Courier-Journal.com Abbey Road on the River, Louisville, Kentucky, May 22-26, 2008

Courier-Journal.com Abbey Road on the River Hall Of Fame

Sir Mark of Abbey Road

We are very proud to introduce the newest
member of the AROTR Hall Of Fame.

This year our inductee symbolizes the best of the tens of thousands of Beatle® Fans who have supported our festival since 2002.

You all know this super fan as Little Mark, but from now on to us, he will forever be… Sir Mark of Abbey Road.

Mark Podgorski calls Cleveland his home, but really his home is anywhere he can enjoy the music of The Beatles. He has loved them and their music ever since he was a laddie himself, and knows the words to every Beatle song ever recorded.

Mark has journeyed to each of the six Abbey Roads on the different rivers, and can always be found either as close to the stage as he can get, or up all night singing and drumming with his many friends.

And as we all get high with a little help from our friends, no one has made more friends, earned more respect, or won more hearts then Sir Mark.

He is the personification of John’s Beautiful Boy, and we are delighted to have the honor to induct him into our Abbey Road on the River Hall of Fame alongside Hal Bruce and All You Need Is Love.

Hal Bruce

Hal first showed up at C-J.com AROTR 2003, rather inconspicuous, low key, and unassuming... until he played. Wow, was that one guy? And then in 2004, he said, “you know I can sing every Beatle song in the order they were released”, and a beautiful friendship was born. Hal is quite simply a genius. Twice, we have happily watched him perform a 2 ½ hour medley of every Beatle song. I bet when he was a lad, his parent’s thought he was a prodigy. His recordings of Beatle songs are impeccable; simply perfect. On stage he rocks, and rocks, and rocks; but sings a helluva ballad, too. Now musical director of C-J.com AROTR, Hal Bruce, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, is the 1st member of our Hall of Fame.

All You Need Is Love

In late 2001, a fellow from Belleville, Ont, Canada named Mark Rashotte called me to tell me his band would love to play at the first C-J.com AROTR. At that time we were more interested in the look-a-like bands, but he convinced me they were great. And he lied. They were spectacular. For five C-J.com AROTRs, they have blown us away with complex studio pieces from Rubber Soul to Revolver to their two incomparable White Album shows in 2004 and 2006. Our first international group, the first to recreate complete albums, and the main house band for 5 years establishes AYNIL: Mark, Andy, Al, Steve, Vitas, and Francis as C-J.com AROTR Hall of Fame inaugural members.