Liverpool, England in the 1960s - you were either in a band, or you wanted to be in one. Liverpool was a breeding ground for up-and-coming rock bands, home to big names like Gerry and the Pacemakers, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, and, of course, the Beatles, as well as thousands of smaller bands, like the Koobas. Remember them? Somewhere in the middle of these two extremes lies The Liverbirds (Lie-ver-birds). The Liverbirds were much like many other Liverpudlian rock bands in that they had four members, at least one with a mop-top, and gained a relative amount of success. Although, there was one thing that made them stand out from all the rest, for they were Great Britain's first all-female rock band.
In 1962, the Beatles were making waves playing at The Cavern Club, amassing enormous crowds. Among this crowd was sixteen-year-old Mary McGlory, who was utterly dazzled by their performance and how easy they had made it seem. Over the next few weeks, Mary made the ambitious decision to start a band with her friend and two cousins. They scrounged up their pennies, bought themselves guitars and a drum kit, and came up with the perfect name: The Squaws. They were ecstatic, and they could not wait to get started, for, surely, they would be the next Beatles. As they sat down and picked up their guitars, eager to play, they realized one crucial thing - none of them could play a lick. And so, The Squaws were no more - not, however, before they got an article published in The Mersey Beat about them.
It wasn't long before a knock came on Mary’s front door, “We’re looking for Mary,” they said. Outside stood two raven-haired girls by the names of Valerie Gell and Sylvia Saunders. “Can we speak to her? We believe she’s got a band.” Ultimately, Mary was forced to explain that she had had a band, yes, but it had fallen apart because they couldn't play. “But you’ve got the instruments? I’ll teach you to play.”
Valerie, or Val as she was often known, happened to be a talented musician who would eventually teach the girls to play while Sylvia took drum lessons. They practiced religiously, working tirelessly every night until they became a solid band - until Mary’s cousin quit. Luckily, in what seemed like an act of fate, the girls met Pam Birch around the same time. Pam was a singer, guitarist, and the final piece in the Liverbirds’ puzzle - they eventually came up with the name as an homage to the emblem of Liverpool.
In 1963, the girls would be invited to meet The Beatles, where John Lennon promptly told them, with his trademark Lennon attitude, “Girls don’t play guitars.” That was the moment in which The Liverbirds decided they would show him, and anyone else, how great they could be.
They began touring England for seven pounds a week, playing with bands like The Kinks and The Rolling Stones. Suddenly, however, England wasn’t where musicians wanted to be, it was Hamburg they were after. The Liverbirds were not immune to the Hamburg bug. They wanted to go to Hamburg so badly that they hired, and promptly fired, Brian Epstein as their manager. Soon enough, they were singing their hit single, “Peanut Butter,” on live television in Germany, eventually touring all over Europe. They quickly amassed giant crowds and even played with acts like Jimi Hendricks, garnering fans all over Europe. The Liverbirds had found success and were enjoying every moment of it.
In 1967, however, Sylvia became pregnant and ultimately decided to leave the band. In ‘68, Val would leave the band, as well, to care for her German boyfriend and, later, husband. He had been in a car accident on his way to see the band on the night of his 18th birthday, paralyzing him from the neck down. Mary and Pam would continue with the band, even going to Japan, but, eventually, they decided to disband The Liverbirds.
They would not return to England, however. Mary wed German songwriter Frank Dostal, and together they continue to run a music publishing company in Hamburg. Sylvia married, as well, and eventually gave birth to her first son. They were the fortunate two.
Val cared for her husband for twenty-six years until he passed away, but doing so took its toll on Val in the form of alcoholism. After her husband's passing, she moved back to Hamburg, eventually realizing she preferred women. She spent the rest of her life happily with her partner, Susann, before passing away at 71.
Pam, struggling with the end of the band, became heavily addicted to cocaine and alcohol and eventually developed Lung Cancer, passing away at 65.
Despite its sad ending, The Liverbirds were a sensation that turned the world of rock and roll on its head, opening it up to women, and young women, at that. Each member was only in their early twenties when the band split, amassing much of their fame as teenagers. Their awe-inspiring story eventually became the plot of a musical entitled Girls Don't Play Guitars.
The Liverbirds were four fierce, headstrong, and admirable women who proved everyone wrong with their success and created one of the most rock and roll stories of all time. Their determination and unbreakable bond created something truly beautiful that should not be forgotten any time soon.
"We never ever got as famous as The Beatles. But we started as friends, and we ended as friends."
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