The Beatles at the Cavern
John made his Cavern debut with the Quarry Men in 1957. As “The Beatles”, they made 292 appearances at the Club – The Beatles at the Cavern
16 January 1957
The Cavern Club opened at 10 Mathew Street, Liverpool. It opened as a jazz club, named after the jazz club Le Caveau De La Huchette, in Paris.
31 July 1957
Ringo Starr was the first to make his Cavern debut with the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Band. He subsequently played there on a regular basis with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.
7 August 1957
John Lennon with his group Quarry Men made their first appearance at the Cavern.
At the time it was a jazz club. Owner Alan Sytner tolerated skiffle music but was not a fan of rock’n’roll. Consequently, the Quarry Men were there as a skiffle group. However, John Lennon was rapidly moving their musical direction towards rock’n’roll. During their set the group broke away from skiffle and played Hound Dog and Blue Suede Shoes. This prompted Sytner to famously send a note to Lennon onstage, telling him to “cut out the bloody rock”.
By now Paul McCartney was also a member of the Quarry Men. Although, he missed this gig because he was away at camp with the Boy Scouts.
24 January 1958
Paul McCartney made his first appearance at the Cavern with the Quarry Men.
Appearances as “The Beatles”
9 February 1961
Shortly after returning from their first Hamburg trip, John, Paul, George and Pete Best made their first Cavern appearance as “The Beatles”. This lunchtime session was also George Harrison’s Cavern debut.
21 March 1961
The Beatles played their first evening gig at the Cavern
19 August 1962
Ringo made his Cavern debut with the Beatles.
Three days later Granada TV filmed a lunchtime performance. Pete Best’s sacking and subsequent replacement by Ringo was not popular with many of the fans, Consequently, the chant, “We Want Pete” can be heard in the background.
3 August 1963
The Beatles gave their last performance at the Cavern Club. According to the Cavern’s own website, the Beatles made 292 appearances at the Club.
The Beatles at The Cavern
Author Derek Shelmerdine…
Author Derek Shelmerdine wrote the book Rock’n’Roll Unravelled. In short, its unique three-part structure tells the story of rock’n’roll from its roots to mid-1970s punk.
Record Collector reviewed Rock’n’Roll Unravelled and as a result, described the book as, “comprehensive… invaluable”.
Are Paul and Ringo on tour now…
The artists listed in 1960s and ’70s Artists on Tour Now include Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
As a result, check out if any of the people mentioned in the item are on the road now.
Paul McCartney – any gigs lined up…
Ringo Starr – any gigs lined up…
Pete Best – any gigs lined up
This blog – The Beatles at the Cavern
was written to accompany
The Mop Tops and The King radio show
The Beatles Unravelled and Elvis Presley Unravelled
Derek Shelmerdine makes a two-weekly guest appearance on Steve Chelmsford’s Mop Tops and The King radio show. The Beatles Unravelled and Elvis Presley Unravelled segments, therefore, alternate every two weeks.
This show is broadcast on nearly 100 radio stations world-wide, between 26 August and 1 September.
It is also available through my Podcasts page.
This Beatles at The Cavern blog is the background to that show.
The Mop Tops and the King radio show is syndicated world-wide. It’s certainly a great name for a radio show specialising in The Beatles and Elvis Presley.
In addition to this blog, check out the links below for The Beatles at the Cavern + all the Elvis and Beatles Unravelled segments.
