International Beatles Day: why is it celebrated on January 16?

Today, Tuesday 16 January, we commemorate the International Beatles Day. Why today? What does January 16th have to do with the history of the best band of all time? The group was born in the early 1960s. Was it January? No. It’s the day when John Lennon encountered Paul McCartney? No. The first album? No. So what?

A date institutionalized by fans here and there, January 16th is International Day the Beatles because on January 16, 1957 the no less famous Cavern Club was inaugurated, the basement where John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr began to become famous.

So have a nice day, Beatlemaniacs. UNESCO itself declared in 2001 that International Beatles Day will be celebrated every January 16th.

On February 9, 1961, the Beatles played for the first time at The Cavern, located in the band’s hometown of Liverpool. For the inhabitants of the time, seeing them play was equivalent to saying: “I’ll follow you from Cemento”. Between 1961 and 1963 the Beatles played 292 times in that basement, which was named so because of its damp resemblance to a cave.

The first time they formed like this: Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Pete Best (on drums) – later replaced by Ringo Starr – and Stuart Sutcliffe, who would not last long in the band.

The store opened its doors on January 16. It was raining, but no ribbons were distributed. It was originally a club located at 10 Mathew Street, where Brian Epstein, the great discoverer of the band, met the Beatles on November 9, 1961. The group had just returned from Hamburg, Germany. They played in bars and inns like that, places like the Kaiserkeller, where the guys would jam for about eight hours a night (every night).

In 1963, another future pop icon, The Hollies, took over from The Beatles at The Cavern. That’s when John and his band stopped playing there to get signed to record company EMI and its division, Parlophone. At that moment the famous “fifth Beatle”, George Martin, comes into action.

At noon the Beatles were playing at the Cavern. What would become another “coffee table” character, Mal Evans, took advantage of his lunch break at the post office to finish a pastrami sandwich. Bon appetit, as I listened to the seminal sound of a band (again) with Pete Best pounding the drums.

Good old Evans was so tall that you could say the curiosity was mutual: he saw the Beatles and the Beatles, invariably, saw him. Harrison thought about approaching him and suggesting a purpose based on the size of the restaurant. George thought of Evans as the band’s personal supporter.

But first, with quick reflexes, Ray McFall, manager of the legendary pub, won the hand, doubled his salary and made Mal appear, in a black uniform, in front of the door of the place which was attracting more and more people. They nicknamed him “Gentle Giant” or “Big Mal”.

Evans lasted a sigh as bowling keeper. Paul, always looking a little ahead, knowing that crazy thing called success was right there, talked to the big guy and convinced him: the Beatles ended up recruiting him and Mal Evans became the first famous bodyguard.

Back in The Cavern, the inside joke was that Mal made a bad face. Aside from that intimidating facade, they say Evans was cuter than a baby with a balloon.

The date of the international day, however, brings with it niche controversies: there are British fans who are fighting for The Beatles Day to be July 6, the date which corresponds to the day on which Lennon and McCartney met for the first time.

The internal controversy adds a third way, contributing on July 10th. From? Because on that day, but in 1964, the band returned to Liverpool after their memorable and successful tour of the United States.

The Cavern began as a jazz club that gradually transformed into a meeting place for young people. It changed hands, changed owners and styles. Blues bands and beat groups began performing regularly starting in the 1960s.

The first beat night, the one that changed the course of bowling, was May 25, 1960, with a performance by the legendary Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. That presentation, in short, was also a bit of a presentation of the Beatles. Why? Because the blonde English singer’s drummer was none other than Ringo Starr.