As a teenager, Eric Michaels watched “The Ed Sullivan Show” when the Beatles came to America.
His first thought was, he admitted: “This is the way to get chicks. Look at all those girls screaming.”
Today Michaels, of Chicago, is the driving force behind American English, considered by many including Newsweek to be the best Beatles tribute band of all time.
And when he comes with the group Saturday to Genesee Theatre, he’ll bring with him a wealth of knowledge about the Beatles’ music and an intimate understanding of the immense talent possessed by the foursome phenom made famous by screaming girls in the 1960s.
Also performing will be Elvis Presley impersonator Brandon Bennett.
Michaels, who has been playing the part of Paul McCartney for more than 20 years with American English, started out as a teenager performing with his brother, Paul, in various bands — even serving as openers for famous rock-and-rollers including Cream, Jefferson Airplane and Iron Butterfly, he said.
A left-hander just like Paul McCartney, Michaels learned to play bass guitar and got plenty of opportunities to perform when a band needed that instrument covered.
“We were playing every party, at bars, everywhere we could play in Chicago. I was just 15. My dad, a jazz musician, would drive us there, then pick us up at the end of night after his gig. Music was everywhere, at every tavern, every club — you name it. We were able to get work and make a few dollars.”
Eventually Michaels grew weary of the world of rock music — he had a wife and a daughter and decided to quit traveling so much, which meant giving up his gigs.
But when his brother suggested he audition for the part of Paul McCartney in a Beatles tribute band called American English, he agreed. After all, people had always told him he looked like Paul and sounded like him when he sang “Yesterday.” When he met the rest of the band, Michaels said, “I was blown away that the guy who played George Harrison looked just like George and he sang like him. The Ringo guy had a steady beat like Ringo. So I got a suit, got the job and started playing at high schools and all the kids started screaming.
Now, the group performs more than 140 gigs annually in Chicago and the nation. And he’s come to know why the Beatles were much more than four pretty faces for girls to adore.
“Their music is magic. It is being handed down by parents, generation from generation. It was the songs, but it was also the sound of their voices.”
He’s researched every inflection of Paul McCartney’s voice to perfect his role, and he’s researched how the Beatles worked. For example, “in their later years, those guys would be with their headphones on and they would stay there until they got what they wanted and they would experiment. That’s why they came up with so many cool weird timing things and bass lines. Paul would come in after a whole session and he’d start laying bass lines down again. He’d be up until 6 in the morning and he’d have the perfect bass line.
When trying to explain what’s so special about the Beatles, Michaels picked up his acoustic guitar and began playing, “Blackbird.” When he got to a certain chord progression, he said, “That’s it. That’s what I love about this song.”
One of his favorite tunes is “Golden Slumbers,” which McCartney sang on the “Abbey Road” album. “I listened to him sing in that beautiful voice. This guy is a monster. He can change his voice midstream.”
Michaels also loves all the early Beatles songs. “I named my daughter Michelle. I had to,” he said referring to the famous Beatles tune sung by Paul McCartney.
Why American English might be more popular than other Beatles tribute bands could have to do with the group’s decision to “do everything as close to the way the Beatles did it,” he said. He plays the same style and make of bass guitar Paul McCartney played. The group uses a white baby grand like John Lennon used to play. They change clothes to fit the Beatles’ musical style over the years. They’ll also do complete albums by request.
“We have a meet and greet at the end of the night after performing,” Williams said. “We talk to people who say, ‘the difference is you guys are not a cartoon. You guys play and sing with passion.'”
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance writer.
American English with Brandon Bennett: Elvis My Way
When: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23
Where: Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan
Tickets: $25-$50
Information: 847-782-2366; www.geneseetheatre.com
