By WILLIAM KERNS
A-J Entertainment Editor
When four musicians from Akron, Ohio, decided to play only Beatles songs a couple of nights every month, not one of them dreamed that their idea would grow into a critically acclaimed theatrical show.
That show, ''1964: The Tribute,'' has been on the road for 13 years with only one cast change.
Guitarist Jimmy Pou is the newest cast member; he joined ''1964: The Tribute'' after leaving a ''Beatlemania'' cast three years ago. Pou took on the role of George Harrison. Original cast members include Gary Grimes as Paul McCartney, Greg George as Ringo Starr and Mark Benson as John Lennon.
''The idea,'' said Benson, ''is to give people an idea of what it was like to see and hear the Beatles between 1963 and 1966. We don't get into 'Sgt. Pepper,' Dr Pepper or any other peppers. We went for the original stage look, and that meant carefully selecting the right amplifiers, drum set and guitars.''
It also demanded a lot of practice by the musicians, in terms of style as well as learning songs.
''Gary, our bass player, is right handed. But he had to learn to play the instrument left handed if he was to be Paul (McCartney). And we hired Greg after we saw him in a teen club just because he looked like Ringo. He was playing in a soul band at the time.
''The thing was, Greg is naturally left handed and played a left handed drum kit. Ringo is left-handed, but he plays a right-handed drum kit, so Greg also had to change styles.''
Benson laughed. ''And I must say, in the beginning our rhythm section (bass and drums) was playing pretty badly. Let's just say no one was dancing.''
The Ohio foursome viewed their Beatles sets as a sideline, nothing more. But the crowds grew and the word spread. The band signed with an agency that handled tribute acts and began touring. More important, it offered showcase performances for groups booking performers for the college market.
''We were the first group let in that wasn't an original act,'' said Benson. ''Then we won Artist of the Year awards more than once in America and Canada.''
The legend grew. The musicians in ''1964: The Tribute'' devised a web page, then their own newsletter: ''1964: The Tribune.'' The fan base increased. Repeat visits to cities continued to attract sellout audiences.
Benson noted that the band pays attention just as much to clothes and musical equipment. Benson plays a Rickenbacker guitar like that used by Lennon. His acoustic guitar is a Gibson J-160, which Lennon played in ''A Hard Day's Night.'' That Rickenbacker is played into a VOX amplifier, which is also a 1960s model AC-30.
''All of that equipment,'' said Benson, ''was accessible 13 years ago: the VOX amps, Rickenbacker guitars, Ludwig drums. The Beatles made them famous. Of course, 13 years ago, they were more plentiful; now you almost have to give up your savings and your first born to pay for them.''
The band goes through suits every six months, but is outfitted by Gordon Millings, The Beatle's tailor in England. ''I remember Gordon telling us he still had some of those tacky Nehru jackets that the Beatles wore at Shea Stadium and asked if we thought they were worth anything. Our jaws just dropped. He still makes suits for us and, when we can't get back, he sends us original bolts of cloth he's saved from that time period. If we need to modify the suits, we have his patterns to go by.''
Naturally, Benson and fellow musicians studied every Beatles video to perfect stage movement.
''1964: the Tribute'' also is booked to perform at corporate gatherings. ''The big joke in the band is 'corporate volume and corporate tempo,'' said Benson. ''These aren't your usual rock 'n' roll concert-goers, but the weird thing is that we have these older folks coming up to us afterward and saying, 'I remembered all the words to the songs.'
''That's how big an influence the Beatles had on everyone.''
Benson describes the Beatles as being, ''Four guys who always had snappy answers, quick comebacks. They were cocky, but not offensive.''
So where is the appeal? What besides those simple melodies has made the band's music pass the test of time?
Benson cited the positive nature of the early Beatles songs his band plays. ''This is corny, but I think they had a theme of love. The word love was used in their lyrics so much. Most of what they put out was memorable and, even if you were not a fan, you could walk away singing 'Love Me Do.'
''...The Beatles represented a simpler time. Yet their music also appeals to kids today. They were clean cut guys with suits. They didn't say, '(Defy) your parents.' They weren't advocating drugs; they were just doing them. They said love you take is equal to the love you make.
''And mainly, the songs were cool then and they're cool now.''