MUSIC FROM THE MERSEY | Pop stories from the Capital of Culture
If the Cavern ruled the club scene in the early 1960s, its king was Bob Wooler. The Cavern's compere and DJ from 1961 to 1967, he saw all of Liverpool's pop stars rise to fame and observed most of them return to obscurity too. This interview is pieced together from out-takes from a recording made for 'The Beatles Story'. It has never been available in its entirety before.
The Beatles' manager, Allan Williams, tried to offload them onto Bob Wooler in 1961. Though Bob refused to manage them, he did arrange for them to become a house band at the Cavern and introduced them to Brian Epstein, the man who would make them legends. Bob Wooler died in 2002, aged 76.
Brian Epstein talks about managing The Beatles, Cilla Black and other artists.
How urban regeneration tore the heart out of the Singing City.
Bernard Falk reports from a disappointing first annual Mersey Beat convention.