The Beatles' only appearance at Birmingham's Ritz Ballroom should have taken place on 11 January 1963. However, it was postponed due to blizzards making the roads impassable.
Fortunately for the venue promoters, The Beatles honoured the originally-agreed booking fee. Just one month after they had been due to appear, they were riding high in the singles charts with Please Please Me and tickets were highly in demand.
The Ritz, a converted snooker hall, was one of four venues run by Irish couple Joe and Mary Regan. Among the acts that performed at the ballroom were The Rolling Stones and The Spencer Davies Group.
