Mersey Beat was a music publication in Liverpool, England in the early 1960s. It was founded by Bill Harry, who was one of John Lennon's classmates at Liverpool Art College. The paper carried news about all the local Liverpool bands, and stars who came to town to perform.
The Beatles of course had a close association with Mersey Beat, who carried many exclusive stories and photos of them. They also published several of Lennon's early writings, including a history of the band, and occasional comical classified advertisements by him as space filler.
Another of the paper's noted supporters was Brian Epstein, future Beatles manager, who wrote a regular column about new record releases available at NEMS Enterprises.
The phrase Mersey Beat was also used to describe local music of the time, sometimes also called the Mersey Sound, see Beat music.
Merseybeat is the name of a BBC television drama filmed in Widnes about police officers on Merseyside, starring Leslie Ash, Joanna Taylor, John McArdle, Haydn Gwynne, Josie D'Arby and Michelle Holmes. Four seasons were televised between 2001 and 2004.
