British Isles Friday - Liverpool

Joy's Book Blog is hosting this weekly meme.

May 2010 - Liverpool England

Upon completion of the Magical Mystery Bus Tour you are dropped (conveniently) at the Cavern Club.
More on the tour later.

Most of the big names in the Liverpool music scene of the early sixties can trace their roots back to the skiffle period at the Cavern.

Alan Sytner opened The Cavern Club, having been inspired by the jazz district in Paris, where there were a number of clubs in cellars. Sytner returned to Liverpool and strove to open a club similar to the Le Caveau jazz club in Paris. He eventually found a perfect cellar for his club with similar tunnels and arches—which had been used as an air raid shelter during World War Two. The club was opened on 16 January 1957. The first act to perform at the opening of the club was the Merseysippi Jazz Band.

The Quarrymen Skiffle Group, featuring John Lennon, made their first appearance at the Cavern on Wednesday 7th August 1957. A week earlier Ringo Starr is thought to have made his debut with the Eddie Clayton Skiffle group. Paul McCartney did not made his debut until 24th January 1958 with the Quarrymen. George Harrison had to wait until the Beatles made their first appearance at a lunchtime session on 9th February 1961.

OK so I didn't take a picture of our drinks in the club, but it is a club. There was a  music festival on at the time, and a band from New York were playing, suffice it to say I wouldn't sully this post by putting a photo of them here. They were horrendous and it was especially disappointing to most patrons as they had just completed the Magical Mystery Bus Tour.

31 OCTOBER 1970 Queen appeared at the Cavern Club.
Freddie Mercury had been living in rented accommodation in Penny Lane, Liverpool and had joined a local rock band called Ibex. He left Ibex in late 1969 to join Brian May and Roger Taylor after an improptu performance with them in a Liverpool venue called The Sink.