How do you become a Beatles author, blogger, filmmaker, podcaster and member of The Quarrymen?
You get ill with a chronic incurable, painful, condition, but find a very wise and understanding doctor.
David far left with The Quarrymen
This is the story of how David Bedford started work on his first book, Liddypool: Birthplace of The Beatles, and went on to write and co-write several other books too, as well as the documentary film “Looking for Lennon” and so many more Beatles projects.
This is the story, from an interview in 2014 and then updated in 2024.
I would like to take this opportunity to highlight many of the exciting, informative, and educational literary works of our blog administrator, David Bedford. I first met David at a Fest for Beatles Fans several years ago and was instantly impressed with his pleasant personality. It was a great way to meet David, sharing the atmosphere of a great Beatles-related gathering.
With my large Beatles book collection, very few authors can truly impress me either with new information or a different perspective about the Beatles story. David has fulfilled both of those tasks for me. Here is a brief summary of some of his excellent books and work….David’s Beatles knowledge is often understated as he helps to expand the horizons of the Beatles knowledge-base for all of us to enjoy and relish.
All of the Beatles history is certainly not available to all of us, but David has made a significant contribution in uncovering a lot of information about our favorite band not previously known! For that accomplishment, we should all be very grateful!!!
Liddypool
David’s Liddypool book helps us all to understand why the force that rocked the world had to come from Liverpool. From the unique Scouse sense of humor to the ability of the Liverpudlians to take American music and present it back to America and the rest of the world in a unique and fascinating form/way.
Liddypool by David Bedford
Finding The Fourth Beatle
One of my favorite Bedford/ Popper books where virtually all of the people who at one time played drums for the Beatles are explored: Finding the Fourth Beatle. Guaranteed that you probably will learn quite a few things that you never knew before about the multiple individuals who played drums for the band. I found this book to be extremely informative and details not previously known to the public are finally exposed in this great work!
Finding the Fourth Beatle
The Country of Liverpool: Nashville of The North
Another interesting book by David explores the influence of country music on Liverpool and how the Liverpool groups were able to synergistically mold country and pop music. The book also deals with the origins of skiffle and the Country roots of The Beatles. An excellent book by David!
The Country of Liverpool
The Beatles Fab Four Cities
David is one of the authors of this virtual travelogue of Beatles sites throughout 4 major world cities of Liverpool, Hamburg, London, and New York! The other authors of this wonderful book – The Beatles Fab Four Cities – are Susan Ryan and Richard Porter. Their expertise in the Beatles-related sites in the 4 cities mentioned is second to none!
The Beatles Fab Four Cities
The Fab One Hundred and Four: The Evolution of The Beatles
This book happens to be one of my favorites not only for the photographs of rare and some unknown Beatles-related personalities but of the numerous previously unknown stories that are revealed within this book. Can’t miss with this title: The Fab One Hundred and Four: The Evolution of The Beatles
The Fab One Hundred and Four
Inspector Rocke
David has even toyed with murder fiction that is set in Liverpool, of course! Inspector Rocke. An excellent read and fiction of this type is very difficult to write. Kudos to you David!
Inspector Rocke
Bill Zygmant: Where Did You Get That Shirt?
David Bedford and Paul Skellett used their respective talents and helped to organize this fabulous limited edition book by noted photographer, Bill Zygmant. Bill took some of the last photos of John and Yoko before they moved permanently to the United States. The fabulous photos of the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix contained within this book are other major highlights.
Bill Zygmant
Looking for Lennon
One other David Bedford item I would like to mention is the documentary that David acted as the historian on and that is the fabulous DVD of “Looking for Lennon.”
I loved this examination of the early days about the founder of the world’s greatest pop band!
Additional details of the people that were involved with the creation of this project are provided at this link
Most of the book titles mentioned above are available at The Beatles bookstore with the link at the top of this page, or by clicking on the links and covers of the books.
This was the very first colour photo published of John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison, taken in those early days, but when was it taken?
When working on my book, “The Fab One Hundred and four: The Evolution of The Beatles” way back in 2011, there was no date to be found. Memories were hazy and all we knew was that it was taken at Paul McCartney’s cousin Ian Harris’ wedding reception, most probably during 1958.
John, Paul, George and Denis
I managed to track down the guy on the right of the photo having a drink, Denis Littler, who was one of Ian Harris’s best friends, remembered the day, jamming with John, Paul and George, but not the date of the wedding.
Find out how I dated the photo in this video:
Get your copy of my book below too:
The Fab One Hundred and Four: The Evolution of The Beatles
The Fab one hundred and Four: The Evolution of The Beatles tells how the four Quarrymen became the Fab Four of John, Paul, George and Ringo.
£49.00Original price was: £49.00.£20.00Current price is: £20.00.
When George Harrison declared that “No Lonnie Donegan, No Beatles”, he was joined by virtually every ’60s musician in that sentiment. What he created was a revolution in the music scene, inspiring young people to pick up guitars and start groups.
Born April 29th, 1931 in Glasgow as Anthony James Donegan, the name Lonnie came when a compere announced Lonnie Johnson, an American blues singer, as Tony Johnson and then went on to announce Tony Donegan as Lonnie Donegan and the new name stuck.
London
It was when the family moved to the East End of London in 1933 that things changed for young Donegan. Lonnie’s father was a classical violin player in the Scottish National Orchestra and encouraged his son to play. Lonnie learnt the guitar by the age of nine, but it was 1942 before he bought his first instrument.
Country Roots of Lonnie Donegan
Donegan’s first taste for Country music came when listening to music by Frank Crumit and Josh White. Among those first songs were “Frankie And Johnny” and “The House Of The Rising Sun.” One day while riding on a train, jazz musician Chris Barber approached him to join his band as a banjo player and that was his first break.
In 1949, Lonnie was conscripted for his National Service and was posted to Vienna, Austria, where he mixed with the American troops and listened to AFN radio (Armed Forces Network), further deepening his love of Country music. Hank Williams was touring the US bases at this time and this inspired him too. It would be those country roots that formed the heart of the skiffle craze.
In 1952 he formed his own band, the Tony Donegan Jazz Band, which brought about the name-changing tour with Lonnie Johnson.
Skiffle
He rejoined Chris Barber who had amalgamated with Ken Colyer for a supergroup and then Lonnie started to fill the intervals as a trio, playing Country/ skiffle, as it became known, he had Chris Barber on upright bass and Beryl Brydon on washboard percussion. Entertaining the punters brought about an opportunity that not even Donegan would have dreamed of.
Rock Island Line
Being a few songs short on an album, Donegan suggested recording a couple of their skiffle songs, like “Rock Island Line”, and released as singles. The sales of these rocketed, appealing to a teenage audience who made Lonnie a star. On both sides of the Atlantic, “Rock Island Line” sold by the thousands and made him a household name, though he didn’t make a penny from the sales: he purely got a musician fee for the session.
He then went to America and had great success touring with many artists, including Chuck Berry. A new genre of music was born teaming Country with jazz and blues.
The Country Roots of The Beatles
Donegan’s “Rock Island Line” inspired John Lennon and his friends to start a skiffle group, The Quarrymen picked up their instruments along with thousands of others in the UK. Those country roots of Donegan and skiffle defined the early Quarrymen sound and, as demonstrated in my book “The Country of Liverpool“, those country roots came through in their recording career too.
Find out more in “The Country of Liverpool: Nashville of the North”.
The Country of Liverpool: Nashville of The North (Limited Hardback Edition)
The Country of Liverpool: Nashville of the North by David Bedford. The Untold Story of the Country Roots of The Beatles and Liverpool, when Liverpool had the largest country and western scene in Europe!
The Quarrymen at The Casbah opening night: George, Paul, Ken Brown and John
The Casbah Coffee Club Opens in West Derby 29th August 1959
“Come on down to the Casbah”
Much has been written about the Cavern and its place in Beatles history. However, there is a great chunk of Beatles history that has been overlooked for many years. While The Cavern was entertaining jazz fans, The Casbah became the place to be. Why was it so important? Why was Mona (Mo) Best, Pete Best’s mum, so important?
Roag, Rory and Pete’s book ‘The Beatles – The True Beginnings’ opens with this quote:
“I think it’s a good idea to let people know about the Casbah. They know about the Cavern, they know about some of those things, but the Casbah was the place where all that started. We helped paint it and stuff. We looked upon it as our personal club.”
Sir Paul McCartney
What else can you say? If Paul says it, it must be true.
You may have heard about the Casbah as a club at which the Quarrymen played, but not much else.
8 Haymans Green – Home to The Casbah
So let’s consider the facts about The Casbah:
The Casbah was the first ‘Beat’ club in Liverpool – all the others (like the Cavern) were still jazz clubs.
This is where George Harrison and Ken Brown re-formed the Quarrymen after not playing together for months.
The Casbah was hand-decorated by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best, Ken Brown and Cynthia Powell.
It was here that John and Paul convinced Stuart to join the band by spending his money on the bass guitar – under duress – as remembered by Paul McCartney and witnessed by Rory Best.
The Casbah was home to all of the major Merseybeat bands to emerge in the 60s, like The Beatles, The Searchers, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, Derry & the Seniors, Billy J Kramer, The Big Three, Faron and the Flamingos, The Undertakers, and so the list goes on (which is why the musicians called Mo the “Mother of Merseybeat.”)
This was the first place they played outside of Hamburg as ‘The Beatles’.
The Beatles had to regroup after being thrown out of Hamburg, so they came back together to perform at The Casbah.
Paul had found a job and the others were disillusioned. John had stayed in Hamburg for a few weeks but eventually returned. It was Mo who got them back together again and let them play at the Casbah. She also took a more pro active role in getting them bookings. Would they have disbanded otherwise?
It was at the Casbah that The Beatles always played before going to Hamburg and immediately after they returned. They rehearsed there, often in the lounge.
It was Mo who got The Beatles back into Germany after they had been deported, after contacting Peter Eckhorn, who owned the Top Ten Club.
It was Mo who got them their first proper rock ‘n’ roll gig at the Cavern after convincing Ray McFall, who took advice from Bob Wooler, to book The Beatles.
When The Beatles played at the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, it was the biggest indoor concert The Beatles ever gave in Britain – around 4,500 people. The poster for the night proclaimed The Beatles – “by kind permission of Mrs. Best.”
Mo bought and let them use the equipment she had bought for the Casbah, and they stored everything there. If The Beatles were playing elsewhere, she would close the Casbah, as everyone would follow the band around the city. Even after Pete was dismissed, they continued to go there. In fact, The Beatles still stored their equipment at the Casbah until the summer of 1963 – which shows the true character of Mo.
She formed Casbah Promotions and took ‘her’ bands to bigger venues. (Image casbah ticket “Casbah Promotions”)
The Beatles’ first radio broadcast was in Manchester on 7 March 1962 for a show called ‘Teenager’s Turn (Here We Go).’ As the show was pre-recorded, all but George came to the Casbah the next day to listen to it on the radiogram in the lounge.
Just as John, Paul and George as the Quarrymen opened the club, it was The Beatles – John, Paul, George and Pete – who closed it on 24 June 1962.
Ironically, the Casbah marked the birth of The Beatles when they opened it on 29 August 1959, and The Beatles’ last live concert was at Candlestick Park exactly seven years later – 29 August 1966.
Discover More about The Casbah
Any place that has all of that as history should be the focus for all Beatles fans across the world. When fans visit the Casbah they are amazed that such an important place has remained hidden for all these years.
The Casbah Coffee Club
The Quarrymen and The Casbah
The whole story of the Casbah is amazing, yet I was stunned when I realised that I wasn’t aware of it – and I live in Liverpool! I had to find out more. When you read the whole story you too will be ‘gobsmacked’.
Most fans will know of Hunter Davies’ ‘definitive’ first biography and will notice The Casbah hardly gets a mention. Even years later when he had the chance to correct things in his book ‘The Quarrymen’, the Casbah’s only real mention is:
“In August 1959, they had a bit of luck – the Casbah opened. It provided them with regular bookings and also their next drummer, Pete Best.”
If you have only read the early editions, you have missed out. When Hunter Davies later updated his book, he rectified the original omission after meeting Pete, and inserted a chapter of its own for the Casbah, giving it its rightful place.
So, as Mo would say, “Come with me to The Casbah”.
How did Mo buy her house? She decided to take her valuable Indian jewellery to the pawnshop and then took the cash to the betting shop. Mo placed it on a horse that was entered in the 1954 Derby, one of the biggest horse races in Britain. She liked the sound of a horse named ‘Never Say Die’, which was ridden by a young unknown jockey called Lester Piggott – who went on to become one of Britain’s best-known jockeys. The horse wasn’t fancied but won at the juicy odds of 33-1. This win enabled Mo to realise her dream of owning the big house at 8 Haymans Green.
Never Say Die
Creating the Casbah Coffee Club
One night, all the friends had gathered at Haymans Green to watch a television show – they were one of a few houses to have a television – when Mona saw the famous club, ‘Two I’s Coffee Bar’, which was based in London on the television. She decided that she should open a coffee club for young people.
Rory Best remembers:
“Mo stood up and declared: ‘I’m going to turn the basement into a little coffee club’. My father turned round and said, ‘Over my dead body!’
John Best apparently just kept repeating the phrase ‘You’re crazy!’ and shaking his head.
What happened next and who said what has not been recorded, but we know they started clearing the basement the next day to prepare for a new coffee club!”
And what about the name, Rory? Why the Casbah?
“Mo had remembered seeing the film Algiers with Charles Boyer, and remembered the line, ‘Come with me to the Casbah’ and so decided to call it the Casbah Coffee Club.”
From a house initially nicknamed Dracula’s Castle by Pete and Rory, and eventually renamed Shangri-La, it was about to be transformed. And that was that. On 29 August 1959, the Casbah Coffee Club opened.
However, The Casbah was more than just a club.
Birthplace of The Beatles
The Best family claims that The Casbah was actually the birthplace of The Beatles – with some justification.
The Quarrymen were effectively reborn on 29 August 1959 when they opened The Casbah. By the time The Beatles closed the club in June 1962, they had played there at least 44 times.
As there was still a lot of work to do to get the club ready for opening, they were all asked to help out – John, Paul, George, Cynthia, Ken and Pete, Rory and Mo Best.
This is the amazing thing about the Casbah. There is nothing else like it in the world. Still untouched after more than 40 years, you can see the work carried out by them all: a club that was hand painted by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best and Cynthia Powell…not a bad firm of interior decorators!
The first room you enter is the Aztec Room, painted by John. Rory remembers what happened. “Originally, John painted his now famous three-legged pot-bellied caricatures, but when Mo saw what he’d done she went mad! She hated what John had done, so she told him to change it. John then painted over them with green gloss paint – he should have used matt emulsion but, not wearing his glasses, he used the wrong paint. Mo also hated the colour green, so she told him to get rid of it. He then produced something with a more Aztec feel, which is what Mo wanted.
John Lennon’s Aztec Ceiling
To leave his mark, John started to engrave his name into the wooded wall paneling and got as far as ‘John’ before Mo caught him and stopped him. She slapped him across the back of the head and his glasses fell off. He then trod on his glasses and so had to borrow Mo’s mother’s glasses to finish the job – we still possess both pairs of glasses! The scratched name is still there, standing out in Mo’s beautiful new woodwork.”
Paul Paints a Rainbow
Rory continues: “Not to be outdone, Paul painted a rainbow ceiling, with stripes for each colour.”
With George Harrison, Pete Best, Stuart Sutcliffe and Cynthia Powell also lending a hand, The Casbah is the only club that, as well as being the Birthplace of The Beatles, is the only club hand-painted by The Beatles!!
