They obviously saw some potential in the band and became our managers and at the same time the Cavern was about to become a licensed club, because up to this point it was still basically a coffee bar. Alf and Joe being our managers soon had us playing the club several times a week and putting us forward for all sorts of charity gigs. They also gave us lots of jobs to do in renovating the club, building the bars, going for bricks in the van, and all sorts of general labouring jobs. Unfortunately, Alf and Joe, were really nice guys and although they were very successful and astute businessmen they were basically eaten alive by the music business, which as anybody who has ever been involved, knows it is a beast which very few people ever tame.

They sold the club to Roy Adams who was equally impressed by the Klubs and we continued to play as much as ever with more and more top acts like Chuck Berry, Chris Farlowe, Ben E King, Long John Baldry and many more. 

At this point I feel I have to mention the most tragic case of musical injustice I can think of in relation to my playing days at the Cavern, and that is the band Badfinger who were originally called the Iveys and who we played with several times and whose two main writers Tommy Evans and Pete Ham from South Wales, whom I became quite friendly with and respected greatly, wrote the worldwide classic “’Without You’ which most people think was written by Nilsson. They sadly both ended up taking their own lives for reasons I still can’t really understand but still saddens me to this day.

At this point there seemed to be more rock acts coming to the club and I can remember Status Quo supporting us during their transformation from their pop ‘Pictures of Matchstick Men’ image to the rock act they are today, and Wishbone Ash who came with homemade guitars, but were brilliant with their unique twin lead guitarists. It was in these times that the Klubs started to change and eventually went down to a three piece where I was forced into the role of playing lead guitar which was not what I really wanted as I was more interested in writing songs.

Strife was another local band that played the Cavern and I was approached by them to join as second guitar and vocalist, and as main songwriter. So I left the Klubs after seven years and joined Strife. But after just a few months the lead guitarist left and I was thrown back into lead guitar again and that’s how it stayed for nine years.

Strife carried on playing the Cavern and I can remember using a lot of the midweek gigs as a vehicle to experiment with new songs and developing the style of the band and eventually released two albums, and went on to play worldwide and the re-releases of the CDs are still selling today. The title track of the first album being a song called “Rush” which was a 12 minute or more epic and was definitely written from the nights of ad-libbing at the Cavern.

The Cavern then closed with Strife as headlining act on the final night, probably playing the last ever “live chord” at this great historic event, and moved over the road to a completely different style of premises and predictably was never the same. Eventually the punk era took over and the Cavern became Eric’s under Roger Eagles which also closed when punk started to die off.

I suppose Liverpool eventually realized what I realized all those years ago, that the Cavern was truly a historic piece of the Liverpool Music revolution of the 60’s and decided to re-create it in its original position even if it is the wrong way round.

I never believed I would ever perform at the Cavern again as I left the music business in 1979, but with the onset of the world wide web, all sorts of music memorabilia is being rejuvenated and somebody in their wisdom decided that the Klubs were a forerunner of psychedelic rock music in the mid sixties and decided to prove it by putting out a collection of Klubs tracks as an album called ‘Midnight Love Cycle’.

This was duly voted ‘Album of The Year 1999’ by Record Collector magazine, even over a Beatles album, and this accolade resulted in a demand for a reunion gig which of course was held at: where else but The Cavern! So I have actually performed at all three Caverns and I believe between my two bands the Klubs and Strife, that I have probably played “The Cavern Club” more times than anybody else but who’s counting because once is enough for any musician.

Editor’s Notes: The initial line-up of the Klubs was Paddy Breen, vocalist, Trevor Griffiths, Lead Guitar, Alan Walker Vocal/Harmonica, John Reid, rhythm guitar, Norris Easterbrook, bass guitar and Kenny Marshall on drums. Tragically, Kenny was to die in a boating accident. After he died he was replaced by Pete Sinclair-Tidy on drums.

Return to main section