On This Day in 1958: John Lennon and Paul McCartney Play the Cavern Club for the First Time
On this day in 1958,
Paul McCartney and John Lennon performed together for the first time at the Cavern Club in
Liverpool.
Billed as The Quarry Men Skiffle Group, the group supported the Merseysippi Jazz Band at the historical venue, which opened its doors just one year prior to the performance and caught the emergence of the Merseybeat scene. The club quickly became world-famous, most notably due to the volume of Beatles performances that took place there between 1961 and 1963, and is now synonymous with the band. McCartney most recently visited the venue in 2018, when he played a surprise show for 250 fans.
The Quarrymen were founded in March 1957. At the point of their formation, John Lennon was the only member of the final Beatles line-up in the group. Their formation shortly allowed for a young McCartney, who joined when he was just fourteen years old. Following the group's first Cavern Club show, it would only take another month for George Harrison to join the songwriting duo, though it would be a further four years until
Ringo Starr completed the Beatles.
The band's time at the Cavern Club has been heavily documented through photographs taken by Mike McCartney in his edition,
Mike McCartney's Early Liverpool.
Early Liverpool is Mike McCartney's 'definitive statement of a magic era,' as revealed through his photography, illustrations and a fascinating commentary. The edition is limited to only 2,000 copies worldwide, each signed by Mike McCartney.
