He was born in Madras,
India and was the son
of Mona Best who owned the Casbah Club in Liverpool.He
became a member of The
Beatles
in 1960 and played with them through their Hamburg tours but was
fired shortly after their first EMI audition possibly partly because
he refused to change and wouldn't wear his hair in the mop-top style
The
Beatles
were wearing at the time.It is said that Ringo
Starr's
band offered him the job as The Hurricanes' drummer, which he
refused, to make it a direct switch.There was a lot of controversy when he left the band and the fans
set up vigils at his home and started fights at the Cavern Club.After The
Beatles he joined Lee
Curtis and the All Stars which then became Pete Best and the All
Stars.They released the song
"I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door".He moved to the US and fronted The
Pete Best Four and The Pete Best Combo.He also led The Pete Best Band in
the 1970s.He
unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide by gassing himself in 1965.He filed
a libel suit against The
Beatles for comments by Ringo
Starr
on him being a drug user which was
settled out of court.He went
on to become a baker and a civil servant and then served as technical adviser
for the TV movie The Birth of the
Beatles.
