The Cavern

In the early 1960s Liverpool, England, was unique among British cities in having more than 200 active pop groups. Many played youth clubs in the suburbs, but some made the big time in cellar clubs such as the Cavern Club (on Mathew Street) and the Jacaranda and the Blue Angel (on opposite sides of Steel Street) in the center of the city. Previously these clubs had featured New Orleans-style traditional jazz bands and skiffle groups, but their repertoire changed to highlight American rhythm-and-blues hits, some of which sailors brought into the still active port; they were played by groups featuring electric guitar, bass, and drums.

Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, the Big Three, and the Beatles were top of the pile during 1960–61, but the Beatles acquired a special mystique after a couple of trips to Hamburg, West Germany, where club owners required them to play an extensive and varied repertoire for hours on end. The Cavern’s manager, Ray McFall, booked the Beatles for a residency that led to their discovery by local department store manager Brian Epstein, who became their manager and orchestrated a national media campaign on behalf of Merseybeat artists. But none of the other groups were able to make the transition from playing covers of American hits in front of a friendly local audience to consistently writing distinctive material that could attract the attention of strangers.