On This Day in 1957…

Saturday, July 6th, 1957. It was a hot day at St. Peter’s church fete in Woolton, Liverpool. But the turnout was good. One of the attractions that day was a start-up skiffle band called “The Quarry Men” led by sixteen-year-old John Lennon. They played a set outdoors, then left the stage for a break. During that break, a friend of John’s, Ivan Vaughan, introduced him to his fifteen-year-old buddy, Paul McCartney. The group made their way to the church hall where McCartney borrowed John’s guitar and showed him what he could do. After impressing John with the fact he could play Eddie Cochran’s “Twenty Flight Rock” and he knew all the words, Paul switched to the piano, launching into his Little Richard routine.

Nothing was said at this time. The Quarry Men played another set in the church hall. But afterwards, word got to young McCartney that John wanted him to join the band. And the rest is history…*

While the Quarry Men were playing that second set in the church hall, someone had the presence of mind to record them. Remarkably, some of that recording still exists today. Here is a piece of history: The Quarry Men, with John Lennon on lead vocal, on the day he met Paul McCartney…

* John Lennon remembers asking Paul to join directly after his “audition.” But others remember it differently. Pete Shotton, John’s closest friend at the time, remembers John asking him after the gig what he would think if Paul joined the band.