Saturday 6 August 1960 | Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool
On the evening of 6 August 1960, The Beatles visited Mona Best’s Casbah Coffee Club in West Derby, Liverpool, where they watched a group called The Blackjacks perform. The Blackjacks had Mona’s son Pete Best on a brand new drum kit. The group were on the point of splitting up — and The Beatles saw their opportunity. They suggested to Pete that he join them for their first trip to Hamburg. Best was interested, and agreed to audition the following Friday.
It was one of the most consequential conversations in Beatles history.
Why The Beatles Needed a Drummer
The Beatles had been offered a residency in Hamburg by promoter Allan Williams, who had brokered a deal with German club owner Bruno Koschmider. But there was a condition: Koschmider wanted a five-piece band. At the time, The Beatles had only four members — John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Stuart Sutcliffe — and no permanent drummer. Paul McCartney had occasionally played drums, but that was not a long-term solution.
George Harrison later recalled the sequence of events that led to the Hamburg offer, and to the search for a drummer, in The Beatles Anthology:
“The story behind our going there was that another Liverpool group, Derry and the Seniors, had given up their jobs to do a gig for Larry Parnes. And when they didn’t get it, they were all really annoyed so they decided to go to London to beat Larry up. Allan Williams said to them: ‘If you are going to London you should take your instruments.’ He drove them down and got them into the 2I’s, the club where Tommy Steele had been discovered. They didn’t beat up Larry Parnes, but they did go down well at the club.
Bruno Koschmider, a German promoter, saw them there and hired them for his own club, the Kaiserkeller in Hamburg, and they were there for a couple of months. He must have really liked them, because he then got in touch with Allan Williams and said, ‘We want another Liverpool band to play at the Indra.’
Allan Williams offered the gig to us, ‘But,’ he said, ‘the fellow wants a five-piece.’ We needed another person, since there were only the three of us and Stuart. We were excited, but we thought, ‘Paul isn’t really the drummer. Where do we get one from?’ Then I remembered a guy I’d met who’d been given a drum kit for Christmas. His name was Pete Best; the Casbah club was in his basement.”
— George Harrison, The Beatles Anthology
The early Beatles era — officially licensed merch
Official Beatles “The Cavern” T-Shirt in black.
The Casbah Coffee Club
The Casbah Coffee Club was a teenage music venue in the basement of Mona Best’s home at 8 Hayman’s Green in West Derby, Liverpool. It had opened in August 1959 and had been one of the early venues where The Beatles — then still known as The Quarrymen — had performed. Mona Best was a formidable figure in the Liverpool music scene, and her son Pete had grown up surrounded by the same world of beat music and local bands that had shaped The Beatles themselves.
The Blackjacks, the group Pete Best was drumming with on 6 August 1960, were a short-lived outfit that had formed partly to fill the Casbah’s performance schedule. When it became clear they were about to disband, the timing was perfect for The Beatles’ approach.
Why That Night Was Available
The Beatles had originally been booked for a Saturday night residency at the Grosvenor Ballroom in Wallasey. That residency had been cancelled following complaints from local residents about the behaviour of the crowds attending the shows. With their Saturday night unexpectedly free, The Beatles found themselves at the Casbah — and the rest, as the saying goes, is history.
The Beatles in Liverpool — officially licensed merch
The Beatles Cavern Unplugged T-Shirt in light blue.
What Happened Next
Pete Best auditioned for The Beatles on the following Friday — 12 August 1960 — and was accepted. Just five days later, on 17 August 1960, The Beatles departed for Hamburg to begin their first residency at the Indra Club on the Große Freiheit. It was the beginning of the Hamburg years that would forge the group’s sound, stamina and stage presence into something unlike anything else in British popular music.
Pete Best remained The Beatles’ drummer for almost exactly two years. He was replaced by Ringo Starr on 18 August 1962 — just days before the recording of their debut single Love Me Do. The circumstances of his dismissal remain one of the most discussed episodes in Beatles history.
Key Facts
| Date | Saturday 6 August 1960 |
| Location | Casbah Coffee Club, 8 Hayman’s Green, West Derby, Liverpool |
| Beatles line-up at the time | John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe (no permanent drummer) |
| Venue owner | Mona Best |
| Group performing | The Blackjacks (featuring Pete Best on drums) |
| Hamburg promoter | Bruno Koschmider (Indra Club / Kaiserkeller) |
| Liverpool agent | Allan Williams |
| Pete Best’s audition | 12 August 1960 |
| Beatles depart for Hamburg | 17 August 1960 |
| Pete Best replaced by Ringo Starr | 18 August 1962 |
8 Hayman’s Green, West Derby, Liverpool — the former location of the Casbah Coffee Club, where The Beatles asked Pete Best to join them on 6 August 1960.
The Beatles in Liverpool — officially licensed merch
Official Beatles “Cavern Shots 1962” T-Shirt in black.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Pete Best join The Beatles?
On 6 August 1960, The Beatles visited the Casbah Coffee Club in West Derby, Liverpool, where they saw Pete Best playing drums with The Blackjacks. The Blackjacks were about to split up, and The Beatles needed a drummer for their first Hamburg trip. They suggested Pete join them, he agreed to audition, and was accepted on 12 August 1960.
What was the Casbah Coffee Club?
The Casbah Coffee Club was a teenage music venue in the basement of Mona Best’s home at 8 Hayman’s Green, West Derby, Liverpool. It opened in August 1959 and was one of the early venues where The Beatles (then The Quarrymen) performed. Pete Best was Mona Best’s son.
Why did The Beatles need a drummer for Hamburg?
German promoter Bruno Koschmider, who had booked The Beatles to play at the Indra Club in Hamburg, required a five-piece band. The Beatles at the time had only four members — Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Sutcliffe — and no permanent drummer, making Pete Best’s recruitment essential.
How long was Pete Best the drummer for The Beatles?
Pete Best was The Beatles’ drummer from August 1960 until August 1962 — almost exactly two years. He was replaced by Ringo Starr on 18 August 1962, just days before the recording of their debut single Love Me Do.
Who was Allan Williams in relation to The Beatles?
Allan Williams was a Liverpool club owner and promoter who acted as The Beatles’ first manager and agent in 1960. He brokered the deal with Bruno Koschmider that led to The Beatles’ first Hamburg residency, and drove the group to Hamburg in August 1960.
→ Remembering Pete Shotton: John Lennon’s childhood best friend – born 4 August 1941
→ The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime) – 4 August 1961
→ August in Beatles History
→ On This Day in Beatles History
→ Ringo Starr: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ George Harrison: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ John Lennon: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ Paul McCartney: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ The Beatles Knowledge Hub
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