I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. Had I not gotten a promotional email from the publishing company on February 8th, I doubt I would’ve been interested in this book. So, good job to the marketing team for a getting my attention.
Even though I know a lot about music from the 1960’s (with The Beatles being my favorite), I have never heard of the Liverbirds.
The book is told from the points of view of Mary McGlory, the guitar player and Sylvia Saunders, the drummer. The other two original members, Val Birch and Pam Gell passed away, but Mary and Sylvia talk about them a lot!
How awesome is it that Mary McGlory in 1962, then age 16, saw The Beatles play live at The Cavern Club in Liverpool and that made her want to be a musician.
Even though Mary and Sylvia didn’t know how to play, they learned and eventually the band got booked at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany and that booking was several years long. They met there spouses at the Star-Club, and when Sylvia became pregnant, she made a tough choice to leave the band. She was always close by as her husband was a musician.
It must be awesome and yet strange to become famous at such a young age, but they survived. They had kids, they had grandkids, and they had a few reunions as well.
I really enjoyed reading about them and all the stories they told, especially when they met The Beatles and at one early point, they chased down Brian Epstein as they wanted him to manage them.
