1998

Utrecht, Holland - Easter 1998

On Saturday 11 April John Lennon's Original Quarrymen - Pete Shotton - Eric Griffiths - Len Garry - Colin Hanton and Rod Davis appeared at the Beatles Unlimited Festival in Utrecht at the Vredenburg Muziek Centrum.
   The five Quarrymen arrived in Utrecht on the morning of Friday, 10 April. Colin, Len and Pete had travelled from Liverpool by plane and because of delays due to lightning strikes on two aircraft (they weren't in them at the time, fortunately) they did not arrive at their hotel until 0500am!
   They did have some time to recover before they had a stroll round the old city of Utrecht and filled up at an excellent Italian restaurant before going off for a practice session which was to be filmed by a Dutch TV crew.
   During a break in rehearsal Len went off to get a Diet Coke and somehow managed to be offered some white powder, which he declined as it wasn't low calorie!
   On the Saturday morning the band went off to Hilversum to perform live on the "Cappuccino" breakfast radio show. Pete Shotton was interviewed by the presenter in English with Dutch subtitles and then the band played "Twenty Flight Rock" and "Mean Woman Blues" in between cups of excellent coffee. They were all presented with the customary monogrammed "Cappuccino" cup and saucer full of Easter Eggs.
   The Convention, organised by the Dutch Beatles Fan club, Beatles Unlimited, was being held in the prestigious Muziek Centrum in Utrecht under the guiding hand of René van Haarlem. Almost 1000 visitors crowded the memorabilia stalls and the auditorium.
   The day kicked off with a "Quarrymen Quiz", the Quarrymen were absolutely astonished at the detailed knowledge displayed by the contestants, who seemed to know a great deal more about them than the Quarrymen themselves!
   At around 1215 the Quarrymen played their first set to a crowded and appreciative audience. They kicked off with Lonnie Donegan's "Rock Island Line", the skiffle number which started so many British Rockers on their path to musical fame and fortune. Drummer Colin Hanton looked a bit bewildered at the fantastic drumkit he was in charge of, a far cry from his primitive original Quarrymen kit, but he did have the group's name on the bass skin to make him feel at home !
   This half hour set was followed by a memorabilia auction and a question and answer session in which the audience got to ferret out some more little known facts about the Quarrymen, then Pete Shotton did an in-depth interview about his lifetime involvement with John Lennon and Apple, of which he was manager for several years.
   A mass Beatle music singalong drove the audience to even greater heights before the Quarrymen came on for their last set which included such memorable items as the McCartney-Harrison "In spite of all the danger" and the Del Vikings' "Come go with me", the song which the Quarrymen were singing at the moment Paul McCartney first set eyes on John Lennon.
   The Quarrymen brought their set to a close with another Donegan number, the appropriately named "Lost John".
   At the mammoth Chinese meal which followed the Convention, Rod Davis said how much the Quarrymen had appreciated the warm welcome from both the Dutch Beatles fans and from many others who had travelled from all over Europe to be there. On behalf of the band he thanked René van Haarlem for his fantastic hospitality and congratulated the army of helpers who had made the day such a great success and promised that the Quarrymen would be back in another 40 years.

The Quarrymen in 1998:

Connecticut, New York & Maryland - July 1998

Thom Wolke of Twin Cloud Productions of New York, the Manager of sensational blues guitarist Guy Davis, put together the Quarrymen's first ever trip to the US. Thom met Len Garry at the New York Beatlefest in 1998 and was astounded that the Quarrymen had never been invited to the States, so he set about changing all that and thanks to Thom's organisation American fans were able to enjoy a unique glimpse into the Liverpool of the 1950's and the history of the Beatles!

Foxwoods Casino Resort:
In July the Quarrymen completed a whirlwind tour of the US East coast. They started off on July 2 at the Foxwoods Casino Resort in Connecticut in the Cinedrome 360, with a concert of music, chat and backchat capturing the spirit of the Quarrymen and their music and humour.
They moved on via Poughkeepsie's Classic Rock station 105.5 WPDH to play a private party in Croton on Hudson, followed by an appearance at an American Picnic at the restored Boscobel mansion overlooking the Hudson River near West Point.

Pete Seeger plays banjo with Quarrymen!
That afternoon the Quarrymen went on to the little town of Peekskill where Pete Seeger was playing for the 150th Anniversary Celebrations of his local Woodyard! He played "Where have all the flowers gone?", "This land is your land" and many other favourites, then invited the Quarrymen on stage! Rod Davis got to borrow his famous 12 string guitar and Pete sat in on banjo as the Quarrymen played Midnight Special!
Later that evening, the group were generously entertained by Sue Blair and her family from the organising committee of the Boscobel mansion restoration project.

Quarrymen at New York's "Bottom Line":
After an appearance on New York's WFUV radio the Quarrymen played the prestigious "Bottom Line" club in Greenwich Village. In the audience were Beatlefest organisers Mark and Carol Lapidos and Jim O'Donnell, author "The day John met Paul". The New York Post, under the headline "A pre-Fab Four reunion" said that "....the question "Why the Quarrymen?" was answered in the rambling yet often wonderful between-song patter where these "five old guys" recalled the heady days of pre-Beatlemania when they were all teen-agers.....the Quarrymen are like five charming uncles who play music together at every family party....."

Quarrymen play (cricket at) Shea Stadium!
In New York the group stayed at writer Ray Coleman's favourite hotel, the Wyndham near Central Park, as recommended by Jim O'Donnell. After a session on the nationally syndicated "Hot Wax Fax" classic rock show the Quarrymen went off to visit Shea Stadium where manager Kevin McCarthy had organised a cricket bat and ball for them to play cricket on the sacred diamond! Photos of the group with their guitars on the spot where the Beatles performed were followed by a few beers in the famous Mets dressing room!

Quarrymen on ABC coast to coast TV News!
A hectic dash back into the centre of New York to the studios of ABC News where eventually they taped an interview followed by "Twenty Flight Rock". The Quarrymen didn't manage to get away from the studio until 1 am, but their tape was not due to be shown until 4 am. Fortunately they found a bar off Broadway which sold Murphy's and so they were able to last out until the tape was finally broadcast!

Quarrymen at Avalon Theatre, Easton:
   Before leaving for their last gig in Maryland, Pete Shotton was asked to do an interview by Japanese National TV about John Lennon's drawings. Then they were off down the Jersey Turnpike to Easton and its beautiful little art-deco Avalon Theatre.
   The Quarrymen received a very hospitable welcome from the Avalon and its friends, who hosted a barbecue for them on the water's edge. Somehow they managed to fit in another couple of radio interviews before being driven to the theatre by a generous millionaire and his family in their 1933 Rolls Royce and black 1958 convertible Cadillac with white leather upholstery! (Vielen Danke, Johannes!)This beats a corporation double-decker any day!
   A very kind audience gave the Quarrymen a great reception and the concert went very well. A few drinks followed with the organisers and thanks go to theatre manager Ellen General and her staff and friends for a fantastic evening.
   Then next morning it was a long drive back to New York for the flight home

Dublin - Nov 1998

At the invitation of the Beatles Fanclub of Ireland, 35 years to the day on which the Beatles made their one and only appearance in Ireland the Original Quarrymen also took the stage at Dublin's historic Olympia Theatre. They received a great Irish welcome from the fans who packed out the theatre to hear them, together with their Irish namesake, the Quarrymen, who also played in their normal guise as "Beach".
   The night before the Quarrymen were invited to a mammoth Irish boozeup at a pub in the hills around Dublin, the Guinness flowed like Guinness and the old tonsils were well and truly lubricated. They just staggered out of bed on the Saturday morning in time to pile into a friendly Rolls Royce to visit the RTE studios where Rod Davis and Beatles "Mr Fixit" Alastair Taylor were interviewed. Later that day the band made an appearance on Life FM where Pete Shotton spoke about his trip to Dornish Island with John and Yoko to listen to the tape of the "White Album". Piled into the tiny studio the band then played an acoustic version of "Twenty Flight Rock".
   During the Saturday afternoon there was a Memorabilia Fair in a local hostelry which included a Quarrymen question and answer session at which RTE TV and Ulster TV were both present.
   After the evening concert the partying continued for the fans to live bands to the accompaniment of the local brew. Or maybe it was more like the fans continued to drink the local brew to the accompaniment of several live bands! Anyway the effect was the same, a great Irish party night and a chance for the Quarrymen to meet many new friends.
   Our thanks go to the Beatles Ireland Fanclub and especially Pete Brennan for all his hard work. We're looking forward to a return trip!

Havana, Cuba - Nov 1998

The Quarrymen made the long trip to Havana for the Third Cuban Beatles Coloquio at the end of November. Sponsored by Havanatour, Castrol, Cubanacan and the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba who issued the official invitation, the convention was held at the International Press Centre in Havana.
   The Quarrymen were very pleasantly surprised to find how keen and knowledgeable the Cuban Beatles fans were, but we have to admit they do take their conventions a bit more seriously than elsewhere! The opening cocktail party revealed the first of many excellent Cuban bands and proved our introduction to Cuban Rum!
   The Convention was opened by Michael White, the Cultural Attaché of the British Embassy in Havana and Director of the British Council in Cuba, himself a Beatle fan of many years' standing.
   The convention continued with the presentation of papers on such subjects as "The Beatles and Ecology", "The Beatles and Drugs" and even "The Beatles and Sex"! Each paper was followed by a discussion with passionate and heated debate from the floor! English writer Hunter Davies gave a fascinating insight into the writing of his official biography of the Beatles, published in 1968. The convention also included a presentation by rock journalist Peter Shaw and the President of the Organising Committee, Ernesto Juan Castellanos on other Beatles Conventions around the world. A number of Beatles videos were also enjoyed by the fans.
   In between the Quarrymen had managed to visit Havana and take in the sights, including the beautiful castles and buildings of the Old Town and enjoyed the spectacle of the many old American cars which are still in use in Cuba. They were careful not to miss the spectacular Cuban floorshows in the Hotel Nacional where they stayed and at the Cecilia nightclub!
   The highlight of the Coloquio was the Sunday night concert at the Teatro America. In respect for the historic sequence, the Quarrymen opened the show to an audience of almost 1500 Beatle fans who went wild at the sound of their 1957 Skiffle and Rock 'n' Roll. The Quarrymen played a 40 minute set of their favourite numbers before giving way to a succession of Cuban bands ranging from an all-acoustic trio with superb harmonies to a heavy metal version of "Ticket to Ride"! The audience were madly appreciative and the massed "Hey Jude" crowned the evening's entertainment.
   After the concert The Quarrymen and their Cuban hosts went off to an impromptu party which started off rather subdued but quickly got into gear. It soon developed into crazy boogying, singing and playing, the neighbours must have all been stone deaf!
   On the Monday we all went to the coast at Varadero, with the exception of Pete Shotton who stayed on in Havana. The white sands and the waves of the Caribbean and the 80 degree sunshine went by all too quickly as Pete, Colin and Rod had to leave by the Tuesday. Eric and Len however stayed on a few more days and were invited to play in an open-air concert in Varadero with some Cuban bands, a great experience for them.
   Unfortunately and all too soon, we were back in the sub-zero temperatures of the UK. Our thanks to our Cuban hosts and the Coloquio sponsors for a memorable visit. Still, we have loads of video and dozens of photographs to keep us going until next time, not to mention the odd bottle of Rum and the occasional cigar

Chicago Beatlefest Aug 1998

In August the Quarrymen topped the bill at the Chicago Beatlefest, which enjoyed one of the biggest ever Beatlefest attendances of all
time. more than 10,000 fans visited the Convention over the weekend

The Quarrymen met up with old pal Martin Lewis, still wearing his famous winklepickers, who interviewed them in his usual “no holds barred” combative style, to the delight of the audience. The Quarrymen played their 1950’s style skiffle and Rock ‘n’ roll on several concerts during the weekend, giving the assembled Beatles fans a glimpse of the music which influenced John and Paul so much, together with occasional flashes of Scouse humour.
There was even a raffle competition, with the prize of “Lunch with the Quarrymen”. However the “lucky” (???) winners failed to turn up, maybe someone had warned them about the Quarrymen’s disgusting table manners, and so Rod Davis had to each three shares of lunch, which he managed quite effortlessly, to the horror of the rest of the band.
It was a fantastic weekend and thanks go to Mark and Carol Lapidos for their great organisation, to all the great Beatles fans we met in Chicago and especially to Amy and Stacy for all their help.

John Lennon’s
Original Quarrymen