Still Excavating Pre-Beatles Gold

It was 40 years ago that day. . . .

On July 6, 1957, a 16-year-old John Lennon, leading the skiffle group the Quarry Men at a small church fair, impressed a 15-year-old Paul McCartney with his raw intensity. McCartney later that day impressed Lennon with his musical knowledge and proficiency.

Now, to mark the anniversary of a casual meeting that ultimately altered the course of popular culture, the same locale in the Liverpool suburb of Woolton will host a re-creation of the events of that day--including the first performance since the occasion by the five members of the Quarry Men who backed Lennon.

Martin Lewis, who has overseen various Beatles-related projects and helped organize the event, says that the intent is to restage as faithfully as possible the St. Peter’s Church Garden Fete of 1957 on July 5 (the annual fund-raiser is still held each year on the first Saturday of July). Then on the actual anniversary, other commemorations will be held, including the dedication of a plaque on the church wall in recognition of its role in pop history.

“We want to do this in the right spirit,” says Lewis, a Los Angeles-based humorist and an associate of the Beatles-spoofing Rutles. “We don’t want to make it a big media event, but want to keep it charming.”

That means that McCartney will not be attending.

“This place only holds about 200 people,” Lewis says. “When Paul went to open the Liverpool Institute of the Arts, there were 10,000 people.”

However, Lewis says that both McCartney and Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, are expected to prepare video or audio presentations that will be part of the celebration.

Still, the appearance of the Quarry Men performing songs they believe they played that day--including “Be-Bop-A-Lula,” “Midnight Special” and “That’ll Be the Day”--is plenty significant for Beatlemaniacs.

The original event has been lovingly documented by New Jersey music journalist Jim O’Donnell in his minutely detailed book, “The Day John Met Paul,” and a crude home tape of two songs performed that afternoon by the Quarry Men set an auction record for a music recording last year. It was bought by EMI for more than $122,000.

“I just hope we don’t sound as bad as we did 40 years ago,” says Rod Davis, who played banjo in the group. “Public expectations have risen since then.”

With Lennon already pushing the band away from the folky skiffle sound to rock ‘n’ roll, Davis--a folk and jazz fan who now lives in the London area--soon left, ultimately to pursue an academic career. The other members--Pete Shotton (washboard), Colin Hanton (drums), Len Garry (“tea-chest” bass) and Eric Griffiths (guitar)--also soon drifted away from the band as it started its evolution into the Beatles.

“I was the guy playing the banjo, which didn’t fit into the concept of a rock ‘n’ roll band,” says Davis, who still performs in a bluegrass band and is the reader on an audio version of O’Donnell’s book, to be released July 5. “I was the man Paul McCartney was due to replace. . . . The man with the ticket to ride, as it were.”

Davis doesn’t recall actually witnessing the meeting of Lennon and McCartney after the fete inside the church hall, where McCartney taught Lennon the chords and lyrics to Eddie Cochran’s “Twenty Flight Rock.”

“I may have gone home to my dinner or may have gone to powder my nose when this momentous occasion occurred,” Davis says. “I’m sure if somebody had played the guitar in front of me in a competent manner it would have stuck in my mind.”