On our way to work - early 1968
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By Mike Hardy
1st January 1968 - 31st March 1968
Through 1967 and 1968 I was managing a night club in Liverpool. Down past the Victoria Monument at the top of Lord Street, The Establishment was in Mercer Court where the Law Courts now stand. It was a smallsih club with two bars and a small restaurant downstairs. The upstairs bar had a small dance floor with a juke box. The larger downstairs bar had a posher dance floor lit from below in coloured lights - very tasteful! There was a small stage and I used to book live acts at the weekends to perform there. This was the Swinging Sixties and in Liverpool, even in a small club like this the talent was terrific.
I think the most well known group I remember booking would probably have been the Spencer Davis Group who had Top 10 hits with "Keep on Runnin'" and "Gimme some Lovin'". Norma was a croupier at the time, working for a London boss who moved his staff around from club to club every night - supposedly to stop collusion with the club owners. You can see that in this case it didn't work!
Norma gave up this job and started working in The Establishment with me, looking glamorous and encouraging the punters to spend their money (Norma, that is. I don't do glamorous).
This particular evening, a Friday or Saturday probably judging by the dickie bow, we had called in on a pal - Alan Gunderson - who was a photogtapher and photo retouching artist and he took two photos. I have always thought that Norma has a real resemblance to Audrey Hepburn in them.
By the way, talking of musical talent, Norma's brother Norman was drummer in the Swinging Blue Jeans who were way too expensive for me to book and flying in the Premier League! I'm sure not many people are aware that the Blue Jeans were well established in the early 60's and in fact Tuesday night at the Cavern was "Blue Jeans Night". Believe it or not, the Beatles (you've heard of them?) got their first Cavern appearance at one of these Tuesday nights as guests of the Blue Jeans! We still have a poster to prove it.
Happy Happy Days!!!!!
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We would have signed you up as a member to The Establishment and you would have then got in free. You were supposed to be officially proposed, seconded etc and then wait for 24 hours before your membership became active but I'm afraid we just backdated the application so you could come in right away.
I can't remember what we charged non-members except that the entrance fee increased if we had a good group booked.
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By Lynda Nicholson on 22 September 2007 at 22:53
I remember on a visit to Liverpool to stay with family in 1968 my cousin taking me and some of her friends out with the intention of going into the Cavern Club, but as it cost 5 shillings to get in we did not go in as she said it was too expensive!!