22nd August 1962
Ringo had made his debut with The Beatles at Hulme Hall, Port Sunlight, on 18th August 1962. However, if the reception wasn’t great at Hulme Hall, he was in for a rude awakening four days later at the Cavern Club. Debbie Greenberg remembers it well.
“Overnight, the Beatles had a following of devoted fans and I was one of them,” recalled Debbie. “The amazing thing about the Cavern was that the Beatles and all the groups were so accessible. We were literally inches away as they played.
“Pete Forever, Ringo Never”
“The girls went crazy when Pete Best was sacked and replaced by Ringo. Pete was sultry, fiercely good-looking and oozed sex appeal. They would heckle the Beatles when they were on stage, shouting; “Pete forever, Ringo never.” We were all outraged and couldn’t understand why Ringo was the new drummer. The sound didn’t seem any different to us.
Rumours about Pete’s dismissal circulated around Liverpool. Some said he was too good-looking and Paul was jealous because he was getting the most attention from the girls. Others said Brian Epstein had decided his drumming wasn’t good enough. I don’t suppose any of us will ever get to the bottom of it; even Pete Best didn’t know why he was dropped.
“Hi there, all you cave-dwellers”
“The Beatles inspired many groups to embrace rock ‘n’ roll – and they all wanted to play the Cavern. The resident DJ, Bob Wooler, would always introduce the show with, “Hi there, all you cave-dwellers. We’ve got the Hi-FI high and the lights down low.” At the end of the night he always played “I’ll Be There” by Bobby Darin and we all knew it was time to leave. It was never the signal to get romantic as it was in other clubs. It was just time to go and catch the bus home.”
GET YOUR COPY OF DEBBIE’S GREAT BOOK ABOUT THE CAVERN
Cavern Club – The Inside Story
This first-hand account of Debbie’s teen years frequenting and eventually helping to run the original Cavern Club is the authentic inside story of the Beatles launch pad, full of triumphs and failures – and surprise celebrity encounters.
