I caught up with Tex O'Hara at his sisters house in Liverpool.
He spoke to me in great detail about the techniques he used to design it, and about the concert itself.
Tex O'Hara designed many of the early Beatles posters.
His brother Brian O'Hara was lead guitarist in the Fourmost, who were in The Brian Epstein stable of Merseybeat groups. They played many times at The Cavern in Mathew Street Liverpool, England. And in the 60's they had a big hit with a John Lennon penned song, Hello Little Girl. And many others.
They had a residency, that lasted for over a year at The London Palladium.
Brian Epstein would employ Tex to produce the posters that promoted many of his concerts.
Though he was not too happy when he spelt The Beetles incorrectly on one poster.
That poster is now worth a lot of money. Tex O'Hara designed the first Beatles Drum Logo.
The 'Thank Your Lucky Stars' Concert at The Tower Ballroom took place on 17th May 1962.
Many of the Merseybeat groups would be there to pay homage to The Big Bopper.
Appearing with
JERRY LEE LEWIS were The Echoes, BILLY KRAMER and the Coasters, LEE
CASTLE and the Barons, THE BIG THREE, THE PRESSMEN, THE UNDERTAKERS,
THE STRANGERS, VINCENT EARL and the Zeros, KINGSIZE TAYLOR and the
Dominoes, STEVE DAY and the Drifters, and RIP VAN WINKLE and The Rip
It Ups.
Tex tells me about Rory Storm being manhandled off The Killer's White Piano and how Jerry Lee Lewis from The Deep South who had just married his 13 year old bride was welcomed to The Wild West of Merseyside.
I got him to sign the poster. YOU CANT GET BETTER PROVANENCE THAN THAT.
Watch the video below for more information about this historic event.
I had Ferried across the Mersey and I
was living in Willaston Mill, a 80 ft Windmill in South Wirral for a
while.
A lady with her daughter stopped me to
ask some information about the historic Grade II listed structure. It
was a rainy day and I asked if they would like to come in and have a
look inside.
The young lady was doing a project at school and she had
chosen my property, to write about, so I was of course quite
honoured. “Hang on” I said “Let me get you some more of the
history”. They told me that they lived across the meadow in Mill
Lane. I went and got her a folder and asked if she could return it
when she had taken all the information that they needed.
I carried on my merry way and almost
forgot about it. I had been restoring the Mill for some time and
there seemed to be people there everyday. Man, it was tough going,
but I had a good team of lads who knew what they were doing.
It took a lot of concentration.
This day was no exception there were
six guys on site. The double entrance doors to the conicle shaped
brick structure were open and I saw a couple walk in and I went to
greet them as there was machinery and tools everywhere. I hardly
recognised the lady who told me she had brought me the documents back
and thanked me. The gentleman stood there awestruck at the twenty five foot high circular
room with its new staircases that I had built. I was proud of my work.
Fitting a spiral staircase in a circular and tapering room had proved
one of the hardest challenges I had undertaken.
“Come in” I said and they both
stood there staring open mouthed. Which was the usual for any
visitors. My guys working there were use to me showing people round.
Then the bloke caught the sight of my
Wurlitzer Lyric Jukebox and he was over like a shot staring at the
case at the titles of the records contained within.
Next thing Tommy Hicky the joiner who I
had served my apprenticeship with, and hated me reminding him of the
fact, walked over, with his saw still in hand.
Tommy was the worst timekeeper in the
world as he was a DJ by night doing many wedding events that went on
all night. We both loved music which is why we got on so well. I had
sacked him at least five times for his bad time keeping. But I always had him back.
If I added up the amount of pay I docked
from him it would be a small fortune.
This was the time when you had to
record records from the deck, to put them on a cassette for the car, and I often went through his
collections and 'put a tape together' in those prehistoric days. “Listen to
this he would say”.
"Yes I will have that"
He use to like the fact that I was
telling him about newer music, Bowie and Kraftwerk and the new groups coming along, Music was
changing when I worked with him.
He was Beatles mad and I once said to
him “Oh you like all that old fashioned stuff then” which seems a
mistake now.
So he hovered on this blokes shoulder
staring at him. He noticed Hicky out of the corner of his eye and as he
slowly turned Tommy' the Joiners eyes followed him as he peered back into the
juke box slightly perturbed.
“I know you from somewhere” Hicky
said, hanging on his shoulder.
“Oh yeah” the man said with his
pearly white grin and raised eyebrow
“I am trying to think, hang on it
will come to me in a minute” which seemed like an hour, as the man
stood there with his one eyebrow raised.
The rest of the guys had stopped work
and began to gather around wondering whats going on.
“No I definitely know
you”......waving his saw around. Then after some time his mind seemed to click.
“Where you a joiner for George Wimpey
on the Okell Drive site” he asked out loud.
His wife laughed, as did the man and
calmly and he paused, he said “I am Gerry Marsden”.
Tommy's mouth opened wide in shock.
“Oh Gerry.....I've got all your
records”
A howl of laughter went up and poor old
Tommy stood there nearly pulling Gerrys hand off, shaking it in
shock at the mistake he had made.
Gerry laughed his head off.
“No I didn't work on that site.
It was hilarious. Gerry Marsden hanging doors and putting partitions up on a building site?
All the lads
were shaking their heads with laughter after his 'Tom foolery' but finally it all calmed down and he thanked me for helping his
daughter. Still smiling as he left.
I only met him a few times after that.
He was always a gentleman.
Now, I remember bunking into the
Anfield Kop over the railings, from the Boys Pen and standing there with my scarf raised
singing You'll Never Walk Alone. The atmosphere was always electric.
I was there when Liverpool won the League and Shankly took his jacket
off to proudly proclaim he was wearing a red shirt. It was he, who,
in 1963 instructed a little known song from the film Carousel, to be
be played before every match.
How many times in defeat the deafening
chorus would lift the spirits. How many times it helped the team
play, and win in the final whistle blow. Even more in defeat the song
was as important. When You Walk Through A Storm Hold Your Head Up
High. Meant, it was alright, we will still follow you. We all lose
sometime. But there is always hope.
I wrote the whole song out and sent it
as a card to my ex girlfriend who lived in Willaston in the shadow of
the Mill, when she was diagnosed with cancer.
I thought it would make
her better.
It didn't.
Some people think this is just a
song. It's not. It's a feeling, its a spirit. It lifts you when you are
down. Gives you hope to carry on, through that storm. And no matter
how bad it is, there will always be a golden sky and the sweet silver
sound of a lark.
I have watched grown men crying, sobbing
like babies when singing it on the terraces.
One of them may have been
me.
The song has been sung by many. The
Frank Sinatra version is slow, but Gerry skipped it up. It was one of his three consecutive no 1's. It also sums up the
whole 1960's Merseybeat scene when Liverpool was the centre of the
Universe, and the aspirations of a whole city were shaken by its decline. It was hope.
It means
something, to everyone, be you a Liverpool supporter or an Evertonian. Its about
life. And death.
Bill Shankly who once said “Some people think
football is a matter of life and death. I can assure you its much more
important than that” knew what he was doing.
So every time we got knocked down as a city, when the tide of unemployment turned for the worse. When the Hillsborough
fight that lasted decades, the fight for justice was fought. This was the anthem of hope. At Istanbul his song inspired us to pluck victory out of defeat.
We all know that. We Will Never Walk
Alone. In Liverpool.
And Gerry Marsden is part of all our lives.
When I began to learn to play a Clarinet. One of the first songs I learnt was this great song. Then Ferry 'Cross The Mersey.
So now in this time of International
pandemic, with football matches without a crowd to sing, the lyrics of this song,
that Gerry sung, the words have never seemed more pertinent.
Gerry will be remembered not just at
every home match. And if his songs are in other peoples hearts like
they are in mine. Then he will never be forgotten.
So..........Don't let The Sun Catch You
Crying........Lets be glad and not sad.
That Gerry Marsden a lad from Toxteth walked along our path, and touched
our lives with such inspiration.
I wont forget him. But I have often wondered what he would have been like with a hammer in his hand?
