Press Release

50 YEARS OF MERSEYBEAT AT THE HARD DAYS NIGHT HOTEL

The Beatles Best Mates Celebrate 50 Years of MerseyBeat at the HDNH

Its fifty years since the Beatles exploded onto the rock music scene, but it wasn’t just the Beatles who drove what was then a thunderous new sound. There were over 300 bands playing in Liverpool in 1960 and to celebrate 50 years of the Liverpool Beat, two of the original bands from 1960 The Undertakers and Karl Terry & The Cruisers are starring at a special event at the Hard Days Night Hotel in Liverpool on Friday May 7th.
Geoff Nugent of the Undertakers was George Harrison’s best friend having grown up with George in Speke in Liverpool. Geoff recalls the day George asked him to lend him his new 1.5 watt El Pico amplifier, as he had an audition with some band called the Quarrymen. Geoff refused as he said “Me ma would have killed me” So George had to go acoustic, but fortunately it didn’t make any difference.

Karl Terry’s band pre- dates the Beatles having originally started in 1957. Karl says many of their numbers were “stolen” by the Beatles in their early Star Club act including “Hallelujah I love her so” and “Knee Deep in the Blues”. Karl is also the only person in the world to have played with The Beatles and Gerry & the Pacemakers together when they appeared for one night only as the “The Beatmakers” at The Litherland Town Hall on the 19th October 1961.

Brian Jones the great Sax player with the Undertakers told us that the riff in the Beatles song "Birthday" was stolen from the song "Just A Little Bit" recorded by The Undertakers. The band also recorded the song "Money" before the Beatles. The Undertakers had great stage presence and Brian “with a twinkle in his eye” said that the Beatles were always a bit wary about playing on the same stage. The Undertakers manager Ralph Webster was a very shrewd cookie and it was he who booked the Beatles to play at the Grafton in 1963 on the same bill as the Undertakers, both bands went down a storm, resulting in the Undertakers being offered a record contract with Pye records. There was always great rivalry and respect between the two bands and some years later Paul McCartney (“Brian is the greatest Sax Player in Britain” - Paul) asked Brian Jones to do a recording session with his band Wings, and also to play on Mike McGear’s (Paul’s brother) Warner Brothers album "McGear"

The Undertakers and Karl Terry & The Cruisers are supported on the bill by The Bumblies who were originally formed in 1963 and went on to become “The Cryin Shames” one of the more successful second wave Liverpool bands.
More details of the show can be viewed on the Liverpool Beat website.

 www.liverpoolbeat.com. Tickets are £7 and can be purchased online or at the Hotel reception or in The Hard Days Night Shop adjacent to the hotel.

Contacts:

Dave Fergy at Liverpoolbeat.com  Email:

Tel: +44(0)1606 552116 www.liverpoolbeat.com

Hard Days Night Hotel, Central Buildings, North John Street, Liverpool, L2 6RR Tel: +44 (0) 151 236 1964 Fax: +44 (0) 151 255 1263 Email: enquiries@harddaysnighthotel.com

Hard Days Night Shop, 1 Mathew Street, Liverpool, United Kingdom, L2 6RR, United Kingdom
Phone: +44(0) 151 203 1340 Email: info@harddaysnightshop.com

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