John Pledger Sosebee, Jr., 67, of Anniston passed away Friday, Nov. 25, 2022.
A native of DeKalb County, Georgia, Mr. Sosebee was the son of the late John P. Sosebee, Sr., and Helen Sosebee.
A 1972 graduate of Towers High School in DeKalb County, Mr. Sosebee was a renowned collector of rare audio and video featuring his favorite band, The Beatles. His Beatles fandom led him to travel widely with friends to see shows by the surviving band members, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, on what his sister, Angie Spain, called his “lifelong magical mystery tour.” He traveled to shows in at least 10 different states, as well as in London, England.
Affectionately known to friends as “Slick,” Mr. Sosebee was a longtime contributing editor for Beatlefan magazine, and “shared many adventures with me through the years, hitting the road for concerts and searching out rare records,” said Beatlefan Publisher Bill King. “Our last couple of times getting together were, in fact, going to Paul McCartney concerts. John was like a brother to me, and I loved him.”
Also sharing many of Mr. Sosebee’s Beatles-related adventures was Mark Gunter, manager of Fantasyland Records in Atlanta. The two once traveled by train from London to Liverpool, to see Beatles sites there. On a 1990 visit to London, Mr. Gunter said, “we took a bus trip from London out to Bath, to see the ancient Roman baths. We never made it, due to all the roads blocked by fallen trees from a storm.” However, they still had a memorable time when the bus stopped at an ancient country pub. The power was out, but the owner used a gas stove to heat up soup and bread for everyone.
Tom Frangione of New Jersey said of Mr. Sosebee: “As a fellow fan and collector, his generosity was unrivaled, and he seemed to genuinely enjoy ‘sharing the bounty’ that has enriched our record collections and our lives.”
Two Beatles fans who live in Pennsylvania, Al Sussman and Brad Hundt, also remembered Mr. Sosebee sharing what he found. Mr. Sussman praised “Slick’s generosity in taking time to dub off and send out CDs of virtually any collector-oriented Beatle material.” Added Mr. Hundt: “He was a good guy.”
Former record store owner Glen Neuwirth, a second-generation Beatles fan, was only 14 when he first met Mr. Sosebee at a 1978 Beatlefest in Atlanta. “I remember John being extremely nice and patient with me,” he said.
Mr. Sosebee’s generosity and kindness was extended to his family, too. His sister recalled him “taking me on a VIP trip to see Stevie Nicks in concert with a night at the Ritz to cheer me up after a big breakup. He was always there for me.”
Mr. Sosebee’s interests weren’t limited to The Beatles, however. He loved to visit casinos. In fact, one of the last things Mr. Sosebee did, on the day before he passed away, was stop off in Wetumpka to play the slot machines on the way home from a holiday visit to Gulf Shores.
Tim King of Alpharetta, Georgia, remembers driving with Mr. Sosebee on a casino outing to Tunica, Mississippi. Mr. Sosebee was quite good at playing blackjack, he said, and was lucky at slot machines.
Also on that trip, Mr. King said, “we drove to Graceland and did the Elvis experience and ate at the famous barbecue restaurant Rendezvous.”
Barbecue also figured into Mr. Frangione’s favorite memory of Mr. Sosebee. After “celebrating my 50th birthday with him in Nashville, catching Ringo at the Ryman,” he said, “our mutual love of good barbecue rounded out the proceedings quite nicely!”
Mr. Sosebee also was a lifelong fan of the University of Georgia Bulldogs, and, even after moving to Alabama, he continued to display that allegiance proudly, wearing his UGA shirts and caps year-round while living in the midst of Bama and Auburn fans (with his wife being one of the latter).
Before marrying Lisa Griffin Sosebee in 2004 and moving to Alabama, Mr. Sosebee worked about 30 years as a printer for Jefferson Smurfit packaging company in greater Atlanta. After settling in Anniston, he worked at a DeltaCom call center and for an answering service, before retiring.
One of the things that friends and family admired most about Mr. Sosebee was that he never let becoming a double amputee keep him from living a full life. As a result of diabetes, he had one leg amputated below the knee in 1999, and the same was done to the other leg 20 years later.
He also had to go into dialysis treatment after the second amputation, his wife said, but “it never slowed him down … he took it all in stride. Every doctor or nurse had commented on his positive attitude, and his pleasant nature.”
Besides The Beatles, he loved music and concerts in general, his wife said, and was a big fan of Fleetwood Mac. “He tolerated KC & the Sunshine Band, ZZ Top and Tim McGraw for me,” Mrs. Sosebee said, and enjoyed traveling to Nashville with her.
Mr. Sosebee also had a love of seafood, especially shrimp and gumbo. “If gumbo was on the menu, he was going to try it,” Mrs. Sosebee said. “Waffle House was another favorite, and any barbecue joint.”
And, he loved old television shows, particularly “The Andy Griffith Show.” Recalled Bill King: “John and I knew that show so well, that we spent a couple of years sending emails to each other using the names of obscure characters who were mentioned, but never seen onscreen, until we finally ran out of them!”
In addition, Mr. Sosebee was a devoted pet owner, and his “fur babies” were well loved and cared for. And, he loved to recount the accomplishments of his friends’ children, “like a proud uncle,” his wife said.
Surviving Mr. Sosebee, besides his wife, is his sister, Angie Spain, of Lakeway, Texas, and her husband, Greg.
