Good Ol' Freda

Unveiling the Legends: Dolls of the 60s & 70s

It’s the story you’ve heard a thousand times before, from a perspective you’ve never heard…Welcome back to the Dolls Pod! To kick off season 2, we’re telling the story of the Beatles from the point of view of their biggest fan: longtime secretary and Fan Club president Freda Kelly! Her no-nonsense attitude, big heart, and hard work are proof of just how much a girl’s love can change rock-and-roll 💌 We’d like to thank listener Pat Reeder for suggesting we cover Freda’s career - “Good Ol Freda Kelly: is available NOW wherever you stream your podcasts!

(Episode starts at 6:07)

Materials used for this episode:“Good Ol’ Freda” (dir. Ryan White, 2013)

The Beatles, “Anthology” (edited by Bryan Roylance, 2000)

James Sullivan, “Beatles’ Secretary Recalls Madness of Early Days” Rolling Stone, 9/11/2013

Lucy Brazier, “PROFILE: Freda Kelly” Executive Support Magazine, 9/25/2014

Jonathan Deburca Butler, “Freda Kelly: 'I always made sure John, Paul, George, and Ringo's mums knew where they were’” The Irish Examiner, 10/22/2023

Fans On The Run, Ep. 90: Freda Kelly (8/31/2024)

Songs in this episode:

The Beatles - “Besame Mucho” (1962)

The Beatles - “The Sheik of Araby” (1962)

The Beatles - “Love Me Do” (1962)

Little Richard - “Long Tall Sally” (1956)

The Beatles - “I Want To Hold Your Hand” (Live on the Ed Sullivan Show, 2/9/1964)

The Marvelettes - “Please Mr. Postman” (1961)

The Moody Blues - “Go Now” (1964)

The Beatles - “I’m Only Sleeping” (1966)

with samples from “Help!” (dir., 1965,) “Beatles ’64” (dir. David Tedeschi, 2024,) and the Beatles’ 1963 Fan Club Christmas message

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram to see photos and clips from this episode!