His family have announced the death of John Askew, age 87. Renamed Johnny Gentle by manager Larry Parnes, for a few years from 1959 he was a ‘beat ballad’ singer who cut records, appeared on TV and toured the halls – including a week in Scotland in 1960 with the unknown Beatles. pic.twitter.com/4dlbCzzN7y

— Mark Lewisohn (@marklewisohn) March 7, 2024