From Tampa to Liverpool: Local attorney sets out to make documentary on the 'Almost Beatle'

TAMPA, Fla. - The Beatles were the superstars of the British Invasion, but a prominent figure in their history is getting a fresh look many years later. 

Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison played in a band called The Quarrymen with drummer Colin Hanton. Hanton is the "Almost Beatle" whose story took Mark Bentley from Tampa to Liverpool. 

"We went to track down a lot of people who knew The Beatles and The Quarrymen in obscure little towns in England," he said. 

Bentley is a land-use attorney who, along with his son and daughter, made a full-length documentary called ‘Pre Fab!,’ as in pre-Fab Four.

Hanton was the drummer before Pete Best or Ringo Starr, but after a falling out with other band members, he chose to become an upholsterer instead of a Beatle. It’s part of the band’s rich history. 

"I’m probably a bigger fan because now I understand the Beatle politics, Liverpool and the different camps people are in, how fragile the relationships are and who gets along with who and who doesn’t," said Bentley.

Hanton, now a retiree, is still in Liverpool who is loved by his neighbors, his family, and Beatles collectors. 

The film is already winning praises, and it was selected to open the Florida Film Festival in Maitland this weekend. 

"For a first time it makes me feel pretty darn good," said Bentley. "But, I surround myself with some really talented people." 

As did Colin Hanton, the "Almost Beatle," who chose to be an upholsterer instead.