NOVEMBER 9, 1961 – Future band manager Brian Epstein saw The Beatles playing live for the first time during a lunchtime session at The Cavern Club in Liverpool.
Having seeing their name several times in Mersey Beat magazine, and on posters around Liverpool, Brian Epstein had become curious about The Beatles. He realized there was a buzz around the young group after a customer nmaed Raymond Jones entered Epstein’s NEMS shop and asked for a copy of the My Bonnie single, recently recorded in Hamburg.
Epstein’s assistant Alistair Taylor later claimed that he had made up the name while ordering copies of the single for NEMS, after hearing requests from fans. Taylor’s tale was a fabrication, however, and Jones was indeed a genuine customer.
Epstein had grown curious about the group after hearing the mention of their name in several places, and Mersey Beat’s Bill Harry arranged for him and Taylor to see them perform in Liverpool.
Epstein learnt that The Beatles were playing close to his shop in Whitechapel. He was intrigued to see what they were like and he phoned Bill Harry at Mersey Beat and asked him to smooth his entrance into the Cavern. Bill arranged this with Ray McFall and with Paddy Delaney on the door.
Liverpool architect David Blackhouse recalled the occasion “I was there when Brian Epstein came to the Cavern. He was a beautifully-suited, elegant man and he looked totally incongruous. I knew who he was, although I had never spoken to him.”
The Beatles performed a lunchtime concert at the Cavern Club. Epstein and Taylor were allowed in without queuing. Epstein was welcomed over the club’s PA system by resident DJ Bob Wooler who remembered “Brian took his PA, Alistair Taylor, along for support and they stood at the back of the crowd and heard John, Paul, George and Pete on stage, although they can’t have seen much. Nevertheless, Brian was bowled over by them. It was fortunate that Brian saw a good performance when he came down to the Cavern that lunchtime. He also liked how they behaved, and he found them very animalistic. They were unkempt, they didn’t comb their hair – and, most importantly, they were lithe and physically attractive.”
Epstein later recounted in his autobiography, ghost written by Derek Taylor, his first thoughts on seeing the group perform. “I was immediately struck by their music, their beat, and their sense of humour on stage – and, even afterwards, when I met them, I was struck again by their personal charm. And it was there that, really, it all started.”
Epstein and Taylor entered the band’s dressing room, described by Epstein “as big as a broom cupboard” after the show. The Beatles recognized Epstein, with George Harrison opening the conversation by asking: “And what brings Mr Epstein here?”
Witness Paddy Delaney recalled: Epstein was well-groomed in a smart, dark suit and he looked out of place. When it was all over, he was still hanging about, so I approached him and said, ‘It’s all over now, sir.’ He said, ‘It’s all right, I’m going to meet The Beatles.'”
Ray Ennis, singer, Swinging Blue Jeans singer Ray Ennis was also at the afternoon show: “I’d met Brian Epstein before and I asked him what he was doing in the Cavern. He said, ‘I’ve come to watch The Beatles. I believe they are very good.’ He didn’t say anything about signing them.”
Epstein watched The Beatles at the Cavern Club a number of times over the next few weeks. On December 10th he suggested becoming the band’s manager. They signed a five-year management contract on January 24, 1962.
On the evening of November 9th, after their first meeting, The Beatles performed for the final time at Liverpool’s slightly down-at-heel Litherland Town Hall ballroom. They performed a total of 20 shows there, the first of which was a triumphant appearance on December 27, 1960, following their first trip to Hamburg.
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