Liddypool: Birthplace of The Beatles

When it comes to the Beatles’ history, Liverpool lore is a bit like Hollywood: the legend seems to be told and printed more often than the truth.

Liverpudlian and Beatles historian David Bedford has penned an entertaining and informative new book on the Beatles that will not only give readers a glimpse of the real Liverpool, but hopes to separate fact from fiction.

Growing up in post-1960s Liverpool – or “Liddypool” as John Lennon renamed it – one cannot avoid The Beatles. They are “Here, There and Everywhere.” Much to Bedford's dismay authors were writing about The Beatles’ hometown, and getting their facts wrong.

“To understand The Beatles, you have to understand Liverpool,” says Bedford, who spent nearly a decade compiling Liddypool: Birthplace of the Beatles (Dalton Watson Fine Books, Ltd). “Most authors who have written about the Beatles write about Liverpool from their computers in another country. All of my research was done the old-fashioned way – by visiting sites, talking to eyewitnesses, collecting stories from friends and acquaintances, and viewing hundreds of documents and previously unseen photographs.”

Former Beatles drummer Pete Best, who wrote the foreword to Liddypool, certainly believes Liddypool is the definitive book on his hometown.

“Without going into too much detail because that would spoil it for when you read the book, I found it to be different in layout, ideas and topics, and, before I forget, here is an author that isn’t afraid to express his own views and theories and blow some fresh air into early Beatles history. Having been a Beatle for two years and not professing to be a Beatle historian, to me this book is totally enlightening.”

Liddypool is the first major book to concentrate solely on The Beatles and Liverpool, covering their rise from childhood in the 1940s and obscurity to their triumphant civic reception at Liverpool Town Hall on 10th July 1964, when the city said goodbye to the Fab Four, their favorite sons, and shared with the world the most famous quartet in the universe.

Bedford uses local knowledge and eyewitness testimony to chart every band member and name-change and lineup, from The Black Jacks to The Beatles: the story of the “Fab 27”.

• Were they really John, Paul, George, Stuart and Norman? • Who was Ken Brown, and why was he such an integral part of this story?
• Who changed the course of Beatles folklore because she won on the horses? Over the course of a decade, Bedford has tracked down every birthplace, home, school and music venue across Liverpool and Merseyside relating to every musician from The Quarrymen to The Beatles. If you want to know which schools John Lennon attended, find all seven of Paul McCartney’s childhood homes, where George Harrison made his musical debut, why Ringo missed out on so much schooling, where Stuart Sutcliffe lived and why Pete Best’s cellar became the focal point for Merseybeat music, then this comprehensive book answers all these questions and more. It is Liverpool in a book.

Whether you are a fan, a fanatic or a “fanorak”, this book is:
• A history book – the history of Liverpool, plus a chronological long and winding road through the life of John, Paul, George, Stuart, Pete, Ringo, Brian Epstein, The Quarrymen and many more. Bedford has interviewed; Pete Best, Allan Williams, The Quarrymen, Bill Harry, Alistair Taylor, Ken Brown, Julia Baird and many more, to get first-hand, eyewitness accounts. Their stories are told here, as well as those of friends and family, together with 800 historical and rare images, some never published before, including up-to-date colour photographs and descriptions for the reader to discover.
• A reference book – search by date, song, venue, geography or favourite Beatle to find out facts, such as; what happened when John met Paul; what the song “Penny Lane” is really about; where The Quarrymen cut their first record.
• A guide book – Bedford provides maps and directions for every suburb within Merseyside connected with The Beatles. You can follow walking tours around Liverpool City Centre, the Dingle, the Penny Lane area, Wavertree, Childwall and Woolton with information and photographs about The Beatles. Discover and explore 59 homes, 24 schools and 103 venues. Locate Strawberry Fields, Mendips, Forthlin Road, The Cavern, The Casbah and Penny Lane, and some of the more obscure venues like the Barnston Women’s Institute and the Liverpool Corporation Passenger Transport Employees Social & Athletic Club, with ease.

DAVID BEDFORD is a life-long Beatles fan who grew up in the Dingle, Liverpool, at the bottom of the street where Ringo Starr was born; attended the same school as the famous drummer – though many years later – and has been involved as a parent and governor at Dovedale School, where John Lennon and George Harrison attended; he has lived by Penny Lane for 20 years. Bedford is also a feature writer for The British Beatles Fan Club since 2000. He has been interviewed on BBC Radio and several national British newspapers about his knowledge of the Beatles. He was most recently chosen by Paul McCartney’s production team to lead and direct the film crew around McCartney’s childhood haunts for the pre-show film on his Back in the World tour.

What others are saying about Liddypool: Birthplace of The Beatles:

“The depth of David Bedford's research is unprecedented. This is a fascinating, valuable and devoted piece of detective work which will appeal to any fan of the Beatles.” Janine Ross, Marketing Manager, The Beatles Story Ltd.

“It's great to see a book from an author who is trying to sieve his way through all the various myths, legends and half-truths and paint a realistic picture of what really happened.
Rod Davis, The Quarrymen

“David has always been a stickler for detail and passionate for facts. If I needed to know some obscure piece of information relating to The Beatles or Liverpool I knew I could rely on him to provide the answer. With the publication of this book, all the information I could require is now handily available within these pages!"
Pete Nash, Editor: British Beatles Fan Club

Pete Best on the Polydor Recording Sessions

"The Polydor recording session was weird, to be quite honest. You have to imagine that we hadn't recorded before, and when Bert Kaempfert signed us up to back Tony Sheridan--and also to record in our own right--we were expecting to go into a recording studio. You know, this was Bert Kaempfert--"Wonderland by Night" and "That Happy Feeling"--the big A&R manager in Germany. We actually ended up in a school hall in Hamburg. This absolutely amazed us. It wasn't even a proper studio. So we set up on the stage in the school hall. All the sound equipment was backstage and we took sound levels, then Kaempfert came along and did the sound checks. He turned around and said, 'Okay, play the number through.' So we ran through 'My Bonnie,' the levels were taken, and we played another piece through. Basically, it was like two or three takes, and booomp, it was in the can.

"We were excited. Don't get me wrong. Some people said, 'Here you are, the lads from Liverpool, recording with Polydor Records. You've made it!' We had gotten a contract and all the rest of it, but it was a case of the surroundings being different from what we had anticipated. It worked out great, though. The sound was good, even on those early recordings. There were two sessions that actually took place. One was in the school hall. Then we went back later and did one in the studio--"Sweet Georgia Brown"--with Tony. Most of the material that was done on those sessions has come out on Polydor and all the American affiliates. And, of course, we don't get any of the royalties. All we did was sign a contract and got sessionman fees, which were about 200 marks in those days. That was it! Royalties might have gone to Tony, but not to us."