 |
| Ticket for their final performance at The Cavern. |
The music scene was just a couple of years out of the skiffle era with its primitive equipment such as the washboard, tea chest bass and cheap acoustic guitars, and sometimes with a microphone cellotaped to the front as an improvised pick-up. All around the country youngsters had been inspired by Lonnie Donegan, who became the King Of Skiffle in 1960, and with the sound he created with instruments that were available to everyone. On the 16th of January 1957 The Cavern Club had opened in a warehouse cellar at 10, Mathew Street, Liverpool. Owner Alan Sytner named the club after the Paris jazz club, Le Caveau De La Huchette and planned for it to become the top jazz venue outside London.
However, as a sign of things to come, on the opening night 'The Coney Island Skiffle Group' supported the Top of the Bill act, 'The Merseysippi Jazz Band'.
JOHN
( born John Winston Lennon on the 9th of October 1940 in the Liverpool Maternity Hospital)
In Liverpool, there seemed to be a skiffle group wherever you turned and John Lennon was one of many starting up their first bands, including the short-lived 'Quarrymen'. John had stated that it was hearing Elvis' Heartbreak Hotel in 1956 that changed his life. His mother, Julia, had taught him how to play the banjo and piano and had purchased for him his first guitar.
When skiffle became a national craze, Paul swapped the trumpet his father had given him for a £15 Framus Zenith acoustic guitar. Being left-handed, Paul initially had trouble playing the instrument. He later learned to restring it before writing his first song, 'I Lost My Little Girl'. He took music lessons for a while, but preferred instead to learn by ear as well as also learning to play piano. He had passed his 11-Plus exam which meant he could attend the Liverpool Institute, a Grammar school rather than a Secondary Modern school.
It was while travelling to the Institute by bus that he first met George Harrison. They rode the bus together going to and from the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys and found they shared an interest in music and playing guitars. George recalled, "It was on that bus journey that I met Paul McCartney, because he, being at the same school, had the same uniform and was going the same way as I was so I started hanging out with him.”
( born John Winston Lennon on the 9th of October 1940 in the Liverpool Maternity Hospital)
In Liverpool, there seemed to be a skiffle group wherever you turned and John Lennon was one of many starting up their first bands, including the short-lived 'Quarrymen'. John had stated that it was hearing Elvis' Heartbreak Hotel in 1956 that changed his life. His mother, Julia, had taught him how to play the banjo and piano and had purchased for him his first guitar.
On the 6th of July 1957 the band, consisting of John Lennon (vocals, guitar), Eric Griffiths (guitar), Colin Hanton (drums), Rod Davies (banjo), Pete Shotton (washboard) and Len Garry (tea chest bass) performed three Lonnie Donegan numbers at the now famous fete at St Peter's Church in Woolton. It was while setting up their equipment to play that 'The Quarrymen's' sometime tea-chest bass player, Ivan Vaughan, introduced the band to one of his classmates from the Liverpool Institute, the 15-year-old Paul McCartney. This was the first time Paul McCartney met John Lennon, a year his senior, and Paul showed John how to tune a guitar. Paul then sang Eddie Cochran's 'Twenty Flight Rock' and Gene Vincent's 'Be-Bop-A-Lula', along with a medley of songs by Little Richard which seemed to impress Lennon. John later discussed with Pete Shotton whether to invite Paul to join the group and two weeks later Paul accepted Pete's invitation.
N.B. Had they met earlier? see http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2020/07/pool-of-sound-where-paul-first-met-john.html
 |
| John & Paul composing 'I Saw Her Standing There' at Forthlin Road. |
PAUL
( born James Paul McCartney on the 18th of June 1942 in Walton Hospital )
Paul's dad had a talent for music and was a keen pianist having his own piano which he ironically had bought bought from Harry Epstein's NEMS store and even had his own band, called 'Jim Mac’s Jazz Band'.( born James Paul McCartney on the 18th of June 1942 in Walton Hospital )
When skiffle became a national craze, Paul swapped the trumpet his father had given him for a £15 Framus Zenith acoustic guitar. Being left-handed, Paul initially had trouble playing the instrument. He later learned to restring it before writing his first song, 'I Lost My Little Girl'. He took music lessons for a while, but preferred instead to learn by ear as well as also learning to play piano. He had passed his 11-Plus exam which meant he could attend the Liverpool Institute, a Grammar school rather than a Secondary Modern school.
It was while travelling to the Institute by bus that he first met George Harrison. They rode the bus together going to and from the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys and found they shared an interest in music and playing guitars. George recalled, "It was on that bus journey that I met Paul McCartney, because he, being at the same school, had the same uniform and was going the same way as I was so I started hanging out with him.”
 |
| At 147 Dinas Lane, the Liverpool home of Paul’s Auntie Gin. |
GEORGE
( born George Harrison on the 25th of February 1943 at home in 12 Arnold Grove, Wavertree )
George had attended Dovedale Road school, the same school John Lennon had attended years earlier, where he passed his 11 Plus exam and gained a place at the Liverpool Institute for Boys, a local Grammar school.( born George Harrison on the 25th of February 1943 at home in 12 Arnold Grove, Wavertree )
By the age of 14, George, whose early rock heroes included Carl Perkins, Little Richard and Buddy Holly, had purchased his first guitar and taught himself a few chords.
In 1959 Harrison formed a skiffle group, 'The Rebels', with his brother Peter and a friend, Arthur Kelly. His mother bought him a guitar for £3, and the group's debut gig at the British Legion club in Speke earned them 10 shillings (50p). Paul and George's love of music led Paul to persuade him to meet his new group 'The Quarrymen' and to 'audition' for John Lennon a couple of times. John recalled, "Paul introduced me to George and I had to make the decision whether to let George in. I listened to George play and said, 'Play Raunchy', which was a 1958 hit for saxophonist Bill Justis. Then I said, 'OK, you can come in."
The band later became 'Johnny and the Moondogs', and later the 'Silver Beetles'.
During 1960 the 'Silver Beatles' played without a permanent drummer. Finally though, when their manager Allan Williams, the owner of the Jacaranda, secured a tour of Hamburg, driving them there in his van, it was decided that the drummer situation had to be solved. The solution was Pete Best. The band knew Pete from a club his Mum had opened in West Derby where they had often played, practised and now frequented called The Casbah - where Pete's own group 'The Blackjacks' were resident.
Paul McCartney phoned Pete in August 1960 asking him if he was interested in joining the band. Pete discussed the situation with his fellow Blackjacks who happily agreed that Pete should take up his place with the newly named 'Beatles'. Pete formally auditioned and became a Beatle on 12th August 1960.
'The Beatles' steadily improved during their first 7 week stint in Hamburg, sometimes doing 8 hour shows with the help of stimulants and the club owner Koschmider insisting they must 'put on a show', shouting 'Mach Schau! Mach Schau!' Back in Liverpool, Cavern owner Ray McFall finally relented to Paul McCartney and Gerry Marsden's requests for bookings and agreed to let them have some lunch time sessions and they made their first appearance there as 'The Beatles' on the 21st February 1961. It wasn't long before they were drawing large crowds to The Cavern, now their 'home', and were hugely popular even though they weren't the best group around at the time. That would be different though after their 3 month second visit to Hamburg in April of 1961 when they returned as a tighter and more confident band. Now wearing leather, their performance was a lot slicker and their harmonies had much improved.
 |
| Hamburg |
They were now the undisputed fan's favourites and were respected amongst their peers with the good looking Pete Best having the most admirers, but was a 'bit of a loner' compared to the the other three. George had been much influenced by Joe Brown, how Joe stood and how he played his guitar, even down to the leather clothes he wore, persuading the others to wear leather gear.
On the 9th of November 1961 Brian Epstein made the short journey at lunchtime from his Whitechapel NEMS store to see the Beatles perform at The Cavern and on the 24th of January 1962 he became their manager. Having returned from a recording session on the 6th June at the EMI Abbey Road Studios with producer George Martin unusually in attendance for an artist test, Brian Epstein was informed by George Martin that Pete Best would not be used on future recordings. Two days later Ringo Starr was asked to join The Beatles, Brian Epstein requesting Pete Best to meet him at his office in his NEMS record shop.
"They don't think you're a good enough drummer, Pete," Brian told him. "And George Martin doesn't think you're a good enough drummer."
On the 9th of November 1961 Brian Epstein made the short journey at lunchtime from his Whitechapel NEMS store to see the Beatles perform at The Cavern and on the 24th of January 1962 he became their manager. Having returned from a recording session on the 6th June at the EMI Abbey Road Studios with producer George Martin unusually in attendance for an artist test, Brian Epstein was informed by George Martin that Pete Best would not be used on future recordings. Two days later Ringo Starr was asked to join The Beatles, Brian Epstein requesting Pete Best to meet him at his office in his NEMS record shop.
"They don't think you're a good enough drummer, Pete," Brian told him. "And George Martin doesn't think you're a good enough drummer."
 |
| The 'Fab Four' in 1962 |
RINGO
( born Richard Starkey the 7th of July 1940 at home in 9 Madryn Street, Dingle )
In November 1959 he joined another band, 'The Raving Texans', a backing band for Rory Storm later to become 'Rory Storm and the Hurricanes' who became successful enough to be offered a residency in Hamburg on the 1st October 1960 where they topped the bill. He was now known as Ringo and it was here that he first met 'The Beatles' and even played with them a few times standing in for the ill Pete Best. It was not unusual for the groups in Hamburg to have stand in members as there had developed a great solidarity between them all and Ringo got to know the other Beatles well during this period. John, Paul and George realised at that time that he had a personality that was a good fit with the rest of the band.
 |
| At The Cavern in 1962 |
In October 1962 their first release 'Love Me Do' charted at No.17 but in February 1963 their second release, 'Please Please Me' hit number one in the British singles chart and remained there for two weeks. Also the following month the album 'Please Please Me' came out in the U.K. and was an instant hit there. The album stayed at number one for 29 weeks.
After 291 appearances at The Cavern they were obviously outgrowing the Liverpool scene and they played there for a final time on Saturday the 3rd of August 1963. With the audience limited to 500 and 'The Beatles' receiving £300 appearance money, the venue lost money that night.
The rest, as they say, is history!
see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2017/02/mersey-beat-billy-fury.html
No comments:
Post a Comment