Mersey Sound
Created | Updated Feb 21, 2007
Mersey Sound.
The name the British media gave to the music of Liverpool in 1963 following the success of the Beatles and other Mersey artists. It was also referred to as the Liverpool Sound. There were over 500 groups and artists performing on Merseyside immediately following the Skiffle and Trad Jazz booms. They played in cellar clubs, dance halls, youth clubs, church halls, town halls, ice rinks, swimming baths and cinemas. Famous venues included the Cavern, the Iron Door, the Mardi Gras, Tower Ballroom, Litherland Town Hall, Aintree Institute and the Casbah.
Generally, the term ‘Mersey Sound’ was considered to be the basic Beatles-style line up of three guitars (lead, rhythm, bass) and drums.
However, the Mersey scene was far more diverse, there were folk groups (the Spinners were Britain’s leading folk outfit of the Sixties), Country Music groups (they had their own clubs, their own annual Grand Ole Opry, a Country Music Association and groups such as the Hillsiders who were to appear at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and record with several Country stars), Black vocal groups (the most famous were the Chants, who the Beatles once backed – members of the Chants were to appear in the Real Thing, who were to top the British charts), solo singers (Johnny Sandon, Steve Aldo, Lee Curtis) female rock bands and vocalists (the Liver Birds, Beryl Marsden, Cilla Black etc) and Britain’s leading Christian group the Crossbeats also came from Liverpool.
The most successful chart acts were part of manager Brian Epstein’s stable: the Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers, the Fourmost, Cilla Black, Billy J. Kramer and the Big Three. Other chart acts included the Searchers, the Swinging Bluejeans, the Mojos and the Merseybeats, while a number of really talented acts never quite made the grade: Kingsize Taylor & the Dominoes, the Undertakers, Rory Storm & the Hurricanes, the Escorts, Howie Casey & the Seniors.
A note of trivia: the Beatles name was inspired by Buddy Holly’s backing group, the Crickets (they wanted a similar name and thought of insects – beetles!), Gerry’s group got their name when he heard the phrase ‘Pacemaker’ on television; Cilla’s name came about by an error in the publication Mersey Beat and the Merseybeats also asked the newspaper in they could name themselves after it. The Searchers name came from the John Wayne movie, John Lennon added the ‘J’ to Billy Kramer’s name (it stood for his son Julian) and the Fourmost were originally called the Four Jays but had to change it because there was a London group with the same name.
Surprisingly, numerous record compilations claiming to be the Mersey Sound, include artists who weren’t from Merseyside including Freddie & the Dreamers, the Hollies, Manfred Mann, Herman’s Hermits and others
The name the British media gave to the music of Liverpool in 1963 following the success of the Beatles and other Mersey artists. It was also referred to as the Liverpool Sound. There were over 500 groups and artists performing on Merseyside immediately following the Skiffle and Trad Jazz booms. They played in cellar clubs, dance halls, youth clubs, church halls, town halls, ice rinks, swimming baths and cinemas. Famous venues included the Cavern, the Iron Door, the Mardi Gras, Tower Ballroom, Litherland Town Hall, Aintree Institute and the Casbah.
Generally, the term ‘Mersey Sound’ was considered to be the basic Beatles-style line up of three guitars (lead, rhythm, bass) and drums.
However, the Mersey scene was far more diverse, there were folk groups (the Spinners were Britain’s leading folk outfit of the Sixties), Country Music groups (they had their own clubs, their own annual Grand Ole Opry, a Country Music Association and groups such as the Hillsiders who were to appear at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and record with several Country stars), Black vocal groups (the most famous were the Chants, who the Beatles once backed – members of the Chants were to appear in the Real Thing, who were to top the British charts), solo singers (Johnny Sandon, Steve Aldo, Lee Curtis) female rock bands and vocalists (the Liver Birds, Beryl Marsden, Cilla Black etc) and Britain’s leading Christian group the Crossbeats also came from Liverpool.
The most successful chart acts were part of manager Brian Epstein’s stable: the Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers, the Fourmost, Cilla Black, Billy J. Kramer and the Big Three. Other chart acts included the Searchers, the Swinging Bluejeans, the Mojos and the Merseybeats, while a number of really talented acts never quite made the grade: Kingsize Taylor & the Dominoes, the Undertakers, Rory Storm & the Hurricanes, the Escorts, Howie Casey & the Seniors.
A note of trivia: the Beatles name was inspired by Buddy Holly’s backing group, the Crickets (they wanted a similar name and thought of insects – beetles!), Gerry’s group got their name when he heard the phrase ‘Pacemaker’ on television; Cilla’s name came about by an error in the publication Mersey Beat and the Merseybeats also asked the newspaper in they could name themselves after it. The Searchers name came from the John Wayne movie, John Lennon added the ‘J’ to Billy Kramer’s name (it stood for his son Julian) and the Fourmost were originally called the Four Jays but had to change it because there was a London group with the same name.
Surprisingly, numerous record compilations claiming to be the Mersey Sound, include artists who weren’t from Merseyside including Freddie & the Dreamers, the Hollies, Manfred Mann, Herman’s Hermits and others
