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Peter Shotton (4 August 1941 – 24 March 2017) was an English businessman. He was known for creating the Fatty Arbuckle's chain of restaurants and for his long friendship with John Lennon of the Beatles; he played the washboard in the Beatles' precursor the Quarrymen and remained close to the band, holding various positions related to their business ventures over the years.
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Shotton was born in Liverpool on 4 August 1941, the son of Bessie (née Wilson) and George Shotton. He was a close childhood friend of John Lennon, with whom he attended Dovedale Infants School and Quarry Bank Grammar School. The two were frequently in trouble with school faculty, often being caned by the headmaster as punishment for their misdeeds, and they came to be known at Quarry Bank as "Shennon and Lotton" or "Lotton and Shennon".[1]
In 1957, Shotton was Lennon's bandmate in the Quarrymen, playing the washboard until Paul McCartney joined. Shotton left the band when he confided that he did not really enjoy playing, prompting Lennon to smash the washboard over his head at a party. However, he remained a friend and confidant of the group, becoming close with all of the Beatles. [2]
Shotton pursued a career in business; after the Beatles became famous and wealthy, Lennon bought a supermarket on Hayling Island and gave it to him.[2] He later served as manager of the band's Apple Boutique, then as the first CEO of their Apple Corps.[2] After Lennon began a relationship with Yoko Ono and Apple started to flounder, Shotton parted company with the Beatles.[citation needed]
Shotton resumed his ownership of the Hayling Island supermarket, which he continued to run until the late 1970s.[citation needed] He then created the Fatty Arbuckle's chain of restaurants, a franchise designed to bring the feel of the American diner to Britain. The franchise was highly successful in the 1980s and was later sold for an undisclosed sum. He later moved to Dublin to live as a tax exile.[citation needed] Upon hearing the news that Lennon had been murdered on 8 December 1980, he visited Harrison at Friar Park.[citation needed] He co-authored, with Nicholas Schaffner, the book John Lennon: In My Life (1983). It was republished later as The Beatles, Lennon and Me, and told the story of their friendship from the age of six until Lennon's death.
On 24 March 2017, at the age of 75, Shotton died of a heart attack at his home in Knutsford.[3]
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