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From The Wyvern Club to Hamburg – 50 years ago
The Wyvern Club was situated in Seel Street, Liverpool and later became known as The Blue Angel
, a club run by Allan Williams. As the Wyvern Club, it was the venue back on 10 May 1960 for the Silver Beatles to audition for Larry Parnes, as he was looking for a band to back Liverpool’s own answer to Elvis, Bill Fury. Fury, born Ronald Wycherley, was from the Dingle, and has attended St. Silas School with Richard Starkey – later Ringo Starr of course. Fury is probably one of the most under-rated artists in British pop music and had a huge following in Britain.
Parnes was putting a tour together, and asked for Liverpool bands to audition to back Billy Fury. Now, many people say that the Silver Beatles failed the audition. They didn’t. They didn’t win the prized job if backing Fury, but Parnes still selected them to back another of his artists, Johnny Gentle. This lead to an ill-fated tour of Scotland where the Silver Beatles adopted stage names of Johnny Lennon, Paul Ramon, Carl Harrison and Stuart De Stael. They also took along their latest drummer, Tommy Moore who was dragged from a hospital bed to play with the band, still suffering from concussion and losing teeth from crashing their van!
Tommy Moore quit when they got back to Liverpool, and the Silver Beatles then recruited Norman Chapman, a very good drummer from Liverpool. However, his career was cut short when he was called up on National Service after only a few weeks playing with the band. So, The Silver Beatles were without a drummer – again. This left them with a vacancy to fill quickly, because Allan Williams had secured them a residency at a Hamburg club. They needed a drummer, desperately.
When Pete Best received a phone call from Paul McCartney to join The Beatles – and not the Silver Beatles – he was ushered down to the Wyvern Club. He was given an audition by the group to see if he could join them to go to Hamburg. Why an audition? He was the only drummer they asked.
I asked Allan Williams, who was managing The Silver Beatles/ Beatles then as to why he was put through an audition. After all, they knew Pete from the Casbah and his band the Blackjacks. Williams said that it was so he wouldn’t ask for too much money!!
So, The Beatles headed across the North Sea to Hamburg, through Holland, where they famously visited the war memorial at Oosterbeek
, a small town near Arnhem in the east of the Netherlands, where that iconic picture was taken by the monument with the immortal words, “There name liveth forever more”. We can see on the photo, from left to right, Allan Williams, Beryl Williams (Allan’s wife), Lord Woodbine, Stuart, Paul, George and Pete. The picture was taken by Beryl’s brother Barry Chang. You will notice that John Lennon is not in the picture. I asked Williams about this, and he told me that Lennon was sickened by seeing row after row of gravestones and couldn’t face being in the photo. Another side to Lennon.
They had also stopped in Arnhem, where they visited a music shop (Bergmann’s), John stole a harmonica. Nobody noticed but if they had been caught, then it would be no Hamburg, and then what?
They eventually made it to Hamburg, to a seedy little club called the Indra which, on 17th August 1960, held the debut of The Beatles: John, Paul, George, Stuart and Pete. The Beatles had arrived, but it would take a lot of hard work to get from mediocre band to the greatest band in history.
So, if you are in Liverpool, go to Seel Street and see the Blue Angel. It became one of the best clubs in Liverpool, but it was also significant as the Wyvern Club in 1960, because The Beatles, as they were now known, were first assembled there at that audition held for Pete Best. Over the next 2 years, between Liverpool and Hamburg, John, Paul, George, Stuart and Pete became the top rock ‘n’ roll group in Liverpool and Hamburg, and a record deal was the reward for John, Paul, George and Pete, though, almost exactly 2 years to the day from joining The Beatles, Pete Best was sacked without a warning or explanation, to be replaced by Ringo Starr, just a couple of weeks before making their first record.
As for Hamburg, as John Lennon said, “we may have been born in Liverpool, but we grew up in Hamburg”.
David Bedford
Author “Liddypool: Birthplace of The Beatles”
Ken Brown dead.
On Tuesday June 15th, Ken Brown, a forgotten member of the early Beatles' history died suddenly at the age of 70. Ken was interviewed by for my book "Liddypool: Birthplace of The Beatles" recently, and had been invited to join former band-mate Pete Best at the Casbah Club in Liverpool in August this year.
It was Ken Brown whose loyalty to Mona Best led to him taking fellow band-mate George Harrison from the Les Stewart Quartet (after the Quarrymen had split up in 1959) after a disagreement and agreeing to open the new Casbah Coffee Club in West derby, Liverpool. Mona Best needed more than just two guitarists, so George Harrison suggested two friends who he used to be in a band with: John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Brown and Harrison formed the group for the opening night of the Casbah on 29th August 1959 and decided to use the name they had before: The Quarrymen. That is the first thing to thank him for.
They played together every week at the Casbah: John, Paul, George and Ken.
After a disagreement when Ken was ill one night, John, Paul and George walked out of The Casbah swearing to never play there again. Ken then formed a new group with his good friend Pete Best. Pete got some drums and they formed The Blackjacks. Less than a year later, when the now re-named group The Beatles needed a drummer to go to Hamburg, they approached The Blackjacks and asked for Pete Best to join them. By now, Ken's family were moving south, so they were more than happy for Pete to have his chance. That is the second to thank him for.
Ken remained close friends with Pete Best, and was more than happy to talk to me, and I was delighted to give an unsung hero his rightful place in the early history of the story of the Beatles. I shook his hand and had a nice chat with him last year at the Casbah and was looking forward to seeing him and former Blackjack Chas Newby this year.
Ken was a decent man, and one whose part in the story has been overlooked in the past. We should all say thank you to him for his contribution to the greatest pop group of all time."
David Bedford
McCartney Catalog To Be Reissued by Concord Music Group
Paul McCartney Partners with Concord Music Group for
Exclusive Global Marketing and Distribution of
Revered Solo and Wings Catalog
Multi-album rollout begins with August release of ‘73’s classic
Band On The Run featuring remastered audio, enhanced
packaging and rare bonus content
Beverly Hills, CA April 21, 2010 - Paul McCartney’s MPL and Concord Music Group, one of the world’s leading independent music companies today announced an historic agreement to globally market and distribute McCartney’s venerated solo and Wings catalog, which encompass 40 years of cherished, classic material from the most successful songwriter and recording artist in music history. Indeed, the music legend has sold an astonishing 100 million solo singles and 700 million albums world-wide in his unparalleled career. The announcement coincides with the 40th anniversary of McCartney, his fabled first solo album released April, 1970.
This exclusive global arrangement, will cover both physical and digital distribution of McCartney’s treasured post Beatles catalog including landmark solo albums such as McCartney, Ram, McCartney II, Tug Of War, Pipes of Peace, Give My Regards To Broad Street, Press To Play, Flowers in the Dirt, Off the Ground, Flaming Pie, Driving Rain, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, Memory Almost Full, and Good Evening New York City. The classic Wings albums include Wildlife, Red Rose Speedway, Band On The Run, Venus and Mars, Wings At The Speed of Sound, Wings Over America, London Town and Back To The Egg. The catalog also includes the inventive, highly regarded albums recorded under the McCartney pseudonyms Percy “Thrills” Thrillington, The Fireman and Twin Freaks.
McCartney fans can look forward to an ambitious and rewarding reissue program beginning in August of 2010 with Band On The Run; Paul McCartney & Wings’ classic #1 album from 1973 that spawned the immortal title song as well as the smash hit “Jet”. It will be available in a variety of configurations, including a special collector’s multi-disc edition with remastered audio, enhanced packaging and rare bonus content.
In 2007 Concord Records and Starbucks partnered to form Hear Music whose inaugural release was Paul McCartney’s highly successful, critically acclaimed album Memory Almost Full. The McCartney-Concord relationship has since blossomed to include the 2009 release of McCartney’s historic multi-disc live CD/DVD Good Evening New York City and now this landmark multi-year global marketing and distribution partnership.
"Since the release of Memory Almost Full in 2007 I've had a good working relationship with Concord and enjoyed our mutual love of music,” stated McCartney. “I'm looking forward to continuing this relationship with the new catalog campaign. I'm always looking for new ways and opportunities to get my music to people and Concord share this passion."
Y NOT? The other side of Liverpool
Ringo's Childhood Friend Marie Maguire Talks about The Dingle
David Bedford talks to Ringo’s Childhood Friend, Marie Maguire
This interview is from the book, "Liddypool: Birthplace of The Beatles" by David Bedford.
David Bedford lived in the Dingle from 1969 - 1989, living by the bottom of Madryn Street where Ringo was born. He also attended St. Silas School, which was the primary school that Ringo had attended some 25 years earlier.
The Dingle often comes in for stereo-typing as a dark, miserable, rough area. This isn't a true reflection of the character and nature of a community that, although was poor, was a good place to grow up. Was the Dingle as bad as Ringo has tried to reflect in his Liverpool 8 album, and now, on his new album "Y Not", with the song "The Other Side of Liverpool".
I therefore tracked down Marie Maguire, Ringo's childhood friend who knew him, and the area, better than anyone. David Bedford
BELOW: RINGO'S DINGLE: The Empress Pub at the top of Admiral Grove, where Ringo grew up;
Madryn Street where Ringo was born
Born in The Dingle, Marie Crawford, nee Maguire, remembers the young Ritchie Starkey well. Her family moved into 10, Madryn Street (right) in June 1943, immediately opposite Elsie and Ritchie’s house.
Recently interviewed by David Bedford, she was asked:
What do you remember about The Dingle?
“It was a lovely place to grow up: not the squalid slums that some writers portray it as, especially when they’ve never been near the place. I remember that you could walk in and out of each other’s houses, with your door being open all the time. Everyone knew everybody else. You knew who your neighbours were and we helped each other out. That was what it was like, and why I was happy to help out. Ritchie’s dad had moved out when Ritchie was only three, and so Elsie had to work to pay the rent.
“When our family moved to Madryn Street, we lived opposite the Starkeys who lived at number 9 (left). Mum became good friends with Elsie Starkey, and I was regularly called in, and trusted, to baby-sit young Ritchie. This would often entail going to Ritchie’s grandparents’ house at the bottom of Madryn Street where I would collect him—often fast asleep. I would carry him home and put him to bed.
“Mum and Elsie became good friends and I spent a lot of time with young Ritchie. When he was near his seventh birthday, his appendix burst and he contracted peritonitis and was very ill. On 7 July 1947, Elsie was called into the hospital, as they weren’t sure if he was going to make it. I remember that day, because it was the day my father died. But mum still went with Elsie and sat with her through the night, even though she had lost her husband that same day: she wanted to stay with her in her time of need”.
If you want to know what growing up in a community like The Dingle was like, then this selfless act sums it up. For those who don’t know the area, then it is hard to describe. Those who do understand Liverpool will not be surprised. Ritchie went to St. Silas School but Marie went to Mount Carmel, the local Roman Catholic School. However, this brought up an interesting point about the clash of religion.
“I was brought up a Catholic by my mum, and Elsie was a member of the Orange Lodge—staunch Protestants who normally hate the Catholics. However, mum and Elsie celebrated the 12 July (Orange
Lodge celebration) and 17 March (St. Patrick’s Day for the Irish Catholics). They would sing the songs together and enjoy the day, and proved that not all Protestants and Catholics had to hate each other”.
Ritchie became ill again and most books say it was pleurisy. Marie disputes that long-held belief.
“Ritchie contracted tuberculosis (TB) which of course was serious. At the time, there was a terrible stigma attached to having TB, and so the family said it was pleurisy. He was at the convalescent home in Heswall on the Wirral. That is when I took him Eric Delaney’s record, ‘Bedtime for Drums’, which he loved”.
While convalescing, children with TB would spend a lot of time in bed, often outside in the sunshine and fresh air. Part of the therapy to relieve boredom was to give the boys some ‘noise time’. This consisted of giving them a toy drum or tambourine to bang and crash while sitting on their beds. It was here that Ritchie developed his love for drumming, helped along by Marie’s simple but memorable gift.
The other Beatles moved their parents out of Liverpool when they became famous. John moved Mimi to Poole in Dorset; Paul moved Jim to Heswall and George moved Harry and Louise to Appleton near Warrington. Elsie didn’t want to move too far, so Marie helped Ringo
to find a house for his mum and stepfather.
“Elsie wanted to be close enough to come back to see her friends. Admiral Grove was surrounded by fans twenty-four hours a day, which was awkward, particularly as the toilet was still in the yard. So I went and found three houses which I thought could be acceptable. She and Harry chose the bungalow in Heath Hey in Woolton, which was a lovely house”.
Marie and Ritchie moved on in their adult lives. Marie has been a leading tour guide in Liverpool for many years. She has fond memories of the young boy who went on to become one of the most famous men on this planet. Her viewpoint is refreshing: no dirt, no scandal, just great memories of a special area that produced a famous son—a lad who grew up to become Ringo Starr. But to Marie he will always be Ritchie.
Copyright David Bedford, Liddypool 2009
THE BEATLES FOREVER MORE….
By: Opher Segal
When the Beatles, John, Paul, George and Ringo, emerged as Rock and Roll's top musical group in the world during the early 60's, they were indeed four very talented young men. Each brought to the table their own special personality, humor, wisdom, as well as their tremendous raw unharnessed talents. During that time frame, the Beatles stayed consistently at the top of the musical pop charts worldwide, producing more number one hits then any other group in the history of music.
The world was eager for a change, a cultural revolution if you will. The Beatles were able to accomplish this through their music. We embraced them with open minds and most of all our open hearts.
These extremely talented four young men from Liverpool indeed captured most of us by our emotions, coupled with their unique hair cuts, clothing, humor, creative art, social statements, and most of all their music. They were a breed apart from anything the world had seen at that time.
There were other Rock and Roll groups who were also very talented, however, their versatility was on a limited scale and scope compared to the Fab Four.
In 1962, a twist of fate took place when Sir George Martin, a classical musician came aboard as their producer. By 1964, the press as well as the public termed Martin the "Fifth Beatle" because they understood what he meant to them. From the time Martin joined the group the evolution of their music took a turn for the better and evolved at lighting speed. In summation, this process changed the direction of the music industry.
By 1963, the Beatles had established themselves as the world's number one rock and roll band with numerous songs and many number one hits on the national and international charts.
In retrospect, one would have expected the Beatles to reject the older man, Sir George Martin, by would be statements such as "Hey man, we are the number one band in the world, so who are you?" ,and or, "We are the ones with the millions and you are a pauper, therefore, what have you got to offer us?" As history unveiled, this was not the case.
From Martin's perspective he saw in the Beatles something that was extremely unusual. They were four young men who were extremely talented individually, but as a group extraordinary. However, they were limited to the rock and roll genre. Martin's dream was to take this unusual phenom to a level no other rock and roll group had ever achieved. He did just that!
Because The Beatles decided to embrace Martin and make him an integral part of their exclusive group, they were able to begin a journey that would change all of their lives. In my view, that was the turning point of this wondrous band. Most importantly the Beatles were wise enough to recognize their limitations and listen to a man with a vision. The rest is history.
With Martin at their side in November of 1965, the album Rubber Soul came out.
I feel that was the break away point of the Beatles from the rest of the rock and roll musical field at the time. The songs that were on this album emitted new incredibly complex versatile sounds never heard before in this medium during the 60’s.
The rock and roll fans across the world became connected and fell in love with their music. In addition, the Beatles began to attract a more sophisticated mass of listeners. The fans of the Fab Four anxiously awaited their next creation. The union between the Beatles and Sir George Martin was a match made in heaven, perhaps a once in a lifetime occurrence.
Following Rubber Soul, the Beatles increased the ante with each progressive album. From Revolver, to Sergeant Pepper, the White Album, Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road, and Let it be, the musical world was rocked to it's core with new ingenious innovations, orchestrations, lyrics, a wide array of incredible musical sounds never heard before, and the sound kept on improving as time progressed.
Many musical experts of all persuasions across the world recognized the Beatle's music as a work of genius. Comparable and perhaps even improving on the traditional classical masters such as Johan Sebastian Bach, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Motzart, Franz Schubert, Maurice Ravel, George Bizet, Fredric Chopin ,Arnold Schoenberg, Pyotr Llyich Tchaikovsky, Johannes Brahms, as well as other classical musical prodigies.
I would like to address a critical issue regarding pop radio at that time. The limit for all songs performed was a three to four minute performance format. Despite all the rules, the Beatles marched to their own tune. Several of their songs exceeded the time constraints imposed by the industry. The world applauded their boldness and continues to be grateful for those wonderful tunes such as “Hey Jude”. The DJ's could not harness the unruly immensely talented group, simply based on the quality of their music and the public demand to hear longer compositions.
In addition to the social commentaries embedded in their songs, above all the Beatles preached the need for universal love and peace, and their abhorrence of violence. This was a time of much turmoil in the world, and their music brought hope to many.
Their music like the great masters is timeless. They invented instruments of many sorts and incorporated orchestras into their compositions. Because of this and so much more, they continue to stand out as the greatest musicians of all time.
One should keep an open mind, as well as an open heart. By listening to those wonderful lyrics, one will find messages embedded in each and every song. Some of those songs and lyrics appeal to our eternal inner child making our connection to their music very moving and emotional.
In summation, yes, at the onset, they were noisy, boisterous Teddy Boys, that were uncompromising. Sticking to their own music despite enormous pressure to play music composed by others, the Beatles did not buckle under the heat. They refused vehemently and at the end of the day they were right.
We know the rest of the story. The Beatles brought us a revolution of music as well as promoting the most precious of human emotions....LOVE and PEACE. As I mature, I listen to a greater variety of music on a multitude of levels. Thus I acquire greater appreciation and admiration for the versatility of their amazing music.
I am not a religious man, however, if God exists and has a voice, it would be the sound emitted from the Beatles.
From rags to riches, this was an amazing success story on all levels. Humanity will reap the rewards forever more.
