BILL DAVIS

[brianeppie]

Hello and sorry for my not great english.


My friend gone to UK and work at a retirement home for about a year.

He there, and I ask him to chat to the old people about PID (Paul is Dead) and see if they know anything.


He told me story that is much like NIR Committee story (that make more sense then other storys about Paul and probably is true) , I see.


He say one personne remember someone named Bill Davis from Liverpool. He work as a driver and meet Brian Epstein in the early 1960s, before the Beatles got celebrity.


After the Beatles become big in the USA, with Brian's aide, he move to Washington to be a double for Paul during the band tours.


That mean he is, according to the man, a decoy.


He and other lookalikes run around and pretend them is the Beatles. Fans follow them, think is the real band, and the Beatles will relax away from crazyness.


The man never sees Bill again, but they staye in touch for a few more year through letters.


Some other people vaguely remember Bill.


A few say he know for date a female Brian Epstein artist they forget her name.


But only this person remember Bill working for Epstein as Paul double.


Is there proof of Bill Davis work as Paul double, or is the memory of the old man just not good?

[ramone]

"Is there proof of Bill Davis work as Paul double, or is the memory of the old man just not good?"

Finding any proof of these things is difficult. Wouldn't surprise me if there were doubles just for the sake of misdirection -
sleight of hand - even to give the lads a break.

[brianeppie]

Jan 12, 2024 21:50:30 GMT -5 ramone said:

"Is there proof of Bill Davis work as Paul double, or is the memory of the old man just not good?"

Finding any proof of these things is difficult. Wouldn't surprise me if there were doubles just for the sake of misdirection -
sleight of hand - even to give the lads a break.

Thank to a person I ask about this in Facebook, I got new information about Bill Davis. I do not know what this say, but it say "Paul McCartney (alias Bill Davis.)"

 

[P(D)enny La(i)ne]

As far as I can tell, there are two people named Bill Davis vaguely associated with The Beatles.

One of them was the old guy with the flowers on his head who appeared in the Hey Jude promo, so he wasn't a Paul look-alike.

www.mediastorehouse.com/memory-lane-prints/mirror/0100to0199-00146/beatles-old-compton-street-soho-street-busker-21505100.html



The other was Bill "Sheriff Tex" Davis, an American who co-wrote Be Bop A Lula. He was born in 1914, so he would have been 50 in 1964. Also not a likely candidate.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Be-Bop-a-Lula

[ramone]

I found the same pic and info on those two guys a few days ago but forgot to post it.
Glad you did.
Wondered how the busker bill guy wound up on the Hey Jude set - now I know.

[joseph]

Evidently the song originated in 1955, when Vincent was recuperating from a motorcycle accident at the US Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Elementary my dear Watson?

[brianeppie]

Jan 18, 2024 18:25:49 GMT -5 P(D)enny La(i)ne said:

As far as I can tell, there are two people named Bill Davis vaguely associated with The Beatles.

One of them was the old guy with the flowers on his head who appeared in the Hey Jude promo, so he wasn't a Paul look-alike.

www.mediastorehouse.com/memory-lane-prints/mirror/0100to0199-00146/beatles-old-compton-street-soho-street-busker-21505100.html



The other was Bill "Sheriff Tex" Davis, an American who co-wrote Be Bop A Lula. He was born in 1914, so he would have been 50 in 1964. Also not a likely candidate.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Be-Bop-a-Lula

I see. But I understand Bill Davies double is not Bill Davis street artist. Dutch article confirm it.

[brianeppie]

www.newspapers.com/article/liverpool-echo-billy-davies-feb-1966/141256623/ I found article about Billy Davies.

This confirm Billy Davies is real - sadly no photograph of him is appear.

It read in the article that Billy move to the USA by 1966.

[brianeppie]

 "Cilla Blacks first boy friend, Billy Davies"
"Billy, once employed by Brian Epstein in Liverpool"
"working in Washington DC" 

[ramone]

Feb 18, 2024 3:16:30 GMT -5 brianeppie said:

www.newspapers.com/article/liverpool-echo-billy-davies-feb-1966/141256623/ I found article about Billy Davies.

This confirm Billy Davies is real - sadly no photograph of him is appear.

It read in the article that Billy move to the USA by 1966.

Interesting that going to the link you get:
"This page is not available"

(but for a second you can see the page - and then - poof!)

[brianeppie]

Feb 18, 2024 13:00:19 GMT -5 ramone said:

Feb 18, 2024 3:16:30 GMT -5 brianeppie said:

www.newspapers.com/article/liverpool-echo-billy-davies-feb-1966/141256623/ I found article about Billy Davies.

This confirm Billy Davies is real - sadly no photograph of him is appear.

It read in the article that Billy move to the USA by 1966.

Interesting that going to the link you get:
"This page is not available"

(but for a second you can see the page - and then - poof!)

That is weird.

I have attach the article under.

Perhaps they trying censor it.

[revolver]

Feb 18, 2024 13:00:19 GMT -5 ramone said:

Feb 18, 2024 3:16:30 GMT -5 brianeppie said:

www.newspapers.com/article/liverpool-echo-billy-davies-feb-1966/141256623/ I found article about Billy Davies.

This confirm Billy Davies is real - sadly no photograph of him is appear.

It read in the article that Billy move to the USA by 1966.

Interesting that going to the link you get:
"This page is not available"

(but for a second you can see the page - and then - poof!)

It's probably the paywall blocking you.

[ramone]

Could be.
Also says:

"This page is pending publication, has been removed or moved to a new location"

[joseph]

Jan 13, 2024 9:55:56 GMT -5 brianeppie said:

Jan 12, 2024 21:50:30 GMT -5 ramone said:

"Is there proof of Bill Davis work as Paul double, or is the memory of the old man just not good?"

Finding any proof of these things is difficult. Wouldn't surprise me if there were doubles just for the sake of misdirection -
sleight of hand - even to give the lads a break.

Thank to a person I ask about this in Facebook, I got new information about Bill Davis. I do not know what this say, but it say "Paul McCartney (alias Bill Davis.)"

 

That clipping was used on a blog called "The Occult Beatles" in 2018 in a story titled "Decoys, Doubles and disguises"


theoccultbeatles.wordpress.com/2018/11/22/doubles-decoys-and-disguises-part-1-of-2-or-maybe-3/

There's a photo of The Fetals and their stunt doubles taken during the making of the movie Help. Forge must have done his own stunts

[P(D)enny La(i)ne]

This Bill Davis business rang a bell with me, but I couldn't for the life of me remember why.

Turns out that our old friend Valis posted this back in the day.

Oddly enough, the translated article mentions two different doubles for Paul, Bill Davis AND Keith Allison...

Jan 26, 2006 22:30:26 GMT -5 Valis said:

The next article is taken from a dutch magazine in either September or October 1966 which I translated into english.

On the one hand I think it's a made up story because It is not noted in any other article I've got and there is no mention of a Beatle Protection Society or Ron Proctor anywhere online.
But the story really makes me think.

Here is first the article and after that some notes from me

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-The real and the fake Beatles-

America has it's own Beatles. They look like the real ones 100%, are just as tall and behave in the same way as John, Paul, George and Ringo.
They are called Ron, Bill, Keith and Tim: The Beatle Decoys. What is going on here?

In America exists The Beatles Protection Society, also called The Beatle Bobbies, whose job it is to protect The Beatles against the hysteria and idolatry of the fans on their American tours.

Recently the society realized an amazing plan; to form fake Beatles who have to camouflage the arrival and departure of the real Beatles at their concerts.

Like a month ago at the Baltimore Theatre: thousands of fans blocked the artistexit, waiting for The Beatles.

Suddenly Ringo Starr (a.k.a Ron Rictor) and Paul McCartney (a.k.a. Bill Davis) came outside and while they were under attack the real Beatles left through another exit.

The Beatle Decoy's are happy with their (double) life.
Ron, the leader, told us:"We even play the same instruments as The Beatles. Paul, I mean Keith is even lefthanded just like McCartney. We even wear the same clothes."
The fake Beatle that looks the most like the original is Keith Allison, who plays Paul.
He looks so alike that they even started a fanclub for him, the Keith Allison Fanclub.; he receives- as being Keith -1000 fanletters a day (!).
Keith Allison used to be bassplayer for the Crickets and was "discovered" by The BeatleProtection Society when he was a guest, sitting at a table, in the "Whiskey A Go Go (tv) Show".
After the broadcast hundreds of people called in to the show to ask: "Was that Paul McCartney?".
The producer, Dick Clark, was also struck by the resemblance and contracted the imitation Paul for 12 episodes of "Where the action is".

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I doubt this story because I have no other articles about this and the "new" names aren't found online, but of course it might be a story that was not supposed to come out.
There were doubles in 1966, and I am 100% sure that the article is from that period; it's from my mother's collection.

1.how would a dutch mag know about that Keith Allison, he is a good Fakepaul, so him being mentioned lends some credibility to this story

2.The doublenames of all 4 Beatles are called, Paul has got a double double name: Bill!!! and Keith Allison

3.a Beatle Protection society, huh? come on that must be a joke

4.They are a decoy for the Beatles travels, but also make music!?

5.They are a decoy but Keith already has a fanclub!?

6. I've seen photos of Keith so I know he is not Bill, but something happened in those days surely, involving doubles.

7. I googled on Keith Allison and got this page: www.psycho-jello.com/monkees/standphotos.html , which was directly followed by a page about the Monkees' stand ins www.psycho-jello.com/monkees/keith1.html , more doubles

here's a scan from the original article, I hope I can get up a bigger scan later.
It might be a bit hard to read, and even though most of you don't speak Dutch, I put it up as proof, that I didn't make this story up myself.



All Love Jan

[brianeppie]

Feb 19, 2024 19:38:56 GMT -5 P(D)enny La(i)ne said:

This Bill Davis business rang a bell with me, but I couldn't for the life of me remember why.

Turns out that our old friend Valis posted this back in the day.

Oddly enough, the translated article mentions two different doubles for Paul, Bill Davis AND Keith Allison...

Jan 26, 2006 22:30:26 GMT -5 Valis said:

The next article is taken from a dutch magazine in either September or October 1966 which I translated into english.

On the one hand I think it's a made up story because It is not noted in any other article I've got and there is no mention of a Beatle Protection Society or Ron Proctor anywhere online.
But the story really makes me think.

Here is first the article and after that some notes from me

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-The real and the fake Beatles-

America has it's own Beatles. They look like the real ones 100%, are just as tall and behave in the same way as John, Paul, George and Ringo.
They are called Ron, Bill, Keith and Tim: The Beatle Decoys. What is going on here?

In America exists The Beatles Protection Society, also called The Beatle Bobbies, whose job it is to protect The Beatles against the hysteria and idolatry of the fans on their American tours.

Recently the society realized an amazing plan; to form fake Beatles who have to camouflage the arrival and departure of the real Beatles at their concerts.

Like a month ago at the Baltimore Theatre: thousands of fans blocked the artistexit, waiting for The Beatles.

Suddenly Ringo Starr (a.k.a Ron Rictor) and Paul McCartney (a.k.a. Bill Davis) came outside and while they were under attack the real Beatles left through another exit.

The Beatle Decoy's are happy with their (double) life.
Ron, the leader, told us:"We even play the same instruments as The Beatles. Paul, I mean Keith is even lefthanded just like McCartney. We even wear the same clothes."
The fake Beatle that looks the most like the original is Keith Allison, who plays Paul.
He looks so alike that they even started a fanclub for him, the Keith Allison Fanclub.; he receives- as being Keith -1000 fanletters a day (!).
Keith Allison used to be bassplayer for the Crickets and was "discovered" by The BeatleProtection Society when he was a guest, sitting at a table, in the "Whiskey A Go Go (tv) Show".
After the broadcast hundreds of people called in to the show to ask: "Was that Paul McCartney?".
The producer, Dick Clark, was also struck by the resemblance and contracted the imitation Paul for 12 episodes of "Where the action is".

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I doubt this story because I have no other articles about this and the "new" names aren't found online, but of course it might be a story that was not supposed to come out.
There were doubles in 1966, and I am 100% sure that the article is from that period; it's from my mother's collection.

1.how would a dutch mag know about that Keith Allison, he is a good Fakepaul, so him being mentioned lends some credibility to this story

2.The doublenames of all 4 Beatles are called, Paul has got a double double name: Bill!!! and Keith Allison

3.a Beatle Protection society, huh? come on that must be a joke

4.They are a decoy for the Beatles travels, but also make music!?

5.They are a decoy but Keith already has a fanclub!?

6. I've seen photos of Keith so I know he is not Bill, but something happened in those days surely, involving doubles.

7. I googled on Keith Allison and got this page: www.psycho-jello.com/monkees/standphotos.html , which was directly followed by a page about the Monkees' stand ins www.psycho-jello.com/monkees/keith1.html , more doubles

here's a scan from the original article, I hope I can get up a bigger scan later.
It might be a bit hard to read, and even though most of you don't speak Dutch, I put it up as proof, that I didn't make this story up myself.



All Love Jan

Wow, it appear my discovery is not new!

Thank you for sharing

[brianeppie]

After many researches on here and with person from Facebook, I compile information about Bill Davis and Beatles doubles:



Billy Davis was born approximately in 1939 in Liverpool. His mother name Vera Davis, a trader market, and he live on the Scotland Road in Liverpool, same as Cilla Black.

Cilla and Billy have become friends; they gone around Liverpool collecting autographs of famous local artists.



Billy was tall 6 feet 2 according to Cilla Black.

When he grew up he start work for Brian Epstein's NEMS store in Liverpool, with person name Robert Healey who writes a book in which he mentione him name "I'm Still Standing," that can you find on Google.

According to friend, he have been a lorry driver. We have no proof of that although.



Is said he left England at some point before 1966.



Meanwhile, a few years earlier, Beatlemania starte, and according to George Martin, "In order to make their way into the city and hunker down for the night at Brown’s Hotel, the promoters were forced to resort to a diversion in order to misdirect the horde of people awaiting their arrival. As George later recalled, the diversionary tactic 'consisted of a number of people pretending to be Beatles and drawing up in limousines at the front of the hotel, while we went in at the back, through the kitchen entrance. The trouble was that all the photographers and newsmen had tumbled to what we were doing, and they piled in after us. A terrible mêlée in the kitchen resulted, with pots and pans flying in all directions. Brian, the four boys and I finally made it to a service lift, but before we could shut the doors the reporters, the most ruthless people on earth when it comes to getting a story, simply jammed themselves in with us'".

Articles about this event from the time talk about the members of these lookalike Ron Rictor, Ed Rodgers, Tim Rodgers, and Bill Davis. Articles talk about how Bill know how to play the bass.

 
I credit Bernard Webb and The Occult Beatles for discovery of articles

The decoys last appear at the concert Candlestick Park in 1966. From message by Facebook friend, "as confirmed by journalist Arthur Unger in his September 1986 article “Twenty Years Later, the Beatles Dream is Over” for The Nashua Telegraph, in which he recalled seeing 'decoys for the Fab Four at what was to be their final concert'"

No picture of Bill exist, however there is illustration article in February 1964 about "fan from England who dressed up like Beatles" on newspapers.com that draw my attention. Three people in the photo look little like Beatles, then a person who look exactly like Paul. He is Bill Davis?

note I cut photo to look only to the person that look like Paul