He loves them yeah, yeah, yeah: Beatles music soundtrack to his life

MIDDLEBORO — Do you remember the first time you heard The Beatles?

Middleboro resident and Boston-based radio host Larry “Cha-Chi” Loprete sure does. The long-time fan’s life was shaped when he saw the group on “The Ed Sullivan Show,’’ in 1964.

The host of Breakfast with the Beatles, airing on 91.9FM WUMB in Boston and two other New England stations, Loprete has spent his career learning about the band and interviewing its members.

Growing up, Loprete became a fan of radio and carried a transistor radio around. His love for the Beatles and radio combined and saw him become an on-air disc jockey and host for 40 years and counting.

Loprete has interviewed three of the four Beatles, which he called “an extraordinary experience.”

Cha-Chi, Loprete’s nickname, was given to him by a boss who thought he needed a name more memorable than Larry. The name has led to a few banter-filled interviews with Ringo Starr.

Starr constantly smiled and laughed when Loprete saw him, and Starr would tell Loprete, “You’ve got a weirder name than I do.”

Loprete added that Paul McCartney was always polite and accommodating, so much so that during a 1990 interview, the superstar recorded a radio call sign for Loprete’s show that is still used on the station.

George Harrison, however, was Loprete’s most enjoyable interview thanks to his Liverpool, England accent and sense of humor. Loprete said he had heard Harrison was funny and that he lived up to those expectations when they met.

He didn’t get to interview John Lennon, who was killed in 1980, one year before Loprete began working in radio.

In addition to interviewing McCartney, Harrison, and Starr, Loprete has collected enough Beatles memorabilia to fill a small museum. 

Among his prized possessions is the “butcher cover,” which depicts the pop stars posing with raw meat and decapitated baby dolls. It was the original cover of “Yesterday and Today,’’ an album released only in North America that included songs from three official Beatles albums: “Help!,” “Rubber Soul,” and “Revolver.”

The first 750,000 copies of the album were shipped with the butcher cover before Capitol Records launched a nationwide recall when media outrage forced the record label to change the cover to something tamer. As a result, the butcher cover became a holy grail among collectors.

Beatles members said the cover was to protest the Vietnam War, while some fans and historians thought it was the group’s way of protesting how American record labels butchered their albums.

Regardless of how the band meant the cover to be interpreted, this is one example of the 40-plus years of stories Loprete has collected about the band that he’ll share at Beatles Nights.

Loprete will host four editions of Beatles Night, with the first happening on June 23 from 6 to 9 p.m. under the tent outside at Lorenzo’s, 500 E Grove St. The other Beatles Nights will happen on July 14, Aug. 5, and Sept. 16.

“We’re going to celebrate the music and enjoy the food,” said Loprete.

The events will include plenty of Beatles music, live performances, trivia, giveaways, and stories from Loprete. All four editions will be different and guests can expect to see surprise performers.

Admission is free for all Beatles Nights. Reservations are recommended. Call Lorenzo’s at 508-947-3000 to make a reservation.