The Beatles Prehistory
In the beginning was the music. Yes, there was music before there was The Beatles. In the 1950s, while John, Paul, George and Ringo were still in school, two new waves of popular music were building strength. In the US, Rockabilly and Rock ‘n’ Roll combined Blues and Country influences and brought “Black” rhythms to the suburban middle-class masses. From Carl Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes” and Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock”, to Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly, American masses thronged to the daring new sounds and musicians. In the UK, while some artists found success mimicking their American counterparts, a folksier style called Skiffle was particularly hot.
It was Skiffle that first inspired John to form a band. In early 1957 while attending Quarry Bank Grammar School in Liverpool, John (vocals/guitar) gathered Pete Shotton (washboard), Ron Davis (banjo), Bill Smith (tea chest bass) and Eric Griffiths (guitar) to become The Quarrymen. By June of that year, with Len Garry replacing Bill Smith, and Colin Hanton adding drums, the Quarrymen began playing at local parties. At one of these parties, at St. Peter’s Church on 6 July 1957, one of the most significant meetings of genius in modern music occurred when John was introduced to guitarist Paul by a mutual friend. Two weeks later, upon John’s suggestion, Paul was invited to join the band’s practises.
After playing a gig at the Lee Park Golf Club, the young band were approached by club member Alan Sytner, who owned The Cavern Club, a former WWII air raid shelter. A popular hangout for Skiffle bands, The Cavern Club soon became home base for The Quarrymen, and the band built a bit of a local following. After months of hanging around the band, Paul finally became an official member when he replaced Pete Shotton in the lineup for a gig at a Conservative Club social event on 18 October 1957. Spruced up in matching outfits, the magical duo of Lennon/McCartney took centre stage together for the first time. Much to the band’s embarrassment, Paul, playing lead, messed up a solo. To save face, he later showed John a song he had penned himself, entitled “I’ve Lost My Little Girl”. John claimed that this was the moment which inspired him to write his own songs as well.
By early 1958, John had lost interest in Skiffle, Ron Davis had left, and the band’s focus shifted to Rock ‘n’ Roll. Paul’s high-school friend George attended a Quarrymen show on 6 February of that year, and two weeks later joined the band. In March, Len Garry and Eric Griffiths left the band, and John Lowe joined on piano. It was this lineup (John, Paul, George, Colin Hanton and John Lowe) that made The Quarrymen’s first recording: a demo disc featuring Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day” (lead sang by John), with a McCartney/Harrison penned tune “In Spite of All the Danger” (lead sang by Paul) on the B-side. Later that year, John Lowe and Colin Hanton both quit the band. Unable to replace their drummer, the band fell apart.
While John and Paul were still writing songs together, George briefly joined The Les Stewart Quartet. But when that band had personnel problems right before a gig in September 1959, George brought in John and Paul, and the Quarrymen were reformed. After playing briefly under the name Johnny And The Moondogs, the band flirted briefly with the name Silver Beetles, adding Stuart Sutcliffe and drummer Pete Best to the trio of John, Paul and George for a tour of West Germany. It was in Hamburg, August 1960 that the band finally settled on the name The Beatles. Stuart Sutcliffe chose to leave the band and remain in Hamburg. In 1962, after an audition at Abbey Road Studios, George Martin convinced the band to replace Pete Best. On 16 August 1962, Ringo joined. The classic lineup of The Beatles was formed, and would remain unchanged until they disbanded in 1970.
Tags: Beatles, Hamburg, history, Quarrymen, rock-n-roll, skiffle
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