40th Anniversary of The Cavern Club
12 noon onwards, Thursday, 16th January 1997

The Directors of the Cavern Club warmly welcome VIPs, friends, families, valued business associates and customers to a party to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the opening of The Cavern Club, the most famous club in the world.
As owners of the club and organisers of the Mathew Street Festival, with experience of booking hundreds of bands, it was a difficult task to pick a dozen or so to try to reflect the changing musical tastes and influences that have shaped The Cavern Club over the last 40 years. Today you will be able to trace the earliest roots of the club with jazz sessions by original members of The Wall City Jazz Band, The Merseysippi Jazz Band and The Ralph Watmough Band, who remarkably were the three bands who opened up THE CAVERN CLUB 40 years ago today!!! With a fusion of skiffle, the club helped to fashion a new sound and we are proud to have Karl Terry and the Cruisers, Johnny Guitar and Geoff Nugent from The Undertakers, who were amongst the earliest exponents of what became known as Merseybeat.
The ‘60s and ’70s are represented by special reunions of the Hideaways and The Klubs, who played The Cavern more times than any other bands (with nearly 600 performances between them).
Today’s scene is reflected by The Cavern house band ‘Up and Running’, long since the region’s favourite band, who will showcase their new album scheduled for release before Easter, and Native Instinct who are The Cavern Club’s ‘tip for the top’.  Friends Professor Burlesque, Status Quid, Dark Horses, Ringer and Persuader, together with Marshall’s House Band ‘Emperor’, help to complete what is, we feel, a very special line up.
Eat, drink, dance and be merry as Liverpool’s finest talent takes the stage of The Most Famous Club in the World.
Happy Birthday, Cavern!

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