The Quarrymen

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The Quarrymen
General information
Genre (s) Skiffle , rock 'n' roll
founding 1956 in Liverpool , 1993
resolution 1959
Founding members
John Lennon
Pete Shotton (1956, 1997)
Eric Griffiths (until 1958)
Bill Smith (1956)
Rod Davis
Colin Hanton (until 1959, since 1997)
Current occupation
Singing, banjo, guitar
Rod Davis
Len Garry (1956–1958, since 1993)
Drums
Colin Hanton (until 1959, since 1997)
John Duff Lowe (1958–1959, since 1993)
former members
Guitar, background vocals
Paul McCartney
Guitar, background vocals
George Harrison (from 1958)
Tea box bass
Ivan Vaughan
Tea box bass
Nigel Whalley
guitar
Eric Griffiths
Washboard, tea box bass
Pete Shotton

The Quarrymen , also called The Quarry Men , is a British band that was founded by the later Beatles member John Lennon and four school friends in 1956 and is therefore considered the predecessor band of the Beatles. In addition to Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison were three of the four members of what would later become the classic Beatles line-up.

Band history

Before founding

John Lennon decided at the age of 15 to take guitar lessons with his school friend Eric Griffiths in Hunts Cross, a suburb of Liverpool . But soon the two gave up the lessons because in their opinion they were based too much on music theory and the actual music making was neglected.

Since Eric Griffiths already mastered the banjo , John Lennon's mother, who also mastered the banjo , showed the two of them how to tune a guitar like a banjo, brought them the three chords C, D and D7 and finally the English hit Ain't That a shame at. From then on, the two would often meet at Lennon's aunt's house or at Griffiths', where they then learned and practiced various songs.

founding

So the two decided in 1956 to found a skiffle band together with their school friend Pete Shotton (1941-2017) , although Shotton didn't know a musical instrument. Shotton found out about the skifflemusic and the instruments used there and decided to make music on the washboard , as it was the lightest of these instruments in his eyes. His mother took care of his utensils: She found a washboard in the garden shed, and she donated two thimbles from her sewing box.

Shotton then recruited his school friend Bill Smith to play the wash tub bass , and Rod Davis joined the band as a banjo player, so Griffiths was now allowed to play guitar. After previously calling themselves The Blackjacks , they made the decision to rename themselves The Quarrymen , which alludes to a passage in their school song:

"Quarrymen, old before our birth / Straining each muscle and sinew"

"Quarry boys [also: quarry workers], old even before we were born / tense every muscle and tendon"

- Excerpt from the Quarry Bank High School song

However, Smith appeared less and less to the rehearsals of the band and finally decided to leave the group. The rest of them quickly stole the sink from Smith's garage. Len Garry was hired to replace Smith. This soon switched from the basin basin to the tea chest basin.

Griffiths met apprentice Colin Hanton on the school bus. Griffiths found out by chance that Hanton owns a drum kit, but he admitted that he was just an amateur. So Griffiths visited Hanton to see him play and then invited him to the Quarrymen. From then on, Hanton was a member of the band and the Quarrymen were expanded to include an instrument.

First appearances

The Quarrymen then played various appearances. The school friend Nigel Whalley, who has meanwhile been appointed manager of the band, arranged two intermission appearances in the cinema, as well as appearances at music competitions in Liverpool and in various other places. They also performed at the Quarry Bank High School ball.

Then the band began to play more songs by Elvis Presley . Finally, the Quarrymen were asked for a rehearsal at a golf club, which, to the surprise of the musicians, attracted more than a hundred visitors. In this audition they convinced the owner of the Cavern Club , one of three large jazz clubs in Liverpool. So the Quarrymen performed in the Cavern. The band argued in advance about the setlist for this gig. She started the concert with a skiffle song; then Lennon asked his band members to play Don't Be Cruel by Elvis Presley. His band members warned him with the words “ The audience will eat us alive! ”(German:“ The audience will eat us alive! ”) And refused to play the song because rock 'n' roll was not wanted in the jazz club . Lennon started the song himself and asked the other musicians to join in. Meanwhile, the owner of the club stormed onto the stage and challenged the band with the words “ Cut off that bloody Rock 'n' Roll! ”(German:“ Stop playing that damn rock 'n' roll! ”) To stop the song immediately.

On June 22, 1957, on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the founding of Liverpool, the Quarrymen made their first full appearance on Roseberry Street in Liverpool on the back of a truck and at the same time made their first public appearance.

Encounter with Paul McCartney

St Peter's Church Hall: On July 6, 1957, John Lennon and Paul McCartney met at a parish garden party

On July 6, 1957, The Quarrymen played at a music event at St. Peter's Church in Woolton. This is unusual in that at the Rose Queen - the colloquial name of the event - actually only brass bands played; The Quarrymen were thus a musical exception. Bessie Shotton, Pete Shotton's mother, had been able to convince the organizers beforehand that a skiffle band like The Quarrymen could bridge the gap between young and older audiences at such an event. At around 2 p.m., the group began playing on a pickup truck that was part of a processional tour.

Instruments from The Quarrymen

After the performance, the band met at Scout; Former band member Ivan Vaughan also later met the band. He introduced the band to an old school friend - Paul McCartney . Vaughan and McCartney had previously watched the Quarrymen perform together. McCartney had happened to his guitar case and played later in Twenty Flight Rock by Eddie Cochran , so he could impress Lennon obvious. McCartney apparently noticed this and then played Be-Bop-A-Lula - a piece that The Quarrymen had also presented at their performance earlier. Lennon was impressed with both the musical ability and looks of McCartney, but was concerned about his position as the band's auditioner. Lennon said later:

"Now, I thought, if I take him on, what will happen? It went through my head that I'd have to keep him in line if I let him join. But he was good, so he was worth having. He also looked like Elvis . I dug him. "

“I wondered what would happen if we took him in? It crossed my mind that if I let him join, I would have to keep him under control. But it was good, so it was worth having. He also looked like Elvis. I liked him. "

- John Lennon

While the rest of the band took the bus home, Lennon and Shotton decided to walk home. They discussed McCartney along the way, and Shotton reiterated his opinion that McCartney was a really good musician. Then Lennon made the decision to include McCartney in the band.

Another success with McCartney

With McCartney, The Quarryman were able to include pieces in their repertoire that they were previously unable to play, such as Bye Bye Love from The Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley's All Shook Up . On October 18, 1957, The Quarrymen gave their first concert with McCartney at a Conservative Party event . Since the London borough of Norris Green was regarded as a posh area, Lennon and McCartney decided to appear as a single group through a posh uniform . In the end, only these two wore the cream-colored suits; the rest of the group used plain t-shirts instead for financial reasons .

The concert in which Lennon announced McCartney as a new band member at the beginning, however, went against expectations: McCartney skipped the previously rehearsed solos and played wrong notes, but Lennon reacted in a noticeably relaxed manner.

Recording of George Harrison

At the beginning of 1958 McCartney and George Harrison met for the first time on the school bus. They discovered their common taste in music and therefore met several times to make music together. On February 6 of the same year, The Quarrymen performed at Wilson Hall , where Harrison was also present. Presumably he auditioned for Lennon after the performance.

On March 12, Harrison and the band met in a basement in West Oakhill Park - arranged by McCartney. Harrison played again, including Guitar Boogie Shuffle , and was able to convince musically:

"He played the guitar brilliantly - better than any of us handled an instrument - so I had no hang-up about inviting him to come around"

"He played his guitar brilliantly - better than any of us could handle an instrument - so I had no problem inviting him to come back."

- Colin Hanton

But unlike Hanton, Lennon had reservations about making Harrison a member of the band. So McCartney arranged for the group to meet Harrison again. Harrison's third foreplay took place on the roof of a Liverpool bus. Harrison played several titles - including the US rock 'n' roll hit Raunchy - and was able to convince again, so that he was accepted as a member of the group. Still, Lennon was not very happy with the situation, as he later said:

"George was just too young [...] [He] looked even younger than Paul, and Paul looked about ten, with his baby face."

"George was just too young [...] He looked even younger than Paul, and Paul looked like ten with his baby face."

- John Lennon

Further career

The Quarrymen, 2011: (left to right) Colin Hanton, Len Garry, Rod Davis in Liverpool

In 1958 the group recorded a phonogram containing the two tracks That'll Be the Day by Buddy Holly and The Crickets and their own composition In Spite of All the Danger , of which only one copy was made, which is now in Owned by Paul McCartney. Both tracks later appeared on the Beatles album Anthology 1 .

Colin Hanton left the group shortly after this recording after an argument broke out after a concert.

In May 1960 the Quarrymen went over to The Silver Beatles , from which the Beatles emerged in August 1960.

On the 40th anniversary of Lennon and McCartney's first meeting in 1997, the band was re-formed by six former Quarrymen members Griffiths, Shotton, Davis, Garry, Hanton and Lowe. Since then, three albums have been released on CD .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. The Beatles by Bob Spitz, p. 48
  2. The Beatles Anthology (DVD, 2003), Chapter 1: John Lennon on his mother
  3. The Beatles by Bob Spitz, p. 50.
  4. Quarrymen Official Website, Davis Biography.
  5. ^ Official homepage of the Quarrymen, biography of Len Garry.
  6. Dr. Bruce L. Thiessen in an interview with The Quarrymen: Colin Hanton: I used to meet Eric Griffiths on the bus in Woolton as he was going to school and I was going to work. I had bought a set of drums from Frank Hessy's in Liverpool as I was very keen on jazz. I happened to mention this one day to Eric, some time in 1956, and he came to my house to hear me play. He must have been impressed as he asked me to come down to his house and meet the rest of the group, and that was how I became a Quarryman.
  7. a b Official homepage of The Quarrymen, biography of Colin Hanton
  8. The Beatles by Bob Spitz, p. 65
  9. a b The Beatles Timeline ( Memento of the original from May 12, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / home.att.net
  10. ^ The Beatles by Bob Spitz, p. 93
  11. The Beatles by Bob Spitz, p. 95
  12. The Beatles by Bob Spitz, p. 97
  13. The Beatles by Bob Spitz, p. 98
  14. The Beatles by Bob Spitz, p. 108