SIR PAUL McCartney may have been having a low-key family gathering for his 64th birthday yesterday, but at Liverpool's Albert Dock it was a different story.
The Beatles Story exhibition marked the occasion with a weekend-long party, including a karaoke competition to find the best singer of Sir Paul's classic When I'm 64, which was won by a Filipino man on his first visit to the city.
Rhoel Tupaz was on a pilgrimage to the home of his idols and visiting the exhibition when he decided to take part in the contest, held at the venue's replica Cavern.
And he put his experience of singing Beatles' hits in the karaoke bars and streets of his home town of Butuan to good use by walking off with the top prize.
Rhoel, 38, said: "In the Philippines, The Beatles are more popular than ever and we are still singing their songs on the streets and in the bars.
"When I was a child, when my parents gave me money for school dinner, I would use it to buy their albums instead. I've been singing their songs ever since John Lennon died.
"This is my first visit to Liverpool and it was great to walk off with the top prize, especially as the standard was so good. It's a brilliant way to mark my time here."
