It was half a century ago that Bury St Edmunds photographer Tom Murray was asked to drive another snapper to a Beatles photoshoot – now 50 years on he will see one of his images of the Fab Four made into a bronze statue.
Mr Murray, who is now a Bury town councillor, was working as The Sunday Times Magazine photographer when – on July 28, 1968 – he was asked to give a colleague a lift to a session in London.
He was told to bring his camera along and took 23 shots of the influential group, one of which is now being made into a statue by famous sculptor Andrew Edwards – who made the imposing Beatles statue in Liverpool.
Reflecting on the famous day – coined the ‘Mad Day Out’ by the photographer – Mr Murray said: “One of the other photographers said he was photographing a pop group and asked would I drive them around.
“He said, ‘bring your camera’, and we turned up at a rehearsal room and someone was playing Lady Madonna. I walked in and it was Paul McCartney.
“I only took 23 images, and threw out the ones I didn’t like. “I did almost nothing with them until John Lennon was shot in New York and I remembered the pictures. There was one of John lying pretending to be dead, but they thought it was a bit spooky.”
His image of Paul appearing to fall off the roof of a building as the group hold onto each other, which was taken as part of the session, will now be immortalised in bronze. A mini version of the statue has already been made and is in New York. It is hoped the full-size statue will be placed at the site the photograph was taken – near Old Street Station in central London.
Mr Murray, who lives in Bury, said: “I am very proud that the image will be made into a statue. Andrew really understood the depth and breadth of the picture.”
It may be two years before a decision is made to place the statue but a book detailing the ‘Mad Day Out’ is now available worldwide.
Mr Murray has supported a range of international, national, and local charities by auctioning his work, of which some has been signed by Sir Paul and Sir Ringo.
Mr Murray says around £9million has been raised for charity over a 20-year period with his own personal fundraising total at £1.5m. source:eadt.co.uk
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The Beatles: Tom Murray’s Mad Day Out Hardcover – July 28, 2018
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