Camera -You will not want to be without your camera for this lovely location. With many historical monuments, a breathtaking waterfront and historical locations you will want to capture it all. Remember plenty of batteries for your camera and snap away!

Rain Gear – Liverpool gets plenty of rain year round that is for sure. You will want to think of water proof shoes, an umbrella and maybe a raincoat. Also think about the bag that you will be carrying and making sure it too is rain resistant. You may want to bring an extra pair of shoes just in case the ones you have get wet.

Walking Shoes  – You will want to bring adequate walking shoes because you will be doing plenty of walking. Most of the city is easily accessible by foot and you will want to make sure that your feet are comfortable.

Layers – This area can get quite cool, especially in the evening. A sweater, jacket, pants, and a scarf are a good idea. Being prepared for cool and cold temperatures will ensure you a comfortable day of sightseeing.

Bring a Friend – Liverpool is a really fun place and bringing along someone to enjoy the experience with is a great idea. There are lots of sightseeing and plenty of entertainment in this city. Having a mate to enjoy it with will add to the treasured memories you are sure to make on your trip.

John, Paul, George & Ringo’s Childhoods

Ringo Starr was born Richard Starkey on July 7, 1940. Like all of The Beatles he was born in Liverpool. His childhood was marred by a series of illnesses which caused him to fall behind in school. He came up with the stage name “Ringo Starr” in the late 1950s.

John Lennon was born on October 9, 1940. He grew up with his aunt & uncle. His father left when he was 5 years old and his mother Julia was tragically killed in accident when he was 17.

Paul McCartney was born on June 18, 1942. Like John, his mother died when he was a teenager. Paul was just 14 when his mother Mary died during a mastectomy operation intended to stop the spread of breast cancer.

George Harrison was born on February 25, 1943.

George & Paul first met each other in 1954 and became friends.

John Lennon’s Skiffle Band

The Beatles history started in March of 1957 when a 16 year old Lennon formed a skiffle group with some of his friends from Quarry Bank High School. This high school is now known as Calderstones School and can be seen below:

At first this band of teenagers called themselves The Blackjacks. This name didn’t last long as they discovered that a local band was already named The Blackjacks. On this discovery Lennon renamed the band The Quarrymen after Quarry Bank where all the band members went to school.

What is Skiffle?

Skiffle is a type of folk & blues music which makes use of mostly homemade instruments such as jugs, washboards, cigar box fiddles, and tea chest basses along with guitars & banjos.

Skiffle’s origins are in the African-American musical culture of the 1920s with the term first appearing in print in 1925 with a band called Jimmy O’Bryant and his Chicago Skifflers. It pretty much disappeared by the 1940s and would likely be even more obscure than it already if wasn’t for the 1950s skiffle revival in the UK.

There was a skiffle craze in Britain in the late 1950s as young people were drawn to the music which didn’t require expensive instruments they couldn’t afford to buy and which was also relatively easy to learn how to play.

John Lennon and his friends were among those young people drawn to this style of music  (with Lonnie Donegan being the most famous artist of the genre.)

They didn’t all know each other yet but Paul, George, & Ringo were also into skiffle during this time. Ringo was in a skiffle band in 1957 as well. Ringo started his group with a friend named Eddie Miles and it was called the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group.

But the skiffle craze didn’t last all that long as most people moved onto other styles of music rather quickly. In fact I think that most people who know about it today know about it mostly because of their interest in the early history of The Beatles. Personally, I had never heard of it until I watched The Beatles Anthology documentary.

If you’re interested in learning more about the history of skiffle, you should check out this book.

John Meets Paul

The day John Lennon first met Paul McCartney is considered so momentus in the history of popular music that someone wrote a book with this single day being the entire subject.

It was July 6, 1957.

Books on The Beatles

Movies about The Beatles