s disease.

The book was first published in the UK by Macmillan in 1986 in the UK in 1986. It was then published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux on Nov. 1, 1987 in the US. This book features the details of Ivan Vaughan’s ordeal with Parkinson’s disease. Ivan passed away from pneumonia in 1993.

Autograph

Ivan rarely signed his autograph for fans. His friend Len Garry relayed to me through his wife that the signature is genuine and that it is very obscure since when he did sign a few copies of his book, he rarely used his full name. Possibly Ivan’s hesitancy to sign things is he might have felt that his association with the world famous celebrities did not merit him signing anything. However, that may be pure speculation as he simply may have been a very private person. This particular signature was done for his friend “Margaret” who helped him in his tax preparation. Ivan’s wife who was fluent in French helped Paul with the French language bit in the song “Michelle.”