you are
You are
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here
the Beatles were an English rock band
that formed in Liverpool in 1960 with John
Lennon Paul McCartney George Harrison and
Ringo Starr. They became widely regarded as
the greatest and most influential Act of the rock era
rooted and skiffel beat and 1950s rock
and roll the Beatles later experimented with
several genres ranging from pop ballads to
psychedelic and hard rock often incorporating classical elements
in innovative ways.
The Story begins in Liverpool on the 6th
of July in 1957 a pivotal
day for the history of modern music
it was the day that John Lennon met Paul McCartney
for the very first time.
In the afternoon the Quarry Man skiffle Group played at
the Garden fate of Saint Peter's Church in Walton
Liverpool.
Performance took place on a stage in a field behind
the church the group arrived on the back of the Laurie as
well as music there were craft and Cake
stalls games of hoopla police dog
demonstrations and the traditional crowning of the Rose Queen.
Here on this rather gray day in the grounds of Saint Peter's
Church Walton where on the 6th of
July 1957 John Lennon met Paul
McCartney.
John's group The Quarrymen were playing
at the annual Garden for heat the fundraising event
of the church.
On that afternoon.
When Paul McCartney was in the audience.
Having been brought here by the mutual friend Ivan
born.
Ivan lived near John Lennon, but went to school with
Paul.
So he knew them both in pool
Ivan. Saw someone who could play guitar like
a guitar.
John at that stage was playing his like a banjo.
Poor could tuna guitar not John and Paul could
remember all the words of all the songs. Whereas John at
lived.
the garden Fates the group
crossed the road where John and Paul talked at length
and John realized that Paul would be good for
his group.
Pretty filter threatened with this good looking
boy better equipped musically. So John did
nothing.
But after about 10 days, he came to his senses
and he then sent a message to Paul to come
and join the group. So this is where in
my mind it All Began John meeting.
This imposing Sandstone Church behind me
may seem an unlikely place to stop on our journey
through the Beatles history, but it was here on the
6th of July 1957 that a young Paul McCartney
was brought to see the Quarry men
John Lennon skiffle group.
In a field behind this church Paul saw the
young John Lennon play for the first time and was very
impressed. Even though John forgot many of the words to the
50 songs. He was singing and had to improvise.
If you look around this graveyard, you'll find the occasional
inspirational clue to The Beatles presence.
Eleanor Rigby's gravestone
father McKenzie
all lying in front of the church where the
wedding had been
Ken rowlinson you're the caretaker of Saint Peter's Church. I am.
Yes. Can you tell us about the Beatles connection with this church?
Well forty odd years ago the Beatles played here
as a Skittle group on the field at the
back in the daytime and in the big church Hall in the evening
and this is where John and Paul first met. Okay? Yes.
I believe that there are in the graveyard. There are some
other Beatles connections. Yes. We have Eleanor Rigby's grave
film the song of course.
And and we think father McKenzie
may have been from the Catholic church next door, right? So
quite a strong part of Beetle's history.
Yes. Oh, yes. Yes, and I believe you recently commemorated
the 40th anniversary of John and
Paul's meeting that was last year and we repeated the whole
fair day and got together the old
crowd the Quarry men
as they were and they played again on the field in the afternoon and
in the evening in the hall as a scaffold group and I've
heard there was a story about some aircraft that Fleur over. Yes,
two planes came over two small Plains and
we saw it was
Yoko and Paul who could have been in them just to
have a look at the day and they sent their their best wishes
to you every day they sent us letters wishing us the
best for the day and so on yes, so this must be something of a mecca
for Beatles fans, do you get a lot of tourists you go? Yes. Yes many
tourists from all over the world in fact
Yes, right. Well, thank you very much again right fine.
the cat sensation
Covered open was a jazz club in 1957 and the
Beatles played here 292 times.
As their popularity group so that their audiences
until eventually so many Liverpool teenagers crowded
into this tiny room to see their Heroes
play that the sweat from their bodies caused condensation to
drip from the ceiling and land on the Beatles
instruments fusing their amplifiers. You could say
it was a truly electrifying atmosphere.
Traditional Jazz
was no longer the big door stifle had
won the fight for a hearing but these were National Trends two
conventional for Liverpool youth.
Something new is wanted and out of the cavern. They're emerged
a new sound.
A few chords strung together on a cheap guitar a drum
for a beat another guitar More chords
a base to give balance.
the mersey beat came firm from the mold
by 1960 beat groups were built as big attractions the
Young Generation would listen to Little Else.
You jazz clubs opened overnight.
And as when you gas pubs
opened overnight, so the new beat groups came into being.
Every facility for the formation of these groups was ready
to hand.
The cavern had opened earlier in the year on the 17th of
January.
It was primarily a jazz club, which played host to
occasional evening skiffle sessions.
The cavern club would become a regular venue for Beatles shows while
they remained a Liverpool secret once beatlemania
took hold. However, they rarely
played in their home City again.
The 7th of August in 1957 is commonly believed
to be the first state the Quarry Men played at
the soon-to-be legendary venue. The other acts on
the bill were Ron McKay's scuffle group darktown schiffle
group and the deltone schiffle group.
The cavern Club was owned by Alan seitner who
played at the same Golf Club as the Quarry men's manager
John Lennon's school girlfriend, Nigel Walley.
It was through this connection that the nascent band got their first
show at the venue sightner had heard the group perform
at the child wall Golf Club. However, the aquarium
Men set didn't go down. Well, they began
with come go with me followed by hound dog
and Blue Suede Shoes, although a member
of the Quarry men at this time. Paul McCartney was
away at Scout camp on this day and so he
did not play.
Liver puddly and promoter Charlie Mac McBain held
regular skiffle and rock events at his venues on
Friday the 18th of October in 1957. He
ran one such event at the
new club Moore Hall in Norris green Liverpool.
It was the first show in which Paul McCartney appeared on
stage with The Quarrymen.
McCartney played lead guitar first night nerves. However
caused him to make a hash of his solo during the Quarry
men's version of Arthur Smith's 1946 instrumental
hit guitar, Boogie.
McCartney is Debut with The Quarrymen was a significant
occasion in the development of the group.
For the promoter, however, they made little solid impression.
Charlie Max recorded verdict on the group was a scribbled good
and bad on the Quarry men's visiting card.
By December 17th 1957 The
Quarrymen played Wilson Hall in Liverpool.
This is the quarryman's second of four performances at
Wilson Hall in Liverpool's garston district. One
of the venues run by local promoter Charlie Mac
McBain.
It's believed that this may have been the first time George
Harrison saw the group perform, but this
is not certain. It's more likely he first saw them
at Wilson Hall on February 6 in 1958.
Although he may have met them elsewhere before
then.
The venue was situated opposite the garston bus depot and
had been built by Francis Wilson.
It was a somewhat rough venue favored by local gangs
of Teddy Boys aquarium men's other
performances at Wilson Hall were on Thursdays. This was
their only Saturday night booking there.
The quarryman's first live engagement of 1958 was
their third at the new club Moore Hall
a conservative Club in Liverpool's Norris
green District.
They had originally been due to play a dance on the previous night
at Wilson Hall in garston, but promoter Charlie
Mac McBain changed the booking.
Well when I first became involved
with
Beatles say
Was Pete best not ringer?
They were all sort of individuals like
Pete attracted
a lot of screaming girls.
and for his looks
it didn't matter if he had Talent or not.
He did I'm not saying he didn't but it didn't matter because they
would you know,
look up to Peters. He was
a very very good looking young people very
nice fellow very quiet.
Kept yourself very much to himself. Although he did
enjoy the attention of the
girls. And George was
also quite quiet. Although he did join in bits
of Performing the performance and everything the
other two used to call.
George
was a very quiet.
And I've been saying this for years but
through his recent passing away. It's become
more no and but I
always knew George as a very quiet spoken.
Introvert if you like, but knew
how to play as instrument.
And you as music?
Paul
was
in my mind in my memory of
Paul still does really and quite
Americanized.
Paul was always the Keen one. He was always the one
one to do things and
check the mics. And what was the club like and
you know even down to security. He was always the one
that went past the ash was show itself.
Number one night. Well one day
we
we all got drunk. Well, I should I'm going out to turn Alex
chronological order early.
I'll come back to that a minute. So Paul was the
one I was the king. It was this sort of.
If you say the out of the
group John was the voice and then John's voice.
I still says the best voice in rock and roll, you know, they play
this thing is distinguishable. He just
love rock and roll. He wasn't interested in the he was
didn't care. I must pick up that job. He was
just doing it for fun and they called John Lennon the
singing rage.
I still don't sing in Rage while it you know, there's a lot of the Elvis's the
age of a cliff Richard. It was a rage, you know all the rage
at the time.
But I realized it was a double meaning because he was
the Rage of the cabin but he sang
every song he sang he sang in a rage,
you know on the 15th of July John Lennon's mother
Julia dies.
From 1946 John had lived with his Aunt
Mimi Mary Smith and Uncle George
in their house men dips at 2:51 men
love Avenue and Liverpool.
After Julia had handed over care of her son
to them.
Despite the living arrangements. Julia came to see John almost
every day.
In 1958. She bought him his first
guitar a cheap Gallatin Champion acoustic guaranteed
not to split.
Julia shared John's love of rock and roll
music
Julia's death deeply traumatized John who would
later refer to her in the songs, Julia mother
and my mummy's dead.
His first son Julian was named after
her.
Although the Quarry men had few formal engagements between
March 1958 and the end of the year. They
did perform a few times at parties and family
events.
On the 20th of December in 1958. They
played at the wedding reception of George Harrison's brother
Harry and his bride Irene McCann.
The event was held and speak Liverpool.
Saturday August 29th in 1959 was the
opening night of the Casbah coffee Club a new
Social Club for teenagers based in the cellar of
a large Victorian house at eight Hammonds Green
in Liverpool.
The Casbah coffee Club was run by Mona best
mother of one Pete best and owner of
the house.
She had bought it after winning a horse racing bet in the 1954 Epson
Derby that had previously been owned
by the West Derby conservative Club and had 15
bedrooms and an acre of land. It's a
good idea to let people know but that's because they
know about the cabin.
You know about some of those things that the Casper was like the
place with all that stuff and it was
actually before the cabinet. We had a more
intimate relationship with it. It was almost
You know people upstairs.
And Rory strands my friends downstairs in the
living room.
A mold basis and I said because used to be constant traffic
up and down the stairs and she found a decorate
between carpet layers of internally carpet and
other estimates.
He went what guys, you know one den upstairs one
day you take an open living room.
The sellers downstairs, you know, why don't you go downstairs
do what you want, you know Lose Yourself
make as much as you want.
And just get on with it.
Melane come with me to the
casbar. She got the idea from an old Charles by a
film called Algiers images as a
scene where they actually say come at these are
the casbar and that stuck in those mine and from
then on it was
Come with me to the casbar and consequently
as this work is going on more people are not
and the membership to start to go.
Until the faithful day, you know
we could swim in 1959 and the girls open
to the park.
accessible
So we build this Aquarium.
and just I could cut together
and I said don't you gotta made
it very good jumpsuit well,
I just have a bank all the time and like, you know use that
things that I I wasn't worried because it was just glad we
got abandoned, you know.
I remember the first night because we
were upstairs in
This house in West Derby which I
didn't know a lot about on Thursday because I wasn't in the news there
is business or anything else, but I was with John and Paul
I think when we went downstairs.
And the whole setup was was wonderful.
For an aspiring young Rock and
roller to have that on their doorstep and to
be able to sort of perform and safely.
I don't know how to
put it was safe. It was Secure
the crowded already started together outside
and remember
Which became basically the in-house cycle of the character?
Started the doors open.
I mean with me John George and of
course Apple Blossom time.
Well, he was drumming.
There wasn't a drummer that was it because that fit in
because we used to show up and take those early Pigs and
the promotion. So what's your drummer? We said
the livings in the guitars?
and just hold your nerve while you just
panicked a bit
Oh be bought it, you know.
So that would have been a that stage. Yeah, the Rhythm was in the guitar.
I remember the first group I saw there were twenty
went really a group at the time right were the Beatles
but it was like John and Paul and
some guy called Ken Brown. I think maybe George I
knows sin and was
sitting there as well.
So we opened with that. You only came up, you know about time to go on the
state or on the stage, you know, just be what
the quality then we want to call him and
That was like the Prelude to it always.
Get to know each other getting the vibe of
a club.
Getting feel of all that our gentlemen's club.
You didn't go to brutals. He went to the
castle.
1959 was not to eventful for The Quarrymen.
Though they did enter the TV search for a
star competition.
The Quarry men had entered the competition two years previously without
success John Lennon Paul McCartney and
George Harrison returned to Liverpool's Empire Theater
for another preliminary audition.
One problem that they did have is that
the group did not have a drummer since Colin Hinton
walked out of the quarryman on the first of January
in 1959.
Perhaps in a bid to differentiate themselves from their
recent lineup with Ken Brown the group renamed
themselves Johnny and the Moon Dogs for this
event.
The auditions were held by Mr. Starmaker Carol
Levis at Liverpool's Empire Theater over
three consecutive Saturdays on the 11th
18th and 25th of October.
While it is unclear on which date Johnny and the Moon Dogs appeared.
The 18th of October is the most likely.
The group successfully passed the audition qualifying for
the regional finals on the 15th of
November.
The group had much writing on their appearance, which was held at
the new Manchester Hippodrome theater in ardwick Manchester.
It would guarantee them a television appearance and
resulting Fame.
Voting in the contest was based on a clappel meter registering
audience Applause.
Johnny and the Moon Dogs lacked the local support, they enjoyed
in Liverpool and anyway couldn't have made much
of an impact liking a place to stay in Manchester. They
caught the train back home. By the time the
audience was required to cast its judgment.
1960 didn't start too. Well for the Beatles Lenin
McCartney and Harrison had ditched
The Quarrymen and decided to take the name the silver
Beetles.
On Tuesday the 10th of May at the Blue Angel Club
london-based Music promoter. Larry
Parnes traveled to Liverpool to audition groups to
Back Billy fury on a tour of northern, England
and Scotland.
The audition took place at the Blue Angel a club
run by the silver Beetles new manager Alan Williams.
The venue was previously known at the wyvern social
club and was located at 106 to 108
seale Street in Liverpool.
The auditions were filled with several hopeful Liverpool
X among them cast in the casanovas dairy
in the seniors Jerry and the Pacemakers Cliff
Roberts and the Rockers and the silver
Beetles.
I fish met the Beatles right here
and not right exactly
where I'm sitting now, but in this club
which was known as the Jack around
coffee bar club and I first
encountered them because they went to the art college
just up the road which is actually five
minutes from here and Stuart and
John Lennon. They used
to just get the lectures because they were interested in rock
and roll music and I said, that's all the groups played like
the big three Rory Stone on the Hurricanes
Jerry and the Pacemakers. I used to let
them rehearse free in the basement because it was doing nothing
in the in the daytime.
And then I got to know the most coffee barley about
to be honest with it. And the first
time I ever really paid the many
money was to decorate this club.
The paintings are some of the paintings I've still
lasted behind me now. And so that's how
I really got to know them. And then
the second stage was when
I did I was a promoter as
well in those days and I put a concert on at
the local boxing stadium and the
lineup was Eddie Cochran late, Eddie
Cochran Jean Vincent's and Larry Palms.
Who was the big Empress audio of
the day.
And I don't really know but Eddie Cochran died
in the car accidents eventually two
weeks before the show and I had the option to
pull out or to go
on with Gene Vincent's because Gene Vincent though.
He was in the accident. He was virtually unheard.
So I decided to go on with the
show, and I thought what a good chance to show
off the Liverpool groups.
So to make up for any Cochran I
put about five Liverpool bands on.
And the show went off great and afterwards
we all came back to the Jacaranda, you
know just have coffee because we went licensed in
those days. There were it was an unlicensed Club
as it were and Larry ponds was
so impressed with the Liverpool groups. He wanted to
give them some work now unknown to
me the Beatles were listening to our conversation. And
then when I came into the Jack the
next day John and Stuart approach
of approached me and said yeah when
he gonna do something for us like and I
thought there's no more paintings. We don't need painted the ladies
toilets you painted the basement and then
they told me they had a group.
And by that time I got to known
quite well because I put on a big
Arts ball and they built the floats for me.
And then I said, well
what you call yourself word you play?
And they gave me the line of which was obvious that they
didn't have a drummer and then we got
to get you a drummer. It's a little managing so far without
one and
so then I said I'll ask one of the groups if
he can if he knows a drummer so a cold
one of the big three over and I said
look, these are a group and never got a drummer. Can you recommend anybody?
Cecilia we do. No one a guy called
Tommy Moore.
And he said what you call yourself ads and John said,
oh we call ourselves The Beatles.
He said you never get anywhere with a stupid name like that. I
became the manager and
then Larry pons
phoned me up. This is the next stage as
it were and because he was so impressed with the
Liverpool groups, which I put on the stadium. He asked
me to hold auditions because one
of those pop stars was a
guy called Billy Fury who's tragically dead
now and he being from
Liverpool would have liked to have a Liverpool
group to vacuum. And
so we all went to another
club which I was just about to open called the Blue Angel
and I thought well, I'll throw the Beatles in now to
me they were sort of rough, but good enough.
And to my surprise they got
the job very Fury said
yes, we would like that group
The Beatles, but they spotted that
Stuart circliffe who was John Lennon's best friend
could hardly play the base and he said but without
the bass player and the reason they gave was that
they couldn't afford five musicians and
so Stuart would have to go and to
my surprise John said no, we're not
doing it Stu doesn't go with the
band. We don't want to do it.
And it was a job that any group in Liverpool
would give their right arm to you know,
been the backing group of one of the best pop singers in
the in the late 50s. I used
to have a steel band that used to
play in the Jack around he used to play in the corner over there.
We had no stage by the way, and it
was only half the size of what it is
now now they've knocked the next door building
and so if you could imagine it was known as the black hole
of coldcutor and those days and I
came down expecting the steel band to be playing and
there was no steel band and I
said to One Step, where was the steel band?
I said don't you know I said no, I don't
wouldn't be asking would I and it's a little they've gone to
Hamburg. I said Hamburg.
You know never in heard of the place
then.
And so I thought wow so
I put the Beatles in so this is one
of the first places that the Beatles ever played
and George who was the the baby of the group in
those days came up the same says, do you
have a mop and a brush Allen? I said,
yes, and I was curious and then
when I went down there with that
impoverished that they actually tied the
mics to the end of the brush.
And the mop and their girlfriends was holding about one
of them was Cynthia Lennon, who as you
know married John.
Then I got a letter from Hamburg from
the West Indian steel band.
By that time at all, I'd managed to get another steel
band.
And the letter sent Allen.
Really swinging over here with all
the contacts and all the groups that you know, why
don't you come over here? There's plenty of
work here for groups.
So I don't yeah, I'll do that. So I
audition not audition the groups that I
wanted to go the old played down and we
made a tape recording and then those days it was
like a Grundy tape machine. You didn't have these
little cassettes which you hold up now and you
know, it's a real to real job. And so
I took this tape and offer went to Hamburg and
I was going in and out
of clubs on the reaper band and the growth of dry heart.
Then I Hit Upon a club which was called the Kaiser
cover and I could hear rock and
roll music coming from the basement. So Downer ends
and there was this awful German Band
sing in 2D fruity with
no rhythm and just don't you fruity. Oh
really good.
And only kids learned him dancing to
them and then came powerser which
means the interval and he put the jukebox on next minute
the world dancing to Richards and
other American artists. I hope this
is it so I have to see the manager and I
was shown into his
office. I have this real some real tape with me
and I said, we have a considered having English live
musicians over Hebrews houses
tape recorder. I put the tape on put it
on press the buttons and waiting for
this glorious Liverpool merseybeat sound instead
all I got what
them
they take somebody taped over.
the what they recorded
because the tapes Association could tape on
top of the tape and Below you get
to recordings out of the one tape, but somebody
had taped in the middle of room and I said
Yeah.
your take record of kaput
$94 as a bonus background
came with my tail between my legs
as it were that's a Liverpool told all
the bands that they've blown if somebody had made
a cock above the tapes.
And then I completely sort of forgot. It
was just an interesting Journey which went wrong.
managing another crook called Darian seniors
whose the leader of
that group was a guy called Howie case used quite well known in
the musical business now.
And they've got work with Larry pass to do a
summer season, they'd all given up the jobs but uniforms
and on the 11th Hour Larry ponds
cancel the whole deal. So it
all giving up their jobs.
And they blame me.
And I thought well, what can I do to save this situation? I
remember used to be a coffee bar to have been
in London called the two eyes.
So I had a mini boss and we all went in the
minibus. This was about a month after I've been
to Hamburg.
And we went down to the two eyes. I saw the guy who owned
the place Tommy his name was and I said,
I've got this little group. Do you mind if they played? Well,
of course, he didn't mind he was getting the top of playing for
nothing. Most of the groups that came became
famous also with discovered
in the two eyes coffee bar. It had
that reputation.
And so Advanced Setter was playing.
And I saw this Chapel where I thought I know his
face.
And he was looking at me and then this young
lad came over and said are you willing
to do with this band? I've said, yes. He said well,
there's this German. He's here reckons. He
knows you.
And I said here cost me there. He
said hey William just like Stanley and Livingstone sort
of thing.
And my first thought was to
get him out of there because the guy who owned
the coffee bar. He had his own
bands as well. And so it took him to a coffee
bar a crossroad called at one scene one,
but he couldn't speak English So eventually
we found a German waiting worked in
one of the coffee bars.
And he wanted a German
wanted an English pound to
play in this club.
Festival why are you here? He said well,
I came a month ago. You told me you're your bands were
good, but he never heard of Liverpool. So he automatically
went to the capital London and of
course didn't take him long and he got a band called
Tony Sheridan.
Who played for him and Tony Sharon was
a bit of a difficult person that putting it mildly to
get on with and he left after two weeks and
went to another club to play and that meant pay
kosher there had no Bank.
So I fixed them up
with Howie Casey. So that was they were
the first group. I went home was how we Casey.
And they became so big over there
and the business was booming and he
had another club called the Indra which was a
striptease Club.
And he decided to turn that into a rock and
roll.
Club, and I thought well the Beatles.
They're good enough to go over there.
And I asked him I said would you like to go to hand basic? Yeah
sure. We'd all love to go. But then tell me
more there was the drummer who was year or
he was about my age after he was 10 years
older than John and he
wasn't very prideful and if you went very bright
with John Lennon, you know, he had to scaling
tongue. Very sarcastic wicked sense
of humor, and Tommy couldn't take anymore
so he left.
So we had another drummer Norman Chapman who
was very good.
And he unfortunately we had National conscription of
those days and he was called up to
do his army service. So we lost him.
And I said, well, I'm afraid you can't go unless we
you know can come up with the drama.
And then they remembered that they used to
play in a little club called the cash bar.
Which was owned by a Mrs. Best.
And they said yeah, we've got this guy Pete best
and we believe it's just for new set
of drums and we'll go and get him so they got
pizza store this right in this
club here.
And as far as I'm concerned, I couldn't care less worthy.
He was a brilliant drummer enough, but he was a reasonable drummer
and so he got the job and then
it came to money to get a moment because the other
man hey the train first down to
oh folks than us or Dover summer like that and then
they got the train all the way to a Hamburg.
People now haven't got a penny between them and
actual fact, it's just me. It's
quite funny. That's right. Well, I think it's funny. It was
announced in the local paper this week that Paul McCartney
is now officially a billionaire and
you look at somebody who the
only building there. Oh, I
know who owes me money.
Because they bottled 15 pounds still got
the io you for it?
The only 15 credit.
Because they have no gear to go in or
not. So I let them the 15 and then the
symbol we can't afford to to pay
for the boat and the train and
so I thought well, I've got the mini bus. I'll drive
you there.
And so I said, okay, we're all going in many boss and
it'll cost you 10 pounds each. I'll pay the
fares in the bowls and the food and everything and you
pay it out of your wages.
And so we went to a hamburger with
the coast there were 10 of us and those
were many bosses and that included all their equipment
could imagine a whole group in one
mini boss with the speakers everything the
speakers and the amplifiers were no
bigger than the liberal attaching case.
So we went over to Hamburg and we
stopped at onam. We walked
around on them and they all went
into this musical shop was so musical instruments and
we came out of the shop
and the old went into both laughing I said,
What's the joke?
John Lennon pulls out her mouth that he don't stolen a
mouth over from the shop.
Anyways, we're not even gonna make hamburger brothers
and finish up in jail here. Now. This is
the first time it ever been abroad. So how the
hell we're going to get to Hamburg when he's already with chocolate figure.
Anyway, we've got your handbag and we were
shown the club.
the Indra
and when we went in there was it was still
a strip club that I could see them all dropped. Oh my God,
we're not packing a striptease after Subway. Anyway, it
was established that this was the last night. So
we found them accommodation or
rather the club armor, which was
the back of an old Cinema.
It must be no variety of theater and
the dressing rooms at the back were still
there, of course, but he hadn't even
bothered to clean them. There was Baron Instinct dust on
the walls just bumped beds. No water
to get washed. You
have to wait till the cinema and finish,
you know, and then they rusts of
the toilets and gonna wash and public toilets and the
cinema but then the engagement was for
three months what we're doing
that well that was extended for
another two months. So they left Liverpool
for seven months.
So much so that when they came back to play
in Liverpool nobody really knew the
building because they don't need on a few gigs around the
Liverpool area a fellow called Bob Buller
slaughtered the men at a
place called little and town hall because a group didn't turn up
and there was instant Peter umania
started on that very night. The balances thought
it was a fight because all the
girls froze so, you know, seeing these five
Labs all and let it clear all
stumping about the stage and the old rushed
to the stage and the bouncers got a
fight because that's what happens if I everybody rushes to
see the fight and it was the people and they
used to think they were a German van because
they were build other promos
direct from Hamburg and
the girls used to say to Paul. Wow. You
speak very good English for a German.
They wanted to go back to Hamburg again because they loved
Hamburg, but we had problems with the
stair costume there. He had
them arrested and they were deported from
Germany. He accused him of
setting fire to a cinema. Well, what all
that happened was when they were getting ready to
go to Liverpool somebody struck
a match and there's like
a board who went round and they just blackened
the wall because it's so filthy of the plus and so
getting them back the second time was tough, but
I managed to get them back and then
I got a letter from John Lennon saying who
went to pay my commissions last time anyway, but
the they
Asking me dead. He ducted from the wages and
that wasn't there for and so a lot to
molesters saying Europe people to get more than the little
swirl swelled headed. Now remember I was
the only one who took an interest in you. I know
you're getting quite famous now, but I'll fix
it that you'll never ever work again.
and that termination of my year relationship because I've
just gotten another club called the Blue Angel which was
absolutely swing and I've got I don't
perhaps harassment from the top safety group
and that's how I come to finish with you.
On August 6 The Beatles asked Pete
best to be their drummer with their Saturday night residency
at the gross veneer Ballroom canceled due
to local complaints The Beatles had some time off.
On this night. They went to Mona Bess Casbah coffee
Club where they saw the blackjacks playing the group
had Mona's son Pete best playing a brand
new drum kit. The blackjacks were on the point of splitting up.
So the Beatles suggested to Pete that he
joined them for their first trip to Hamburg.
Best was interested in the proposal and agreed
to audition for them on the following Friday.
When they first started appearing
at the cabin Club, there was
a guy named Eddie Wilkie.
Who had been to Germany?
to hand back
and he came home and he
was walking along Duke Street and he heard the Beatles
practicing in the basement of
the Jacaranda.
And he recognized them as the Beatles Because he'd
been to see them a few times before he went up to Germany and
he banged on me the ground of
somebody to come up.
And open the door for and it was Paul McCartney.
And of course Paul knew Derry.
Various other people like they all know each other on you each
other and and he said listen man.
He said, you know, I've just come
back from Germany from Hamburg. It's fantastic over there.
He said I want you to you should
get in touch. He said on ears a
phone number for you.
and he passed on the phone number of the
kinds of color
and Hamburg
And he said if your phone there.
You are asked for.
Mr. Kushmeter, I think his name was
kashmira or murder and tell him
that you know me and I would highly
recommend utilities for guys
to say that
most of us are not seen before.
And they were still Cliff John
Paul and George their drummer
evidently couldn't be there because he had a day job.
So anyway, we all went on did our bed
for Lowry ponds and Billy Fury. Was there
sitting there just watching these band and each
band went on in turn
and then eventually came down to
this Bank all the silver Beetles.
Do nothing, you know, they got up and they borrowed
the drummer The Big Three back old Johnny Hutchison
is one of the pools.
drummers of the time
And I did that thing in Florida. You know
that okay, there's a bit often ready and but okay and
Remember the the bass player Stuart didn't face no
harm. He had his back
to them and whether that was a moody
body. He was a bit ashamed of showing what
he was doing on the base. I don't know the second major phase in
the Beatles Story was about to begin on the 16th
of August in 1960. They embarked on the journey from Liverpool
to Hamburg Germany the five members
of The Beatles John Lennon Paul McCartney, George Harrison
Stewart Sutcliffe and Pete best
along with manager. Alan Williams. His wife Beryl
her brother Barry Chang and friend Lord Woodbine
set off from the Jacaranda Club in
Williams green Austin van. They stopped off
in London to pick up a 10th passenger hair Steiner
an Austrian working in the Heaven and Hell coffee shop
on Old Compton Street. It was to be the
Hamburg promoter Bruno kushmeiters interpreter. He then
caught the ferry from Harwich to the Netherlands the
party ended up in Arnhem after
stuck a wrong turn
while there they were photographed at the war memorial spent
time wandering around the city and John Lennon
stole a harmonica from a local shop.
The Beatles arrived in Hamburg Germany in
the early evening of the 17th of August in 1960
for the first of 48 nights
at the injure Club on the grass Fahrenheit Street.
The group performed at the venue for 48 nights ending
on October 3rd in 1960. The
venue was owned by Bruno kashmeyer a
local club owner who also owned the Kaiser Keller.
The group's contract was to run for two months from
the 17th of August to October 16th.
The Beatles were to receive 30 Deutsche marks,
which is about two pounds 50 pence per person
each day.
Paid every Thursday cosmeider also
paid their manager Alan Williams a commission of 10
pounds each week.
They were expected to perform for four and a half hours each weekday
night from 8 to 9:30 pm 10
to 11 pm. 11:30 pm
to 12:30 AM and 1 am to 2.
Am. They also had to play for six hours on
Saturday.
The Beatles spent much of December 1960 despondent
and with no money following the
disastrous into their first Hamburg trip.
John Lennon was the last to arrive back in Britain,
but spent five days alone before finally contacting
the other Beatles on the 15th of December.
Paul McCartney meanwhile had taken a job in a
Liverpool Factory
The Beatles ended 1960 with a performance at the Casbah
coffee club and Hayman's green owned by
drummer Pete best mother Mona.
This was the fourth and final time the Beatles played with
stand-in bases Chaz Newby following Stuart
Sutcliffe's decision to stay in Germany with Astrid kircher.
The Beatles played at the Casbah coffee Club a total of 37 times
between 1960 and 1962.
The Beatles had given a triumphant homecoming performance at
letherland Town Hall on the 27th of December 1960
following their first trip to Hamburg.
They returned to the venue on the state for a second time.
The night was promoted by Brian Kelly whose BK
events took place at Halls across
Northern Liverpool.
The Beatles performed at 36 BK engagements between
this state in the 11th of March 1961 several
of which were booked immediately
after their December show.
This was the first time Paul McCartney played bass guitar
with the Beatles as Stuart Sutcliffe had
chosen to stay in Hamburg with Astrid Kutcher.
The Beatles were paid seven pounds 10 pence for this appearance.
And the audience where Johnny Guitar and Ringo Starr from
Rory storm in the Hurricanes who had returned
from Hamburg the day before.
Beatles played a total of 20 shows at littler
Land Town Hall.
the final one took place on the 9th of November 1961
Thursday February 9th was the first time that the Beatles performed
at the cavern Club situated on Matthew Street in
central Liverpool the cavern had played host of The
Quarrymen before on this day. However, the Beatles
made their debut at the venue.
The Beatles swiftly became a regular fixture at
the cavern attracting a loyal audience until their final
appearance on the 3rd of August 1963.
For this first show lasting from one to
two PM. They were give in a five-pound fee to
share between them.
This was George Harrison's first time on the cavern
stage.
Harrison arrived in blue jeans which were banned from
the club, but he managed to convince the bouncer
Patty Delaney that he was one of the performers.
The precise number of The Beatles Cavern performances
is not known.
Although they played at least 155 lunchtime and
125 evening shows between
this state and the third of August 1963.
On Monday the 15th of March in 1961
Stuart Sutcliffe had flown alone to
Hamburg while there he and his fiancee Astrid
Kutcher.
Cleared some administrative paperwork to enable The
Beatles to return to the city to perform.
The Beatles had left Hamburg under a cloud in late
1960 after George Harrison was deported for
being underage and Paul McCartney and Pete best
were arrested for alleged arson.
Suck cliff and kurture paved the way for the group's longest
Hamburg residency 92 nights at the
top 10 club which began on April 1st 1961.
But first there was a long train and boat Journey from
Liverpool to Germany, which began on the 27th
of March.
The top 10 Club was owned by Peter Elkhorn who
paid each of the Beatles 35 Deutsche marks
three pounds per day.
There were required to play from 7pm until 2 am
each weekday and from 8pm until
4 am on weekends with a 15 minute break
and each hour.
The performance is at the top 10 were so successful
that Elkhorn twice extended The Beatles contract.
They eventually left Germany following their
final show at the club on July 1st
1961 having performed onstage
for 503 hours during their
stay.
On Thursday the 22nd of June the Beatles
under the name Tony Sheraton and the
beat Brothers recorded their first single My
Bonnie.
The Beatles had been approached by orchestral leader in polidor
agent Bert camphart
Who wanted them as the backing band for Sheridan?
The recording was not done at a professional studio, but a
converted stage and hamburg's Frederick Ebert
Hall.
We started up in a place called the Kaiser
Canada. We went through the top 10.
Then just talked about happened, but we
were all together right at the beginning in the
in the Kaiser Keller Beatles as well and many other groups, of course.
it
The Beatles and Sheridan recorded four songs over
two consecutive days
My Bonnie the Saints why and cry
for shadow
While latter was an instrumental whereas the other is all
featured Sheridan on vocals.
referring back bring back
my own HIV
That's that's a lay on my
pillow. That's not.
there
You know, I have a Little Dream at that
my body with it.
right
Break bread my body the pain
allocations. Come
on the road.
There's over
the ocean.
Bring it home.
here
last night
Break right now body in
America. Why don't
you bring it all back again? For more
baby. We'll just bring it on back bring back
above money.
Basically wanted to do rock and roll you
see in the first thing my Bonnie we did was a
A hit in Germany, and of course, it's still selling all around the world
because of them, but then we should have followed it
up with something really rocking.
Well, it actually began what I
went to the Hamburg to flip top 10 club and I
wouldn't went into the top 10 Club
following the Beatles. So it was
finishing off
Their period of time I'm not sure how long we would they were
playing it.
I went in there and I met Paul and John and George
outside the top Train club. They were packing their
gear into a into a van.
and
They came over introduced themselves because at that
time.
They were I was doing a regular TV show in
England.
Trumpy and oh boy. These were
regular TV shows that were every Saturday night.
and I'm
unbeknownst to me that Paul on the
car was a little Richard fan.
And I was kind of known as England's Little Richard when
the Beatles were build in the very very early days.
I remember in 61 they were building just straight from
Hamburg because while they were trying
to make a name for themselves when they were going to play in Hamburg, they'd be
in Hamburg for up to six weeks two months at a time. They'd come
back and their image was changing from James. They were
going into the leather trousers and leather jackets and how was starting
to come down and a lot of the local people thought
this band from Germany a fantastic guilty
speak English. Well, he actually thought they were a
German band and the Beatles from Germany was
the way they were getting build all the time. Of course
from the silver Beatles Don't Change to The Beatles, but
the local people just adored them some
way because the Beatles were trying to be different and I
think a Liverpool even right up to
this day people people in Liverpool. Love you, if
you you don't follow any Trends if you want to
try and be your own style and
Beatles just didn't follow any Trends. Well, everyone was
trying to be Cliff Richard or Elders. They just
wanted to be the Beatles and play hard rock and roll. That was
it. They were playing at lay them whole.
Was a blind Kelly show.
And after the show, they've been the girls have been
ironed a bit of which they always said, you know.
and wanted to
well, I understood because he was so shy enough.
Um, this guy the girlfriend the boyfriend
of the girls, you know, follow the band outside.
one of
them attacked cures
knocked him over kicked him in the head.
John came running out and his head and follow
that heart and John couldn't really gets off at two weeks.
They spent his best, you know, and that was one of the future on the guy. I
wasn't there. I got told by one of the people who have won
the band around a lot and he said that John was
crying that Night Live I firmly believe
that's where Stewart Garris.
It didn't come out. So it probably two years later, you know,
Thursday the 6th of July sees the launch of the
mercy Beat magazine.
Bill Harry a student at the Liverpool College of
Art published the first edition of Mercy Beat magazine
the fortnightly magazine quickly became an
essential read for fans of the Liverpool music scene.
The Beatles appeared numerous times in its
Pages Harry a friend to John Lennon and Stuart
Sutcliffe was a keen writer. However, his
attempts to interest the national press and the burgeoning
Liverpool music scene came to nothing.
Saturday a 28th of October Raymond Jones walks
into nem's record shop and orders My Bonnie M's
was owned by entrepreneur Brian Epstein. It
is unlikely the Epstein had never heard of The
Beatles until he met with Jones the group was regularly
featured in the liver pugly and music publication Mercy
beat which Epstein sold in mems and
wrote record reviews for although he had little interest
in the actual content. He could hardly have failed
to notice the leather clad Group, which had taken Hamburg
by storm.
Epstein's curiosity was nonetheless peaked after
his encounter with the enthusiastic Jones.
And on Thursday the 9th of November 1961. He
and Taylor paid their first visit to the
cavern Club to watch The Beatles perform.
It was the beginning of a chain of events that would irrevocably change
the lives of the people involved.
and cause a revolution in popular culture
Epstein and Taylor entered the
band's dressing room which was only as big
as a broom cupboard after the show The Beatles
recognized Epstein with the George
Harrison opening the conversation by asking and what
brings Mr. Epstein here.
Epstein watched The Beatles at the cavern Club several
times over the next few weeks on the 10th of
December. He suggested becoming the band's manager. They signed
a five-year management contract on the 24th of
January in 1962.
On the evening of the 9th in November. However, the Beatles
performed from the final time at Liverpool's slightly down
at heel leatherland Town Hall Ballroom.
Monday January 1st. 1962 was the
date that the Beatles audition for Deca records.
A session followed the labels A&R representative Mike
Smith's attendance at a cavern performance on
the 13th of December.
The Beatles performance at night hadn't been strong enough to
secure them a record deal. Let the label was willing
to offer them a session and their Studios at 165
broadhurst Gardens West Hampstead,
London.
you