In recent weeks, there’s been a great deal of coverage surrounding the campaign to save Ringo Starr’s house on Madryn Street. There is, however, another piece of Beatles history that’s currently under threat. Should it be lost, Liverpool would not only lose something precious for tourism and history, but also something that continues to play an important part in the lives of local residents.
As Donna Jackson of the British Beatles Fan Club tells us, "On October 18, 1957, Paul McCartney played his first official gig with the Quarrymen at the New Clubmoor Hall. He famously messed up his guitar solo while playing 'Guitar Boogie,' and that was the end of his career as lead guitarist. In an effort to impress John again, he then showed John some of the songs that he'd written. So this is a really special anniversary, and a special place.
"The Clubmoor gig saw the birth of the Lennon-McCartney song-writing partnership, and also, if it wasn't for the events that night, George might never have been let into the band. If Paul had played the lead guitar solo and not messed it up, everything could have been very different!!
"The really sad thing is that the Clubmoor Conny Club is now in serious financial trouble and on the brink of closure. The people who run it are some of the nicest people I know, and are desperately trying to save the club. Not only is it a crucial part of Beatles history, but it's also important to the local community," she says.
"The Clubmoor Conny Club is, in my opinion, as important in the story of Lennon-McCartney and the Beatles as St Peter's Church Hall, the Casbah or the Cavern," writes Jackson. "This gig was the first time that the Quarrymen including Paul, were paid for performing."
A framed poster in the hall tells the story this way: "One of the most important dates played by The Quarrymen was on July 6, 1957. This was the day that Paul and John met. On July 20, 1957 Paul was asked to join the Quarrymen as a member. He started rehearsing with the group but didn't appear with them until October 18, 1957, at the New Clubmoor Hall, Norris Green, Liverpool. Paul played lead guitar on this one occasion and because of nerves flubbed his solo while performing Arthur Smith's "Guitar Boogie Shuffle." It was after this performance that the Lennon/McCartney songwriting partnership was born. Paul was upset by how badly he played and to impress John, he showed John a song he had written, 'I Lost My Little Girl'. John then showed Paul a few songs he'd written and it was then that John and Paul started writing songs together."
Jackson says the Mersey Beatles (the Cavern's resident Beatles tribute band) played at a fundraiser on Sunday night to commemorate the anniversary. She says the event on Sunday night, held to commemorate the anniversary of Paul’s first performance with the Quarrymen, was fabulous, with the band recreating the moment when Paul messed up his guitar solo while playing "Guitar Boogie." "The Mersey Beatles, as always, were wonderful," she says, "and the crowd clearly appreciated their effort and their talent; at the end of the evening everyone was on their feet and screaming for more."
"However," she told us, "I think the quality of the music and entertainment was not the most important thing about the event. To me, it symbolised the people of Liverpool putting aside greed and selfishness and coming together to try to save something that matters. I think it showed the best side of Liverpool, a side that is frequently overlooked (perhaps on purpose) by some elements of the media.
"I’m not a native-born Liverpudlian," she says, "but I’m very proud that I can now call this city my home, and the event on Sunday night – the friendliness and gratitude of the people who use the Clubmoor Conny Club, as well as the attitude and effort of the Mersey Beatles – symbolised everything that is truly great about this city. It was local people working together thinking primarily of others and not of themselves.
"Madryn Street may be important for the history of Liverpool, but the Clubmoor Conny is important both for the history and for the future of this wonderful city," she says.
Jackson says John Parry, one of the main committee members behind the effort to save the club, is going to organise other specific fundraising events, although nothing is scheduled as yet. "The main thing right now is to get people to go along to the club and support it like that. They have live music every weekend, and non-members can attend for £1.00," she says.
Jackson hopes by getting the story some attention that something can be done to save the Clubmoor Conny Club. We hope so, too. Please spread the word by posting the link to this story wherever you can.
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