Paul Beriff was only trying to get to grips with the essentials of photography when he started arranging opportunities to photograph the future legends and pioneers of rock music in Leeds and across Yorkshire.
The Headingley-born lad dropped out of school at 15 and was inspired to take up photography from looking through the pictures in Life Magazine and Picture Post while doing his round. He said: “I was very impressed with it and I wanted to be a photographer for Life Magazine.”
After getting a job in the copy room at the Yorkshire Evening Post, Mr Beriff bought a camera with his wages and started emulating the pictures he admired.
He said: “I used to follow police cars and fire engines around Leeds on my push bike. One day a car crashed through a glass window on the Headrow and I was the first there.”
Mr Berriff’s pictures were splashed on the front page and, with newfound encouragement, he decided to reach out to theatre managers across the region to take pictures of the up and coming stars of the time.
He said: “It was 1963 and the pop era had just started. So I thought I would use that to test out my camera.”
Over the next few years, while Mr Berriff was still just a teenager, he would visit the Odeon Theatre in Leeds and travel to Huddersfield, Hull and Doncaster to shoot the bands before they took to the stage.
Mr Berriff later went to work in television and, amazingly, it wasn’t until 10 years ago that he rediscovered the collection of photographs and shared them with the world.
A selection of the shots, some of which had never been publicised before, were displayed at Carriageworks Theatre in Leeds over the weekend as part of Photo North Festival, which celebrates the best Yorkshire photography.
Check out the gallery below for some of Mr Beriff’s pictures and the incredible stories behind them. To view more of Mr Berriff’s pictures or purchase the prints, visit his website.
1. The Beatles
Paul McCartney and John Lennon on stage at the ABC Theatre in Huddersfield, November 22, 1963. Mr Beriff said: "This was the day their single 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' was released and this venue was the first time they had performed the number in front of a live audience." | Paul Berriff
2. The Beatles
The Beatles relax in the auditorium of the ABC Theatre in Huddersfield. Mr Berriff told a remarkable story of how he attended the show early with his girlfriend and watched the band soundcheck by playing their new song, 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'. | Paul Berriff
3. The Beatles
The Beatles in Huddersfield in 1963. Mr Berriff said that he met the Fab Four around seven times over the years, adding: "I got to know John quite well. Every time he saw me he would ask 'how's the photography going, Paul?' I never asked him how the music was going because I knew full well it was taking off. | Paul Berriff
4. The Beatles
Paul McCartney playing Twist & Shout on stage at the ABC Theatre in Huddersfield. This picture was later used by the editors of Life Magazine, which inspired Mr Berriff to get into photography, for the cover of a book about Paul McCartney, which Mr Berriff said was a "full circle" moment. | Paul Berriff
5. The Beatles
George Harrison and Ringo Starr enjoy a packet of popcorn prior to The Beatles concert at the Odeon Theatre in Leeds on October 22, 1964. Mr Berriff said that the two men were quieter than John Lennon and Paul McCartney. | Paul Berriff
6. The Beatles
The Beatles enjoy a sing song in their dressing room at the ABC Theatre in Hull in November 1963. Mr Berriff marvelled at how his pictures were some of the first of the band all together in their formative years. | Paul Berriff