Wednesday 7 August 1957 | The Cavern Club, Mathew Street, Liverpool
7 August 1957 is commonly believed to be the date The Quarrymen — the skiffle group that would evolve into The Beatles — made their debut at the Cavern Club on Mathew Street in Liverpool. The other acts on the bill were Ron McKay’s Skiffle Group, Dark Town Skiffle Group and The Deltones Skiffle Group. The show was not a triumph. The Quarrymen played rock ‘n’ roll as well as skiffle, and the club’s owner was not pleased.
How The Quarrymen Got the Gig
The Cavern Club had opened on 17 January 1957, primarily as a jazz club that hosted occasional evening ‘Skiffle Sessions’. Its owner was Alan Sytner, who happened to play at the same golf club as Nigel Walley — a schoolfriend of John Lennon’s who was acting as the Quarrymen’s manager. Sytner had heard the group perform at the Childwall Golf Club, and it was through this connection that the nascent band secured their first Cavern booking.
Sytner later recalled his impression of the teenage Lennon:
“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.”
— Alan Sytner, The Cavern, Spencer Leigh
The Cavern Club — officially licensed Beatles merch
Official Beatles “The Cavern” T-Shirt in black.
Cut Out the Bloody Rock ‘n’ Roll
The Quarrymen’s set began with ‘Come Go With Me’, followed by ‘Hound Dog’ and ‘Blue Suede Shoes’. The rock ‘n’ roll numbers did not go down well with the Cavern’s jazz-oriented management. A note was passed to John Lennon mid-set:
“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’s resistance to rock ‘n’ roll in 1957 makes the venue’s later identity as the spiritual home of Merseybeat all the more remarkable. Within a few years, the club would become synonymous with the very music it had tried to suppress.
It is also worth noting that although Paul McCartney was a member of The Quarrymen at this time, he was away at scout camp on 7 August 1957 and did not play at the show.
Was 7 August Really the Date?
The date of The Quarrymen’s Cavern debut has been brought into question. During a BBC Radio Merseyside interview in August 2011, the group’s then banjo player Rod Davis told presenter Spencer Leigh on On The Beat that he had gone on holiday to France on 29 July 1957 — which would make a Cavern appearance on 7 August impossible for him. Davis claimed the group had actually debuted at the club before his departure:
“The general compilations unashamedly say they’ve gone by the adverts in the [Liverpool] Echo. But there were things called the Skiffle Sessions, on which only the leading group was named like the Swinging Blue Jeans and people like that. And no question about it, I played three or four times at the Cavern and it was definitely before August. Because in August, I was in France. And I’ve got a passport to prove it.”
— Rod Davis, BBC Radio Merseyside, August 2011
The 7 August date derives from an advertisement in the Liverpool Echo. Davis’s account suggests The Quarrymen may have played the Cavern on multiple occasions before this date, with the advertised show being a later appearance rather than the true debut. The question remains unresolved.
The Cavern Club — officially licensed Beatles merch
Official Beatles “Cavern Shots 1962” T-Shirt in black.
The Cavern’s Place in Beatles History
Whatever the precise date of The Quarrymen’s first Cavern appearance, the club’s significance to Beatles history is beyond question. The Cavern would become a regular venue for the group throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, as they evolved from The Quarrymen through Johnny and the Moondogs and The Silver Beetles to The Beatles. By 1961 and 1962, the lunchtime and evening sessions at the Cavern were the crucible in which the group forged the tight, powerful live sound that would eventually conquer the world.
Once Beatlemania took hold, however, they rarely played in their home city again. The Cavern shows of 1961–62 — including the lunchtime session on 4 August 1961 — represent the last chapter of The Beatles as Liverpool’s own secret, before the rest of the world found out.
Key Facts
| Date (commonly cited) | Wednesday 7 August 1957 |
| Venue | The Cavern Club, Mathew Street, Liverpool |
| Cavern Club opened | 17 January 1957 |
| Club owner | Alan Sytner |
| Quarrymen manager | Nigel Walley (John Lennon’s schoolfriend) |
| Other acts on the bill | Ron McKay’s Skiffle Group, Dark Town Skiffle Group, The Deltones Skiffle Group |
| Setlist (partial) | Come Go With Me, Hound Dog, Blue Suede Shoes |
| Paul McCartney | Did not play — away at scout camp |
| Date disputed by | Rod Davis (banjo), who was in France from 29 July 1957 |
The Cavern Club, Mathew Street, Liverpool — where The Quarrymen are commonly believed to have made their debut on 7 August 1957.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did The Quarrymen first play the Cavern Club?
7 August 1957 is the commonly cited date for The Quarrymen’s Cavern Club debut, based on an advertisement in the Liverpool Echo. However, banjo player Rod Davis has disputed this, claiming the group played the Cavern several times before he left for France on 29 July 1957, and that the true debut was earlier than August.
Who owned the Cavern Club when The Quarrymen first played there?
The Cavern Club was owned by Alan Sytner when The Quarrymen first played there in 1957. Sytner had heard the group perform at the Childwall Golf Club, where he played alongside the Quarrymen’s manager Nigel Walley, a schoolfriend of John Lennon’s.
Did Paul McCartney play at The Quarrymen’s Cavern debut?
No. Although Paul McCartney was a member of The Quarrymen at the time, he was away at scout camp on 7 August 1957 and did not play at the show.
What songs did The Quarrymen play at the Cavern Club in 1957?
The Quarrymen’s set at the Cavern on 7 August 1957 included Come Go With Me, Hound Dog and Blue Suede Shoes. The rock ‘n’ roll numbers prompted club owner Alan Sytner to pass a note to John Lennon mid-set telling him to “cut out the bloody rock ‘n’ roll.”
When did the Cavern Club open?
The Cavern Club opened on 17 January 1957, primarily as a jazz club hosting occasional skiffle sessions. It is located on Mathew Street in Liverpool city centre.
→ The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime) – 4 August 1961
→ The Beatles ask Pete Best to join – 6 August 1960
→ August in Beatles History
→ On This Day in Beatles History
→ John Lennon: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ Paul McCartney: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ The Beatles Knowledge Hub
Shop: Beatles T-shirts | Beatles merch by era | Wall art & posters | Mugs & drinkware
0 comments