The historic site of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best’s first performance as The Beatles is set to be honoured with a commemorative plaque from World Origin Site on Friday 23rd August.
The Jacaranda is a renowned music venue in Liverpool, closely associated with the rise of the Merseybeat phenomenon in the 1960s. Opened by The Beatles' first manager, Allan Williams, in 1958. It played a key role in launching the band's early careers and provided a stage for local acts like Gerry and the Pacemakers & Rory Storm and The Hurricanes.
Local promoter and businessman Allan Williams opened The Jacaranda in September 1958 in a former watch-repair shop at 21 Slater Street, Liverpool. The venue attracted a youthful clientele by offering one of the city's first espresso machines, an American style jukebox, and live music.He named the venue The Jacaranda, after an exotic species of ornamental flowering tree, Jacaranda mimosifolia.
Among those who became regulars at The Jacaranda were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Stuart Sutcliffe, who approached Allan Williams for a chance to rehearse and perform at the venue. As part of the deal, the future Beatles were allowed to use the basement as a rehearsal studio during the day in return for redecorating the performance space. The restored murals by Sutcliffe and Lennon can still be seen there today.
The Jacaranda became a key base for the band. It was there that Lennon wrote one of his earliest songs, One After 909, with the group playing several performances as The Silver Beetles and also using the venue to audition drummers including Pete Best. Leaving the club in a van driven by Lord Woodbine and Williams for a career-defining first tour of Hamburg in 1961, it was also the venue where the act first announced changing its name to The Beatles.
Even after the relationship with Williams ended, The Beatles recruited the drummer of Jacaranda regulars Rory Storm and the Hurricanes' - soon to be known as Ringo Starr - to replace Pete Best.
In August 1960 at The Jacaranda on Slater Street in Liverpool, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison played alongside Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best for their first performance under the name that was to make musical history, The Beatles.
Today, while still embracing its Beatles heritage, The Jacaranda thrives as more than a simple tourist spot. It hosts live music every night, serving as a vital hub for grassroots performances and sustaining Liverpool’s musical heritage and future.
The location of this historic performance has long been acknowledged by dedicated fans and music historians.
Tourists in Liverpool and visitors to Slater Street will soon be able to take a photo in front of the place where The Beatles truly began. On August 23rd, a unique World Origin Site plaque will be unveiled on the exterior of the iconic Jacaranda Club.
World Origin Site places plaques at pivotal locations where groundbreaking events shaped the modern world. Among its accredited sites are landmarks such as the first rocket launch, the Wright brothers’ inaugural powered flight, and the discovery of penicillin. The plaque at The Jacaranda marking The Beatles’ first performance will proudly join this esteemed company.
The unveiling ceremony will take place on Friday August 23, 2024, at The Jacaranda. The event, which starts at 17:00, will be a large celebration with activities on all three floors, featuring live music, big surprise, and the unveiling itself expected around 18:00.
Martin Wilkie, Director of World Origin Site:
“We are here to help venues, museums and companies focus on the people, places and moments that have helped to make our modern world. We started by highlighting the laboratory in which Fleming discovered Penicillin, Kitty Hawk where the Wright Brothers proved man could fly and even The Isle of Wight where Marconi built the world’s first radio station. Without these discoveries and inventions the world might not have ever had The Beatles!’
Graham Stanley, Director of The Jacaranda:
“We have always been proud of our Beatles heritage, but we haven’t had a clear way to explain it until now. Being awarded World Origin Site status is an amazing privilege for us. It probably wasn’t a big gig for the band; their name and reputation were really made during the Hamburg tour which began just days later. But our venue is where they adopted the most famous band name in history.”
Diane Glover, Marketing Manager at The Beatles Story:
“Liverpool’s leading Beatles’ attraction, The Beatles Story are thrilled that the birthplace of Merseybeat, the legendary Jacaranda, is getting its due recognition with a green plaque. This hidden gem was where the band cut their teeth, and this award cements its place as a cornerstone of Liverpool’s musical heritage.”
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