Interview with Paddy Delaney and George Harrison’s Parents
Although Allan Williams did occasionally visit the Cavern, he was a very independent and headstrong individual. He had opened his own club, the Jacaranda, and had his hands in the operation of numerous Liverpool venues. He signed this EP by The Big Three along with Cavern compere Bob Wooler on the back side of the EP. The Big Three were acknowledged as possibly being the best rock musicians in Liverpool even at the time of the Beatles. Their lack of songwriting ability was the apparent drawback to a bigger claim at fame. This perception was passed on to me by none other than Tony Bramwell, a friend of the Fabs!
The Big Three Record
The signatures of the Beatles first manager along with the Cavern compere:
Signatures of Allan Williams and Bob Wooler
Cavern Owner: Ray McFall
Pictured: Bob Wooler – Cavern compere with the owner of the Cavern – Ray McFall. Wooler appears in the background. Ray McFall was instrumental in achieving the transition from what was viewed as primarily a jazz club, to a rock ‘n’ roll club. Hesitant at first, the success of the Beatles forced his hand as his business instincts directed him to make the change in the focus of the club!
A Ray McFall signed Cavern contract in 1964 for a group to appear at the Cavern called the “Redcaps” which I purchased from the UK company entitled TRACKS.
Ray McFall Signed Contract
You saw the Bob Wooler signature on THE BIG THREE EP above and here is a photo of a book written about Bob Wooler by Spencer Leigh. We all know that Bob literally introduced the Beatles at the Cavern well over 100 times. Bob was beaten up at Paul McCartney’s 21st birthday party by John Lennon when he attempted to make a joke about Lennon’s trip to Spain with Brian Epstein in 1963. A financial settlement was reportedly worked out between John and Bob Wooler.
Bob Wooler Biography
Thought a great way to end this post is this immortal Granada TV Cavern appearance (colorized) that appears on YouTube with Bob Wooler’s intro of the Beatles! Hope you enjoy!
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.
£17.25Original price was: £17.25.£13.50Current price is: £13.50.
Until that fateful last night on 28th February 1966, no one knew anything was wrong. It was just like any other Sunday night at the Cavern – until Ray McFall arrived and informed the staff that the bailiffs would be there the next morning. He said the club was to stay open all night – with free admission. Young men were furious, girls cried, and by the early hours, patrons had blocked the stairs leading down to the club. No one could get in or out.
When the police arrived, Paddy told the protestors to let them in. The kids were escorted out but they wanted doorman Paddy to be the last one to leave.
Cavern Sound Ltd
The two working directors of Cavern Sound Ltd., Nigel Greenberg and Peter Hepworth, whose recording studio occupied the basement of No. 8 Mathew Street, next door to the Cavern at No. 10, had no idea Ray McFall was about to declare bankruptcy when they locked up the previous Friday. The recording studio could only be accessed through the front door of No. 8, where the Cavern offices were situated.
The Bailiffs
Nigel recalls: “When we arrived for work that Monday we found that bailiffs, acting on behalf of the Official Receiver, were sealing up the front roller shutter to prevent anyone from removing any of Ray McFall’s assets, which were to be sold to pay off his debts.
“I tried to explain to one of the bailiffs that Cavern Sound Ltd. was a completely separate legal entity to the Cavern Club and that none of the studio equipment belonged to Ray, but the bailiff would have none of it and prevented us from entering the building.”
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.
£17.25Original price was: £17.25.£13.50Current price is: £13.50.
My first Beatles Fest in Jersey City was memorable for all the right reasons. On arrival at our hotel, we were greeted by a magical view of the night skyline of Manhattan from across the Hudson River.
The Music
It was so good to finally meet all my fellow authors in person and to experience the exciting atmosphere of the Beatles Fest for the first time. There was so much happening every day. Author’s panels, celebrity talks and presentations and of course the one ingredient that brought us all together in the first place, the music.
Beatles Bookstore Authors Terry Crain with Debbie and husband Nigel
Author Bruce Spizer with Debbie
10 Years at the Cavern
I had been invited to give a presentation relating to my ten years at the Cavern; five years as a member and five years as an owner. The audience were thrilled to learn that I had attended all 292 of The Beatles appearances at the Cavern, so much so that they rose as one and gave me a standing ovation which was very gratifying.
Debbie with her Schedule
It was great to catch up with Mark Lewisohn again, who has been a good friend of ours for almost forty years.
Mark Lewisohn with Debbie and Nigel
Liverpool
There were so many fantastic bands appearing that we were spoilt for choice. The spectacular sound of the band LIVERPOOL, and the band that came the closest to transporting me back to hearing The Beatles in the Cavern in the early sixties was The Black Ties. Their sound was raw and loud, and I felt as if I had jumped aboard a time machine and had been dropped back in the Cavern listening to The Beatles when they started to play , “I Saw Her Standing There”.
Cavern Club: The Inside Story
I did well with sales of my book, CAVERN CLUB THE INSIDE STORY and received very positive feedback.
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.
£17.25Original price was: £17.25.£13.50Current price is: £13.50.
Nigel and I met such lovely like-minded people, experts, authors, and customers. Everybody was happy and the feeling was infectious throughout the venue, there was music everywhere.
Tom Frangione and Mark Lapidos
I am already looking forward to my next Beatles Fest in Jersey City next year.
Thanks
Huge thanks go to Mark Lapidos, Susan Ratisher Ryan and all the teams of technicians and musicians and everyone that made the weekend so memorable.
Susan Ryan with Debbie
Debbie with Bob Abdou
Debbie and Nigel with Janice Mitchell
Debbie with Pat Mancuso
Kati, Andy Leigh, Me ,Nigel Greenberg, Simon Weitzman and Nancy Cohen
Debbie Greenberg, our resident Cavern Club expert, looks back at the very first time The Beatles appeared at the legendary Cavern Club. In an excerpt from her book, Cavern Club: The Inside Story, Debbie discusses The Beatles debut.
“The Cavern’s identity started to change at the start of the decade. Rock ‘n’ roll replaced jazz and the Cavern became the heart that gave Mersey its beat.
Debbie with Paul McCartney at The Cavern
“We watched The Beatles debut at The Cavern lunchtime session on 9th February 1961. We were blown away. The Beatles were different, their music was incredible, their appearance raunchy, their energy infectious. They just oozed excitement.
“Six weeks later on the 23rd March, after a lunchtime session at the Cavern, they jumped on a train at Liverpool’s Lime Street Station on their way to Hamburg for a second time having previously played there in 1960.
We Missed Them
“This time they sped out of our lives for four months. We missed them, but still went down to the Cavern to watch the other groups, like Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Singing Blue Genes, The Remo Four, Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes and many more.
“They were all fabulous groups but they weren’t The Beatles.
The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show
Exactly three years to the day from their debut at The Cavern Club in front of a couple of hundred fans, they appeared in front of 73 million Americans on the Ed Sullivan Show.
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.
£17.25Original price was: £17.25.£13.50Current price is: £13.50.
In 1957 a twenty-one-year-old Liverpool man, Alan Sytner, who had been running a weekly jazz club at several other Liverpool locations, decided he would like to open his own club. He had been impressed by a club he had visited on the Left Bank in Paris called Le Caveau, which was housed in an underground cellar with brick arches.
On his return to Liverpool he sought out similar premises in the city centre and found what he was looking for in Mathew Street, a narrow street with warehouses on one side and the Fruit Exchange on the other. It had previously been used for storage and even as an air raid shelter in Word War II.
The Beatles at the Cavern
1,500 Left Outside!
The cellar was painted, lighting was installed and a stage was built at the far end of the middle one of three tunnels. On Wednesday January 16th 1957 the Cavern Club opened for its first gig, with 600 people crammed inside – and 1,500 left outside. The headline act, the Merseysippi Jazzmen, are still performing today.
Alan Sytner ran the Cavern strictly as a jazz club but starting in 1957 he allowed skiffle groups to play, getting very annoyed if any of them tried to play rock ‘n’ roll. The Quarrymen skiffle group, precursor to the Beatles, first played the Cavern on a date no-one can pinpoint in mid-1957 and again on 7th August 1957, only weeks after John met Paul at the St. Peter’s Church Garden Fete in Woolton Village.
Get your copy of Debbie’s fascinating book on the story of The Cavern Club
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.
£17.25Original price was: £17.25.£13.50Current price is: £13.50.
Brian Epstein in NEMS, where Raymond Jones asked for “My Bonnie”
Raymond Jones
RAYMOND ‘SPIKE’ JONES, having learned from his dad the best place to fish was wherever the fish are, pinned up a postcard on the upstairs notice board at Hessy’s Music Store. The place was as busy as ever, so his advertisement offering his services to any group looking for a rhythm guitarist or anyone interested in forming a group was sure to be seen by masses of people. He stepped back and nodded. The drawing he’d done of his Rosetti Solid 7 guitar wasn’t half-bad. The different shades of red coloured pencil he’d used to add texture and depth to the body of the guitar made the postcard really stand out.
“At least my time at the Art College wasn’t a complete waste,” he muttered under his breath. Then he turned and shouted, “Hey, thanks there, Jim.” And back, above all the noise, came Jim Gretty’s fluting tenor, “That’s all right lad, anything to help a fellow musician.”
Still smiling, he stood on the corner of Stanley Street and surveyed the mob of Saturday shoppers, then glanced up at the clock outside the Kardomah and saw it was almost three o’clock. He had twenty minutes before his bus was due and he looked at the few coins he had in his pocket, then across the street at NEMS.
Mersey Beat
Raymond Jones hadn’t got the new edition of Mersey Beat, yet. So he could read it on the bus home. That decided, he played matador with the traffic on Whitechapel and was just about to enter the store, when a smartly dressed young man strode out of the shop as if he owned the place. Spike took a quick step back and for the very briefest of moments the man looked at him intently with a quizzical smile on his face. “Do excuse me,” he said, “I’m late for an appointment.”
Then he disappeared in a cloud of after-shave. “Don’t mention it,” Spike muttered in his wake and made his way downstairs to the store’s jazz and popular-music record department in the basement. As usual the place was packed and knowing he didn’t have too much time he quickly went and stood in line and waited for a sales assistant to be free.
The girl at the record counter looked at him. “Yes, sir,” she said pleasantly. “What can we do to help you?” She tried to act just as she’d been schooled by Mr Brian, himself, and not be put off by the young man’s scruffy leather jacket and jeans. “Everybody,” she remembered, Mr Brian saying, “is an important potential customer and should always be treated as such. We must never, ever send anyone away empty-handed, if we can possibly help it. Satisfaction is all. That’s the NEMS way.”
The Beatles
“Er, have you got a record by The Beatles?” Spike asked. “Only, I heard Bob Wooler, the DJ, play it at Hambleton Hall, last Sunday and again at the Cav, Thursday lunchtime. He said it was from Germany. And I was wondering, if you’ve got it, can I have a listen, please?”
“My Bonnie”
“It’s called ‘My Bonnie’,” she said, smiling. “But, no, we don’t have it in stock, although you must be the eighth or ninth person today to come in and ask for it. Is it any good, like? Only, I haven’t heard it myself. But they’re fab, aren’t they, The Beatles?”
“Yeah, there’s no one can touch them, if you ask me.”
She pointed to the big poster for ‘Operation Big Beat’ pinned up on a nearby wall. “We’ve got tickets for that event, on sale, if you like?”
“No, thanks, very much. I’ve sort of got mine, already, like.”
In the true NEMS manner, she persisted. “Well, er, would you like me to order the record for you, then?”
“No, that’s okay, I only wanted a quick listen, but, er, I will take a Mersey Beat.” She handed him a copy from the top of the pile sitting on the counter and he handed her a threepenny bit. She smiled and he smiled back. “But, look, thanks for offering,” he said. Then he left.
A slim dark-haired young man in a smart suit came up and stood next to the young girl. “And what did scruffy want, Rita?”
“It was someone else asking for that new record by The Beatles, Mr Alistair. But he didn’t want to order it. He only wanted to have a listen.”
CODA| SOMETIME LATER
‘What’s this all about, Mr Epstein, sir?”
“Er Spike…?”
“My name’s Raymond, Raymond Jones.”
A shadow crossed over Brian Epstein’s face as he thought of the awful night, in Hamburg. He suppressed a shiver. “The thing is, Raymond, I…I really can’t thank you enough for what you did.”
“I didn’t do anything, Mr Epstein. Really, I didn’t.”
“But I was there, Raymond. I saw what happened with my own eyes. You kept it all from ending before it had ever really begun.”
“I’m sorry…I don’t follow.”
Bigger Than Elvis
“They’re going to be bigger than Elvis. The Beatles…John’s group…one day they’re going to be even bigger than Elvis Presley. I know it, Raymond. I see it so clearly. They have the talent…the¼”
Spike was on firmer ground here. “Yeah, they’re great, no one to touch them. But there’s hundreds of groups all round Merseyside…all of them dead set on beating The Beatles in the next Mersey Beat Popularity Poll.”
Charisma
“Yes, I write a column for Mersey Beat and know the editor, personally. And I’m very well aware of all the talent in Liverpool. It’s just that The Beatles are different. They’re special. They have something even more important than talent. They have charisma. One can’t take one’s eyes off of them. And as The Beatles become more and more famous, I want to ensure you’re a part of their story…forever.”
“I’m sorry, Mr Epstein, I still don’t follow.”
“I want to make you part of the legend, Raymond. One day I’ll tell the whole story. Write a book so people will know what really happened. And I’ll say you were there at the very beginning and that it was all down to you that I went out and discovered The Beatles.”
