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"Billy Shears" is introduced in the opening track of The Beatles' 1967 album *Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band*. The line "the one and only Billy Shears" transitions into Ringo Starr singing the next song, "With a Little Help from My Friends," as part of the album's fictional band concept. [turnmeondeadman](https://turnmeondeadman.com/paul-is-dead-clues-on-sgt-peppers-lonely-heart-club-band/)

Official Explanation

Paul McCartney conceived the Sgt. Pepper persona to create distance from The Beatles' public image, turning the album into a performance by a fictional band. Roadie Mal Evans inspired "Sgt. Pepper" via a misheard "salt and pepper" phrase, and "Billy Shears" was crafted as Ringo's character for the segue—simply a playful, made-up name with no deeper real-world tie. [reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/beatles/comments/7oixga/possible_origin_of_the_name_sgt_pepper_billy/)

Conspiracy Interpretation

In the "Paul is dead" hoax, fans claimed "Billy Shears" hinted at Paul McCartney's replacement by a lookalike named William (Billy) Shears Campbell after a 1966 accident. This fueled myths of backmasked clues and album hints, though McCartney and The Beatles dismissed it as nonsense. [americansongwriter](https://americansongwriter.com/why-ringo-starr-refused-to-sing-this-beatles-lyric-on-sgt-peppers-lonely-hearts-club-band-heres-what-he-sang-instead/)

https://www.perplexity.ai/search/did-paul-mccartney-ever-use-th-aygj9G1qRxmfuG9oWXXyjg#1