What's it all about…?
The Casbah Coffee Club became the birthplace of the greatest music phenomenon of
modern times - The Beatles on 29 August, 1959.
This year obviously marks the fortieth anniversary of this footnote in music history. To
celebrate the Casbah Coffee Club is opening its doors for the first time over
thirty seven years with a special event. The event sees the grounds being marqueed and the
Casbah Coffee Club being opened for the day. The day we are speaking of is Saturday 28
August, the celebration has attracted a capacity crowd of 2,000 Beatles
fans who are coming to pay homage to the birthplace of The
Beatles, the Casbah Coffee Club.
…events leading up to the Casbah Coffee Club opening on the 28 August, 1958 saw a young man called Ken Brown with his friend George Harrison, formerly of the disbanded Les Stewart Quartet approach Mrs. Mona Best asking if they could play on the opening night with two friends, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Ken Brown brought the three Beatles together using a name from John's past, The Quarrymen. They played and became the resident group.
…John, Paul, George, Pete Best and Ken Brown were amongst the anxious teenagers frantically decorating the Casbah Coffee Club for its opening night
…the Casbah Coffee Club member Ken Brown encouraged Pete Best to play drums. They later formed a group called The Black Jacks
…The Beatles served behind the bar in the Casbah Coffee Club. This would often lead to squabbles as serving on the bar was a good way to meet girls
…Stuart Sutcliffe used to come to the Casbah Coffee Club to watch the Quarrymen before becoming a Beatle
…it was at the Casbah Coffee Club that Paul McCartney and John Lennon persuaded Stuart Sutcliffe to buy a bass guitar and become a Beatle
…The Beatles first manager Allan Williams used to frequent the Casbah Coffee Club
…the friendships forged at the Casbah Coffee Club led to Paul McCartney asking Pete Best to become a Silver Beatle. They soon left for Hamburg, Germany and dropped the Silver from their name
…when they returned from Germany the first place they played for their homecoming was the Casbah Coffee Club. It was a tremendous night that saw their following there, follow them to the Litherland Town Hall
…Beatlemania began at the Casbah Coffee Club
… Casbah Coffee Club member Chaz Newby, formerly of the Black Jacks, was asked to join The Beatles as bass guitarist. Chaz Newby declined the offer but stood in for four dates including the Casbah Coffee Club and the Litherland Town Hall
…Coca Cola rep Johnny Johnson stood playing piano on song Red River Rock with The Beatles at the Casbah Coffee Club
…because of the volume of Coca Cola being sold at the Casbah Coffee Club, Coca Cola gave the Casbah Coffee Club its first signs
…Mrs. Mona Best bought The Beatles their first van
…the Casbah Coffee Club doorman Frank Garner was The Beatles' first roadie
…George Harrison borrowed Rory Best's Futurama guitar for a period of three months whilst his own was being repaired
…The Beatles stored their equipment at the Casbah Coffee Club
…The Casbah Coffee Club included The Beatles on many of its promotions throughout the city of Liverpool in the larger dance halls
…The Beatles were the first group to play on a Casbah Coffee Club Dance Hall Promotion
…the first venue to see The Beatles' new look (leather) was the Casbah Coffee Club
…Brian Epstein first met Liverpool's leading female promoter Mrs. Mona Best at the Casbah Coffee Club
…The Beatles signed their Management Contract with Brian Epstein at the Casbah Coffee Club
…the last engagement The Beatles played before leaving for Hamburg to open The Star Club was at the Casbah Coffee Club
…Beatle Pete Best suggested Casbah Coffee Club member Neil Aspinall to the other Beatles for the job of a full time roadie. Neil Aspinall is now Managing Director of Apple
…the painted silhouetted figure above the Casbah Coffee Club fireplace is George Harrison. The painting was done by Cynthia Lennon. Cynthia Lennon copied it from a Mike McCartney poster designed especially for The Beatles
…Mrs. Mona Best of the Casbah Coffee Club secured numerous dates for The Beatles in the city of Liverpool. This is when the club branched out as Casbah Promotions
…the Casbah Coffee Club owns never before seen photographs of The Beatles performing there on their opening night as The Quarrymen, and the dates that followed, as The Beatles
…the Casbah Coffee Club owns the first ever Beatles poster
…Mrs. Mona Best lent her father's war medals to John Lennon for the Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover
…The Beatles performed at the Casbah Coffee Club 40 times
…The Beatles performed for Casbah Dance Hall Promotions on over twenty occasions
…the other groups who played at the Casbah Coffee Club include just some of the following: Gerry & The Pacemakers, Cilla Black, The Searchers, The Remo Four, The Fourmost, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, King Size Taylor and the Dominoes, Derry and the Seniors, Ian and the Zodiacs, Freddie Star, The Big Three, Karl Terry and the Cruisers, Faron and the Flamingoes, Earl Preston and the TT's, Vince Earl, The Undertakers, Cy Tucker and the Friars, Jet and the Tornadoes, Screaming Lord Sutch, Jimmy Page and many many more…
…the Casbah Coffee Club preceded Mersey Beat and the Cavern Club by two years.
The tracks chosen for the Casbah Coffee Club Anniversary CD were all on the original Casbah Coffee Club jukebox.
