29 AUGUST, 1959: CASBAH COFFEE CLUB, WEST DERBY, LIVERPOOL
The grand opening of the Casbah, a teen club in the basement of drummer Pete Best’s house and the first of many engagements there for the Quarry Men and later, the Beatles.
MID-OCTOBER, 1959: EMPIRE THEATRE, LIVERPOOL
A second attempt at gaining a spot on Carroll Levis’ Discoveries TV show. John, Paul and George played “Think It Over” (Holly) and “It’s So Easy” (Holly). They made it to the next round of auditions!
LATE OCTOBER, 1959: EMPIRE THEATRE, LIVERPOOL
The Quarry Men sang their way through round two and qualified for the semifinals. Only one more audition stood in the way of their fame and fortune.
15 NOVEMBER, 1959: HIPPODROME THEATRE, MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE
On the way to their first public appearance outside of the Mersey area, the trio changed its name to Jonny and the Moondogs. They got their final shot at Discoveries early in the evening. The performance went well, but it so happened that the final judging, based on the audience’s reaction as each performer stepped onstage, was to take place late that night - after the last train back to Liverpool. The three poverty stricken musicians didn’t have enough money between them for a night’s accommodation. They returned home and never knew whether they would have passed or failed the audition.