On track 19 of the re-mastered Beatles compilation album, “Live at the BBC,” John Lennon’s unmistakable Liverpool accent chirps, “Dig this, for here’s Paul whistling ‘Clarabella,’” as he introduces the song.

But what many might not know is that Lennon is referencing the popular Jodimars song “Well Now Dig This,” written in 1955 by songwriter Frank Pingatore II — one Syracuse University student’s grandfather.

Frank Pingatore IV, a sophomore finance and entrepreneurship major at SU, has spent his entire life looking up to his grandfather. However, it wasn’t until about the second grade when he finally began to realize the significance and importance of the work his grandfather did in the ’50s and ’60s, especially the work he did for The Beatles.

“I would bring him in for show-and-tell, and everyone would go crazy,” Frank Pingatore IV said.

On Nov. 11, a two-disc, re-mastered version of The Beatles’ “Live at the BBC” album was re-released. The original recordings were completed between 1963-1965, and the first version of the live performance album came out in 1994. The album features 56 Beatles songs, including “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Love Me Do” and the cover of “Clarabella.” The songs are interspersed among 13 spoken tracks, one of which includes this hidden reference to SU student Frank Pingatore IV’s grandfather.

The grandson said some of his fondest memories of his grandfather are the times when the two would play golf together and when his grandfather would sing to him. But topics like The Beatles were seldom discussed, as he was a very humble and modest man.

When his grandfather passed last winter, Frank Pingatore IV had just returned home for his first winter break as an SU student. He had not seen his grandfather, who had been suffering from Alzheimer’s, in two years because the idea of seeing him in such as state was scary, he said.

Although the passing of his grandfather has been difficult — he said just attending the funeral was hard — his grandfather’s memory still lives on. The recent re-release of The Beatles’ BBC recordings is a testament to this. In the few days that the album has been on the shelves, record stores, like the Syracuse-based Sound Garden in Armory Square, have noticed the album’s popularity as copies have flown off the shelves.

“We only have two copies left,” said Casey Keefe, an associate at the Sound Garden. “So it’s pretty nuts, especially considering the price. One CD alone is $19.99, and one comes with both (discs), and that’s $40. So that’s pretty awesome.”

Keefe said this comes as no surprise to the Sound Garden’s employees, as The Beatles are one of the most popular bands of all time. And while “Clarabella” may not be the most well-known Beatles song, Frank Pingatore II can also be remembered for his numerous other contributions to the music industry.

After working with the band Bill Haley & His Comets, Frank Pingatore II left when the band split due to disputes about money, and he formed the Jodimars. He helped the new band nab its first recording contract with Capitol Records. At the time, the Jodimars were the first so-called rock ‘n’ roll band to be represented by Capitol Records, said the songwriter’s son Frank Pingatore III, as the record label also represented superstars like Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.

From there, Frank Pingatore III said that his father began representing and writing music for the Jodimars, including popular tracks like “Happy Baby,” “Two Hound Dogs,” “Well Now Dig This” and of course “Clarabella.”

“The Jodimars really didn’t make it that big in the United States for whatever reason,” Frank Pingatore III said. “So in 1957, they went to Europe to tour. They went over there with a double bass drum and a unique sound, and England was going crazy for them, and in the audience was a young John and a young Paul.”

That’s when the collaboration between Frank Pingatore II and the boy band began, when The Beatles were just starting out. They were still looking for record labels to pick them up for a record deal, and they would regularly sing Frank Pingatore II’s song “Clarabella” at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, one of the group’s regular performance locations in their early days, the songwriter’s son said.

“Paul was a big fan of my father’s work,” Frank Pingatore III said. “He actually mentioned my father in a book he wrote in the ’70s.”

And even though the famous songwriter is now deceased, SU student Frank Pingatore IV said that his grandfather’s effect on rock ‘n’ roll still lives on, even beyond the music industry. As a songwriter and musician himself, Frank Pingatore IV said he looks to his grandfather for inspiration.

Published on November 19, 2013 at 1:53 am

Contact Katie: kjrichar@syr.edu | @ktjrichards