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Liverpool back in the 1950's and Skiffle music was driving
through the land like a plague, with its primitive improvised
instruments such as washboards and tea-chest bass. Lonnie Donegan
was Britain's best-known skiffle singer who came to prominence
with his virtual over-night success "Rock
Island Line". Skiffle had a short life as the more
infectious style of rock 'n' roll driven by the likes of Elvis and
Bill Haley grabbed the British youth of the day and didn't let go.
A schoolboy skiffle band was formed around 1954 with 15-year-old
John Lennon as their leading figure. Their name…The Quarrymen.
John Lennon (lead singer and guitar) was joined in his first
band by his best friend Pete Shotton (washboard) and school
friends Rod Davis (who took piano lessons and owned a banjo
that me couldn't play) and Eric Griffith (guitar) who all attended
Quarry Bank High School. Len Garry (tea chest bass) went to
another school and drummer Colin Hanton was also invited to
join the band. After around a year's practice in each other's
houses the Quarrymen gained enough proficiency to start playing
gigs at schoolboy parties, street fairs and other minor social
events, Around July 1957 they were engaged to play St Peter's
Church Fate in Woolton close
to where they lived in Liverpool. It was here that Paul McCartney
stood and watched them play and was fascinated with John Lennon
who appeared to be making up the words to the songs as he went
along. In point of fact John sang his own version to the songs,
as he wasn't able to afford the records to learn the original
words. After showing John his expertise of guitar playing, Paul
McCartney was invited to join the group. Some time later George
Harrison joined the group and over the next year or so the whole
band improved especially John, Paul and George.
Gradually the founder members left the group and by 1959, of
the original members only Colin on drums and of course John
remained. The Quarrymen cut their first record that year in the
back room of a house owned by Percy Phillips in Liverpool. The
song was "In Spite Of Danger"
written by Paul and George, which they backed with their own
version of the Buddy Holly hit "That'll
Be The Day" on the flip-side. Not long after this
Colin also left the band. The three remaining members decided to
change their name to The Beatles. Ringo Star joined the group and
history tells the rest of their story.
The Four original members (less John Lennon) kept in touch
and made their own way in life outside of the music business.
Though John had died, the remaining original Quarrymen reformed at
some stage and in 1998 were found playing at a Beatles Conference
in Havana, Cuba. Since 1998 the Quarrymen have made five tours of
USA, played in Canada, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Sweden
and Cuba. In 2003 they went to Japan where they played two very
successful concerts and have been invited to play at many Beatles
conventions.
On Songs We Remember, you'll
find 15 songs that hark back to the Skiffle era, starting out
with that old Liverpool rousing anthem "Maggie
May". A couple or four numbers that Elvis
made famouse can  be
found with "I'm Left, Your Right,
She's Gone", "Baby Lets
Play House", "All
Shook Up" and Carl Perkins' "Blue
Suede Shoes". There is also a smashing version of Roy
Orbison's "Mean Woman Blues"
and you couldn't have a Skiffle album without the master of
British Skiffle…Lonnie Donegan's "Rock
Island Line" which The Quarrymen do a superb version
of. A Bonus track comes in the form of the final track with
a simple guitar and tambourine backed version of Lennon &
McCartney's lovely song "In My Life".
The Quarrymen - Songs We Remember
is a piece of British musical history that many people in the
U.K. and in particular the North West of England will remember
and relate to. Author Hunter Davis has written the four-page
liner notes telling the story of the band and there are several
pictures of today's Quarrymen, though sadly none from the original
period. Don't miss this one…it is a must for all Beatles fans
and simply just a wonderful album to listen to!!!
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