The Beatles at the Cavern Club

This page covers the period 1961–1963. For the Beatles' later relationships with The Cavern Club and Brian Epstein, see the Beatles, The Cavern Club, and Brian Epstein

History of the Beatles
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The Cavern Club at 10 Mathew Street, in Liverpool was the venue where the Beatles' UK popularity started. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best were first seen by Brian Epstein at the club. Epstein eventually became their manager, going on to secure them a record contract. Best was replaced by Ringo Starr on 16 August 1962, which upset many Beatles fans. After taunts of, "Pete forever, Ringo never!", one agitated fan headbutted Harrison in the club.

The Cavern Club was the third club managed by Alan Sytner, which originally opened as a jazz-only club on 16 January 1957, being styled after the Paris venue, Le Caveau. The Quarrymen made their first appearance at the club on 7 August 1957,[1] but by 9 February 1961,[2] when the group first performed there under their new name of the Beatles, the club was under the ownership of Ray McFall. The Cavern Club gradually became synonymous with the emerging Merseybeat music genre, rapidly becoming the most famous club in Britain.[3] According to the club's resident DJ, Bob Wooler, the Beatles made 292 appearances at the club between 1961 and 1963,[4] culminating in a final appearance at the venue on 3 August 1963—one month after the group recorded "She Loves You", and six months before their first trip to the United States.[5]

The club changed hands several more times before eventually being demolished to allow construction of an underground railway ventilation duct, before being used as a car park. A replica of the club was built on "75 per cent of the original site" in 1984,[6] built with 15,000 bricks retrieved from the original club site. On 16 January 1997, a sculpture of Lennon was unveiled outside The New Cavern Club, and on 14 December 1999, McCartney performed there, playing his last concert of the 20th century and publicising his album, Run Devil Run.

  1. ^ Lewisohn 2005, pp. 14–15.
  2. ^ Beatlesbible.com. (retrieved 2011-10-12)
  3. ^ Note on first Beatles appearance, The Cavern Club
  4. ^ Dewitt 1985, p. 74.
  5. ^ Lewisohn 2005, p. 118.
  6. ^ Ingham 2003, p. 314.