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PRESS RELEASE  April 2010

Artist:        DEAN JOHNSON
Title:          Silence Is Its Own Reply (revisited)

Label:                        Finmusic
Format:                     Single/Download
Cat No.                      FIN00030DD
Barcode No.            5060193900285
Release date:          7 June 2010
Distribution:             Second Wind Digital

Beatles biographer Hunter Davies and BBC Radio Merseyside presenter Spencer Leigh met at the end of last year. They suggested a scenario in which a lost lyric fragment by the late George Harrison maybe completed by a contemporary songwriter for inclusion in a radio interview. The interview coincided with the fortieth anniversary of Hunter’s Beatles biography.

A few days before the programme was broadcast Spencer Leigh contacted singer/songwriter Dean Johnson, who Spencer had long considered “the best songwriter in Liverpool today” Initially Johnson assumed himself to be the victim of a practical joke. He was reassured by Spencer that this was a genuine request and had Hunter’s blessing.

Dean was directed to maintain as closely as possible the original spirit of George’s ten lines and on this premise he fashioned the song ‘Silence Is Its Own Reply’.

Within hours of the song’s broadcast the Liverpool media seized upon the existence of the song and the National tabloids where swift to follow. The song that was now being described as a “lost Beatles song” became the subject of feverish internet postings. A YouTube link of Johnson performing the song received tens of thousands of viewings. The fine line between fact and fiction regarding the songs origin and intended exploitation became blurred. In reality Harrison’s original lyrics had been bequeathed to the British Library almost a year ago by Hunter Davies and remained the property of the Harrison Estate.

A completely revised version entitled ‘Silence Is Its Own Reply (revisited)’ is now released. This extraordinary musical odyssey, born out of fantasy that became a reality and has now found its own identity while still maintaining a sense of myth.
 

Dean is available for interviews and sessions.
Contact Janet Holmes 0151 608 5483 / 0790 333 7995, or at our.pr@hotmail.co.uk

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