The Cavern

The Cavern Club opened in Mathew Street on Wednesday 16th January 1957. Its policy was to put Liverpool on the map as having the leading jazz cellar in the country, outside of London. Opened and owned by ALAN SYTNER it was named after the Parisienne Jazz Club "Le Caveau."

The opening act on that first night was the Merseysippi Jazz Band and over the next three years many of the great names of British jazz performed on the same stage. During that period the club became a focal point for jazz enthusiasts. However, although it attracted the big names the limited capacity of the club meant profits were not great.

By 1959 Alan Sytner had sold the club to Ray McFall, who continued to maintain it as a leading jazz venue, however, the days of jazz at the club were numbered.

The opening of the Cavern had coincided with the skiffle craze. Skiffle was an improvised form of jazz and the hillbilly sound that was popularised in Britain during the early 50s was produced with rudimentary instruments such as guitars, washboard, jug and packing case single string bass.

The release of Rock Island Line in 1956 sung by Lonnie Donegan created a boom in skiffle that sent shock waves through teenage Britain. Nowhere was the craze more evident than in Liverpool. Although skiffle disappeared as quickly as it started, the Cavern had provided the perfect setting. The sheer simplicity of skiffle had given many budding teenage musicians the ability and confidence to perform, however rock ‘n’ roll became the driving force behind their development.