Jack Fallon booked Beatles, Stones before their fame

Jazz musician Jack Fallon, who performed with Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington and booked the Beatles and Rolling Stones early in their careers, has died at the age of 90.The southern Ontario native passed away last week at his home in London, England after a lengthy illness, family members said.Born on Oct. 13, 1915, Fallon grew up on a farm in the London, Ont., area and began playing the fiddle at a young age.He went to Britain with the Royal Canadian Air Force band, the Streamliners, during the Second World War, setting up a music agency and launching a storied career that would see him cross paths with a galaxy of stars.In 1962, Fallon booked the Beatles for a concert, eight months before their first hit."They were nice guys, just Liverpool lads,'' Fallon said later of the band, which he booked for 30 pounds.Later that same year, a group of "polite and neatly dressed'' young men approached him about a possible gig, Fallon recalls in his 2005 memoir, From The Top.The polite young men were the Rolling Stones. He booked them for 15 pounds.Meanwhile, Fallon proved to be an accomplished violin and bass player, sharing the stage with legendary performers including Bob Hope, Marlene Dietrich, Lena Horne and Noel Coward, among others.He can be heard on the Beatles' White Album playing violin on Don't Pass Me By.In 1948, he made an impression on Duke Ellington during a tour with the great U.S. band leader."Why, I'm not sure, but he took a fancy to me -- in the nicest possible way, of course,'' Fallon said."Maybe it was because he could understand my Canadian accent, more than the others.''Fallon continued to play until well into his 80s, when a mild stroke forced him to retire.His "highly modern-for-its-period bass playing'' and "oh-so-attractive Canadian accent,'' helped him make his mark in a range of musical styles including jazz, pop and classical music, said British critic and cornet player Digby Fairweather."It's an irreparable loss,'' Fairweather said in an e-mail upon hearing of the death.Based in Britain for more than 60 years, Fallon lived in London, England, with his wife, Jean (now deceased), and their family. He was granted the Freedom of the City of London, England, in 2002.
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