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On January 30th 1969 the Beatles appeared on the roof of their Apple Corps building on Saville Row in London to film a performance for the movie “Let It Be.” This was the band’s last public performance. Bystanders gathered on the streets and the roofs and fire escapes of surrounding buildings.

This was the period during which the Beatles were breaking up. There was much dissension within the group, which had been filming at Twickenham Film Studios, rehearsals and performances of the songs which would appear in their “Let It Be,” and “Abbey Road” albums. George Harrison had already told the other members of the band that he was leaving.

Saville Row is a high priced shopping street in London’s Mayfair district, specializing in custom tailored men’s suits. Apple Corps was not a particularly welcome neighbor. Using money from their phenominal record sales, The Beatles had bought and renovated the building, establishing offices and a recording studio, designed by John “Magic Alex” Mardas. The rooftop was chosen ad a concert venue after much disagreement over where to film a live performance. Paul wanted to play in a small club as The Beatles had done at the beginning of their career. John wanted to film a performance somewhere in Africa. George was not interested in performing at all, although a live performance was needed to finish the film which would be released as “Let It Be.”

No permits were requested from the city. Five songs were performed before the police arrived and shut down the show.

Apple Records is the only branch of Apple Corps that ever made any money, primarily from the release of The Beatles music in various forms. Apple Corps has had a longstanding trade name dispute with Apple Computer, one result of which has been the absence of Beatles music on iTunes.

Known as “Big” Walter in contrast to “Little” Walter Jacobs and also as “Shakey” because oh his characteristic head movement while playing, Walter Horton, born in 1917, was a pioneer blues harmonica player. He began playing harmonica at the age of 5 in his hometown, Horn Lake, Mississippi. As a young teen, Horton started his professional music career in Memphis Tennessee, in the late 1920s. He claimed to have appeared on some records with the Memphis Jug Band at this time, although this has been disputed. He did record with guitarist Little Buddy Doyle for Okeh and Vocalion Records records in the 1930s. Horton spent several years out of the music business in the 1940 but was back and recording for Sam Phillips’ Sun records by the early 1950s. Horton was a part of the Chicago blues scene in the 1960s working with Johnny Shines, Eddie Taylor, Johnny Young, Sunnyland Slim and Willie Dixon.

Here he makes a television appearance in 1965. The set is a gritty urban street scene, appropriate to his position as a “Chicago blues man.” He is playing an instrumental piece entitled “Shakey’s Blues.”

Big Bill Broonzy struggled for many years in the music business, making many recordings for several labels, starting in 1927, without achieving commercial success. He began as a delta blues musician, tried the emerging rhythm & blues sound in the forties, and finally achieved wide acclaim in the 1950s during the first great folk scare, appearing with Pete Seeger Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and Leadbelly in venues such as New York’s Town Hall.

In this clip, Broonzy plays an up-tempo instrumental which he calls “Hey Hey.”