Beatlemania swept the world in the early 1960s, but at least some of it was by chance. John Lennon was 16 and leading his first band, the Quarrymen, when he met Paul McCartney, who was, even then, obviously immensely gifted. McCartney was only there because a mutual friend brought him along to the church where the Quarrymen were playing.
McCartney in turn introduced Lennon to his younger friend, George Harrison, who was also quite gifted.
The three of them were the core of the Beatles. The first drummer
was named Pete Best, and ultimately, everyone (except Best) agreed that they needed a better drummer to take things to the next level.
In Liverpool, in the 1950s and early 1960s, everyone knew that the best drummer played with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, but that band was bigger than the Beatles. But Ringo Starr was intrigued.
He admired the talent he saw, and felt like Rory Storm and the Hurricanes were creatively maxed out. Saying that he’d “rather starve with a better band,” Starr made a leap of faith and joined the Beatles in 1962. The Beatles found the perfect drummer for what they were doing, but it was a big loss for the Hurricanes, and local fans as well. Liverpudlians would go to shows and chant “Pete Best forever, Ringo never!”
They got over it soon enough, as the Beatles began their astonishing ascent, but what about his former band?
Rory and the Hurricanes were a huge draw back in the day, but the Beatles eclipsed them, as they did everyone else.
However, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes had an interesting story too, as this documentary illustrates. It’s worth a quiet weekend watch.
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