The Cavern Club would become a regular venue for Beatles shows while they remained a Liverpool secret. Once Beatlemania took hold, however, they rarely played in their home city again.
7 August 1957 was the first date the Quarry Men played at the soon-to-be-legendary venue, which had opened earlier that year on 17 January. The other acts on the bill were Ron McKay's Skiffle Group, Dark Town Skiffle Group and The Deltones Skiffle Group.
The Cavern Club was owned by Alan Sytner, who played at the same golf club as the Quarry Men's manager, John Lennon's schoolfriend Nigel Whalley. It was through this connection that the nascent band got their first show at the venue; Sytner had heard the group perform at the Childwall Golf Club.
Skiffle was a breeding ground for musicians - one or two of them became jazz musicians, but more ended up doing rock 'n' roll. I knew John Lennon quite well as we lived in the same area: he lived 400 yards up the road from me. He was 16 and arrogant and hadn't got a clue, but that was John Lennon.
The Cavern, Spencer Leigh
The Cavern was primarily a jazz club which played host to occasional evening 'Skiffle Sessions'. However, the Quarry Men's set didn't go down well. They began with Come Go With Me, followed by Hound Dog and Blue Suede Shoes.
We did some skiffle numbers to start off with at the Cavern but we also did rock 'n' roll. John Lennon was passed a note and he said to the audience, 'We've had a request'. He opened it up and it was Alan Sytner saying, 'Cut out the bloody rock 'n' roll.'
The Cavern, Spencer Leigh
Although a member of the Quarry Men at this time, Paul McCartney was away at scout camp on this day and so did not play.
