The Morgue Skiffle Cellar was an illegal club held in the basement of a large Victorian house at 25 Oakhill Park in the Broadgreen area of Liverpool.
The Morgue was run by 18-year-old Alan Caldwell, who was the singer with Al Caldwell’s Texans. Ringo Starr joined the group from 25 March 1959, and the group later changed their name to Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.
The Texans and the Quarrymen were among a number of local groups who played on this, the club’s opening night. The music began at 7.30pm, and 100 people crammed into the confined space which had no sanitary facilities. It was lit with a single bare lightbulb and a fluorescent strip light.
The Morgue was closed by police on 1 April 1958 and, despite efforts to continue it surreptitiously, it closed for good on 22 April.
Live music was held on Tuesday and Thursdays. The Quarrymen may have played additional dates during the Morgue’s short life, but reliable information is not available.
Also on this day...
- 2009: Former Capitol Records boss Alan Livingston dies at 91
- 1999: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
- 1993: Paul McCartney live: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
- 1990: Paul McCartney live: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo
- 1981: US single release: Watching The Wheels by John Lennon
- 1970: Mixing: Sentimental Journey by Ringo Starr
- 1969: Mixing: I’ve Got A Feeling, Dig It, Maggie Mae, Shake Rattle And Roll, Kansas City, Miss Ann, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Blue Suede Shoes, You Really Got A Hold On Me
- 1967: Recording: Good Morning Good Morning
- 1965: Travel: London to Austria
- 1964: Mixing: Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand, Sie Liebt Dich
- 1964: Filming: A Hard Day’s Night
- 1963: The Beatles live: Rialto Theatre, York
- 1963: Recording, mixing: Thank You Girl
- 1962: The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime)
- 1961: The Beatles live: Liverpool Jazz Society, Liverpool
- 1961: The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime)
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
So I lived in Withnell Close. I was born in 1949. My middle brother Ron born 1940 went to Highfield School with Alan. The school was very close to all of us. Long after he left, circa 1956 Ron would take me to watch football at the school and we would sit on the wall with others, including Alan, who would stammer “alright Ron”. Alan couldn’t talk well as he had a debilitating stammer but wow he could sing. His mum, Vi was a hoot. A born comedian who seemed always to be in the doctor’s surgery; they were Dr Bailey and Dr Fortune. She would crack jokes non stop and made everyone feel instantly better. Alan’s sister Iris was a stunner and all us 9/10 year old kids would be wowed whenever we saw her. We spent many happy nights outside Rory’s house in Oakhill Park listening to the Hurricanes practising.