The Beatles was a famous English rock band formed in 1960, and Randolph Peter Best, also called Pete Best, was the first drummer and one of the original band members from 1960 to 1962.
Born in November 1941 in Chennai (India), Pete got recognized as the Fifth Beatle. However, the man with good looks, Pete, got dismissed from the band in 1962, and it caused controversy.
Pete’s biological father, Donald Peter Scanland, was a marine engineer who died in World War II. Pete’s mother, Mona, met a commissioned officer, Johnny Best, working in India. The two married in 1944 and took Pete to Liverpool the next year.
Pete got a stepbrother named Roag from his mother, Mona, and stepfather, Neil Aspinal. Neil worked as the road manager for the Beatles and accepted Roag as his son after denying it for years.
Neil Aspinal became friends with Pete when Roag was only three weeks old. He got furious on hearing about Pete’s dismissal and the related conspiracy from Pete himself. He even wanted to resign, but Pete did not allow him to do so.
Later, in a concert, Neil asked The Beatles for the reason to remove Pete. However, Neil being only a driver, had no right to know about it, according to the band.
Also Read: Katy Perry Embraces Change As She and Orlando Bloom Transition Beyond Sobriety Pact
Pete Best Career
The Beatles replaced Pete with a session drummer, Ringo Starr. Ringo used to play drums for the Beatles in Pete’s absence. Pete was musically unfit according to the official reason given by the band. George Martin said that he had less experience. They always wanted to replace Pete for making no progress. However, the real reason turned out to be the jealousy of other band members over Pete’s better looks.
Pete’s mother, Mona, used to handle the promotional and management work for The Beatles. The band members thought she was manipulative and did her job mainly for her son.
However, Mona did not ruin her relations with the band. She kept visiting them while meeting Neil Aspinal. The band members used to offer her small gifts, and she allowed them to use her father’s military medals for their album cover.
After parting ways, Pete took part in many other ventures that later turned unsuccessful. On the other hand, The Beatles climbed the ladder of success after Pete’s departure. He struggled psychologically, went into depression, and attempted suicide once.
After recovering from the trauma, he took various simple jobs, such as working in a bakery. He worked as a civil servant for almost two decades. In that period, he turned down all offers to play drums publicly. After getting retired, he founded the Pete Best Band.
Pete’s younger brother, Roag, is another drummer in the Pete Best Band. The band regularly tours the world. Pete played the drum for co-wrote the first album, Hayman’s Green, for the band, which got released in different months of 2008 in various parts of the world.
Pete’s Best Net Worth
Pete’s Best Net Worth is $600,000 as of 2023. In 2016, it was $400,000. His most income came from performing as a drummer. The Anthology Project in October 1995 paid him $12,800,000. His annual income gets estimated to be $100,000, and monthly, $8,333. He got an $18,000,000 check as the first royalty check.
Pete only used to be a senior drummer in The Beatles. It is said that they paid him $15 for a performance and $5,000 throughout his journey with the band. The net worth of the other Beatles is in the millions, which is much higher than Pete’s.
After getting dismissed from The Beatles, Pete sued the band for defamation of character. He expected $18 million but got much less than that. Pete made a cameo in a movie. Moreover, he got portrayed directly or indirectly in some movies.
Pete appeared in various albums like Best, Best of the Beatles, Rebirth, Back to the Beat, The Savage Young Beatles, and more. He has also performed in six singles, including “Kansas City” b/w “boys.”
Pete’s mother, Mona Best, lived in a big house in India and wanted the same in Liverpool. Thus, the Best family lived in a large house on 17 Queenscourt Road for nine years. Later, Mona purchased a large Victorian House having an acre of land and fifteen bedrooms at 8 Hayman’s Green.
Also Read: Big Pokey Net Worth
