Check out Jude’s fascinating books in the John Lennon series
Shoulda Been There (Vol. 1) 1940 – Dec 1961
In Jude Kessler’s stunning debut narrative biography, you’ll learn the truths behind the Lennon legend. You’ll discover why the popular, rich, famous singer called himself a “Nowhere Man.” There are no hard copies left, but you can get it on Kindle by clicking here for $9.99
But for John Lennon, the hectic rise to glory failed to cure the constant Shivering Inside. He was still searching for something…or someone…to fill the hole in his heart. There are no hard copies left but you can get it on Kindle here for $9.99.
1964 in John’s life! “A Hard Day’s Night”, and created/recorded the accompanying, best-selling soundtrack; a World Tour, a Scottish sojourn, a lengthy North American Tour hitting cities all across the U.S. and Canada.
This enjoyable book is not long, just 104 pages, but I found it an interesting read. Really, it is a collection of five essays about the Beatles broken down by five eras defined by the author.
Before The Beatles
The first, “Before the Beatles”, explores the forces that came together to create the magic that produced The Beatles and their success. Some of this has been written about before, but I found Peter’s take on it a bit broader than usual incorporating facts about the vinyl record production process, for example, and its impact on their rise to fame.
The Beatles Years
The second section, “The Beatles Years”, focuses on more subtle impact The Beatles had on the world. As the author states, in the first paragraph, there are many other books that will tell you the facts and timelines about The Beatles from their time in Germany to their breakup. In this section he explores impacts of their fame on other artists, album cover imagery, religion and more.
The Solo Years
The next two sections cover the solo careers of the Beatles broken into “The Solo Years” and “The Reduced Solo Years.” In these chapters the author attempts to determine if The Beatles maintained the same level of creativity as solo artists or was the magic of the foursome more than the sum of the parts. It also touches on the fact that despite the fact that they broke up years ago, the have somehow become bigger rather than fade away.
After The Beatles
The final section is titled “After the Beatles”, and interestingly states that the “after” has not yet begun. Interest in The Beatles is still huge and with Paul and Ringo still producing great music 5o years later, they are still huge. He wonders will the after period happen gradually as the remaining two Beatles age or will it begin suddenly where there are no more Beatles left to make new music?
Great Questions for Debate
I’ve deliberately not given away too much since the book is not long. This is a wonderful book to sit down with on a rainy day that will get you asking yourself questions. It would be a great book for a book club discussion as it poses great questions for debate, rather than just detailing timelines and documenting facts that we’ve all read before.
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!!
Liddypool: Birthplace of The Beatles – New Fourth Edition (Softback)
New Fourth Edition of Liddypool: Birthplace of The Beatles, the first book by David Bedford, the definitive book on The Beatles and Liverpool: the stories, the history, the guide.
Announcing John Lennon Series author Jude Southerland Kessler’s next online “Focal Points” session, “The Gem that is ‘Some Time in New York City'”!
SAVE YOUR PLACE NOW!
Register here (it’s FREE): to join her Tuesday, June 15th at 7:30 pm CT via Zoom.
CHECK OUT JUDE’S BOOKS IN THE JOHN LENNON SERIES
Shoulda Been There (Vol. 1) 1940 – Dec 1961
In Jude Kessler’s stunning debut narrative biography, you’ll learn the truths behind the Lennon legend. You’ll discover why the popular, rich, famous singer called himself a “Nowhere Man.” There are no hard copies left, but you can get it on Kindle by clicking here for $9.99
But for John Lennon, the hectic rise to glory failed to cure the constant Shivering Inside. He was still searching for something…or someone…to fill the hole in his heart. There are no hard copies left but you can get it on Kindle here for $9.99.
1964 in John’s life! “A Hard Day’s Night”, and created/recorded the accompanying, best-selling soundtrack; a World Tour, a Scottish sojourn, a lengthy North American Tour hitting cities all across the U.S. and Canada.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO SEE THE BEATLES AT THE CAVERN?
“I couldn’t get enough of the Cavern,” says Cavernite and author Debbie Greenberg, who saw The Beatles at The Cavern for every performance. “I would go there for every lunchtime session from Tuesday to Friday. There were two sessions, from 12 to 1pm and 1.15pm to 2.15pm. The later one was always the best – and then I would go back again at night for more.
Debbie Greenberg with Paul McCartney
“We were greedy for our fix of non-stop beat music. The club didn’t look like much from the outside. After dodging the fruit lorries delivering to the Fruit Exchange opposite and the lunchtime shoppers, we queued to get in through a small door in the wall of a towering brick warehouse at 10 Mathew Street.
DOWN INTO THE CAVERN
“Once we descended a steep flight of well-worn stone steps to a small landing, where a few more steps led to a man seated at a small wooden table taking the entrance fees. I paid a shilling to become a member of the Cavern Club entitling me to an admission discount at each visit – which in my case was most days. The heat and noise would send your senses reeling as you stepped through those cellar arches. It was enthralling and unbearably hot.
“The Cavern’s identity began to change at the start of the new decade. Rock ‘n’ roll slowly replaced jazz and the Cavern became the heart that have Mersey its beat.
THE BEATLES DEBUT
“We watched the Beatles debut at the Cavern at the 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.
OFF TO HAMBURG
The Beatles in Hamburg
“Six week later on 23rd of 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 the second time, having previously played there in 1960. This time they sped off out of our lives for four months. We missed them but still went down to the Cavern to watch other groups, like Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Swinging Blue Genes, the Remo Four, the Big Three, Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes and many more. They were all fabulous groups but they weren’t the Beatles.
BACK HOME AGAIN
“News soon spread around Liverpool that the Beatles were back from Hamburg and were to be guests of the Swinging Blue Genes at the Cavern on Friday 14th July 1961 for their welcome home appearance.
“Everybody wanted to see them. They were already by far the best group in Liverpool. Everything about them was exciting and intoxicating. They seemed to be infused with even more vigour and passion than before. The transformation was unbelievable, with their gyrating hips, humourous banter on stage and sexy outfits – clad in tight black leather with black Cuban heeled boots.”
The Beatles at the Cavern
“Their repertoire was now wide-ranging, making them stand out from other bands. Their sound was unique and addictive, their energy palpable. Liverpool had never seen or heard anything quite like them. Sue and I made sure we were at the Cavern for every one of their performances after that. They appeared every Wednesday night and every Monday, Wednesday and Friday lunchtime.
“The Hamburg connection proved the ultimate testing ground for many Liverpool groups. On some nights, groups would be expected to play at the Top Ten Club or Kaiserkeller or later on the Star Club for up to seven hours with only s ten-minute break every hour.
“Those sessions transformed Liverpool groups into totally professional outfits. None more so that the Beatles. It turned them from talented amateurs into the band of bands, as Klaus Voormann described them. The Cavern was soon packed every time they played. Bob Wooler booked them and they received £5 for their debut (£1 each). At that time, Stuart Sutcliffe was playing bass guitar, although not very well, and he would play with his back to the audience so no one could see how he was playing.”
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.
