He was a fill in and in no way could he be construded as the fifth Beatle.

Not much of a case can be made for Jimmy Nicols being the fifth Beatle because for a short time during the summer of 1964 he was actually a legitimate fourth Beatle. In early June the Beatles were scheduled to tour Scandanavia, Holland, the far east, and Australia. On June 3rd, the day before the tour was to start, Ringo collapsed during a photo session. He was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with tonsillitis and was also running a fever of 102. Rather than cancel the tour George Martin suggested using Jimmy Nicols, who had been in several bands the most famous being Georgie Fame and his Blue Flames. Martin knew that Nicols was familiar with Beatle songs as he had been the sessions drummer for an album called Beatlemania and Brian Epstein approved saying that Nicols looked like a Beatle and not an outcast. George Harrison objected at first but Brian Epstein and George Martin were able to convince him so the tour went on as planned. Ringo rejoined the band on June 15 in Melbourne. In a twist of irony, Nicols greatest contribution to the band had nothing to do with playing the drums. Every time one of the Beatles asked Jimmy how he was getting along his only reply was It's getting better which soon became an inside joke. A few years later as the Beatles were writing the songs which would be on Sgt Pepper, Paul remembered the phrase that Nicols had used and thought it would be a good idea for a song. After bringing the idea to John, the song Getting Better was written and released on the Sgt Pepper album though the song itself, except for the title, had nothing to do with Nicols. Jimmy was never able to boost his career as the result of being a Beatle and after releasing one single with his own band The Shubdubs, they disbanded and Jimmy Nicols went off into obscurity. It must have been very awkward for Nicols to be suddenly thrust into the most famous band in the world at a time when their popularity was skyrocketing. He said The boys were very kind but I felt like an intruder. They accepted me but you can't just go into a group like that -- they have their own atmosphere, their own sense of humor. It's a little clique and outsiders can't just break in. The Shubdubs played with the Beatles on July 12, 1964 at the Hippodrome Theater in Brighton.