The Beatles’ first ever record to get radio play is up for sale

13 January 2020, 12:09 | Updated: 15 January 2024, 11:00

The first record by The Beatles to be played on the radio is up for sale and is expected to receive a huge five-figure sum.

Sir Paul, 77, is said to have penned the band’s debut single ‘Love Me Do’ while truanting from school as a teenager.

The Beatles song peaked at number 17 in the UK charts and later reached number one in the US – and now the first version to be played is heading to auction.

Radio Luxembourg was first to air the track, featuring Sir Paul and John Lennon on vocals, on October 5, 1962.

The single even includes the misspelling of Sir Paul's name after record label EMI printed Lennon-McArtney on the record.

Tony Prince, the station's programme director, is now auctioning the memorabilia.

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However, Tony was not the DJ who had played the song at the station, he had taken the single home after he and some colleagues were “asked to have a clear-out of the record library”.

Almost 60 years after it made history at the pirate radio station, Omega Auctions has described the typo as possibly “the most famous spelling error in music” and “one of the most collectable and important records in the world”.

Many years after taking the record home, Tony realised the significance of the item and asked Sir Paul to write about the origins of the single and sign the correct spelling of his name.

Sir Paul wrote: “Dear Tony, I'm happy to confirm that I first heard ‘Love Me Do’ (our first release) on Radio Luxembourg. Did I ever thank you for playing it? If not, I do now.”

His signature now appears in blue ink on the record, which is expected to fetch £20,000.