Mystery Star Club track solved

Singer Tanya Day, here backed by The Beatles at the Star Club, 1962

One of the tracks from the recent upgraded collection of songs from the Beatles and other artists’ Star Club recordings was a puzzle. The mystery has now been solved, care of Ted Taylor and his former Star Club buddies. The track listing tentatively listed the track as “Big River” with Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes backing Carol Elvin. After extensive detective work, with theories about it being the Beatles with barmaid Bettina, it turns out the song in question is the old Duane Eddy track, “Shazam”, and it is indeed performed by Carol Elvin, who sings and plays lead guitar, but she is backed by Tony Sheridan and his band, with Roy Young on the Hammond organ.

Carol Elvin

Born in Croydon on 28th August, 1940, Carol Elvin was a dancer, band vocalist and appeared in panto and concert parties. She travelled the country and abroad including a stint at the famous Star Club, Hamburg – at the same time as The Beatles. In January 1965 she briefly became label mates with The Beatles when she released a single on Parlophone Records, “Don’t Leave Me”/”‘Cos I Love You” (R5228).