During a visit to Canada in 1969, John Lennon told Connolly that he had left the Beatles. This was months before it was official. Paul McCartney asked Connolly to interview him to explain his side of the break-up. Lennon phoned Connolly to tell him that he was returning his MBE to the Queen, and asked him to break the news. Connolly wrote the manuscript to the "That'll Be The Day" film where Ringo played a character. He was about to fly to New York in December 1980 to interview Lennon, when he got a phone call about the senseless murder of the Beatle. In February 1981, Connolly was one of the first authors to chronicle Lennon's life, in the book John Lennon, 1940-80
.The Ray Connolly Beatles Archive is Connolly's account of the Beatles’ story, a selection of some of his many interviews with them and others connected with them, as well a collection of news stories and reflections that he has published over the past half century in various British national newspapers.
You can get the book from Amazon UK through this link. Amazon.com has this book as a paperback, as well as on Kindle.
Book facts:
The Ray Connolly Beatles Archive
Paperback: 372 pages
Publisher: Plumray Books (July 17, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0956591531
ISBN-13: 978-0956591531
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds