On Wednesday 15 January 1957, The Cavern Club first opened its doors to the public. Located in the basement of an unused warehouse, in years to come it would be recognised not only as the birthplace of The Beatles but also as one of the most famous music establishments in the entire world. The original intention of the club was to be a venue for modern jazz, with owner Alan Sytner specifically forbidding the playing of rock and roll. But when he sold the club in 1959, the new owner Ray McFall had a different approach. In fact, ambitious plans for the club to become “the leading jazz centre in the country outside London‘’ were quickly abandoned when he saw the popularity of rock and roll and beat music.
The Beatles first performed at The Cavern Club in 1961 and would continue to do so for two years, their subsequent success helping make the club internationally famous. McFall was forced to close in 1966 but the club did not remain vacant for long and was quickly purchased, expanded and reopened. In 1972 British Rail bought the building and planned to demolish it to make way for the city’s underground railway, and The Cavern Club was again forced to close. In the early 1980s architect David Backhouse came up with an ingenious plan to reopen the venue. The original club was excavated and, although it was deemed too damaged, materials were removed and used in the construction of a new club. The new Cavern occupies 70 percent of the original site and includes a faithful reconstruction of the original stage and club area. The club received a grand reopening in 1984, with over 100 acts invited back to leave their signatures on the stage backdrop – arecreation of the original.