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The Bluegenes as they where known in the early years, formed in 1957 and, like most Liverpool groups, started out playing skiffle. They progressed from playing dance halls and church halls to the Cavern Club combining skiffle with trad-jazz. In 1961, Cavern DJ BobWooler, compiled a Top 10 list of the best Liverpool groups, he placed The Beatles at No.1 but beneath his list he added ‘excluding the Bluegenes, they are beyand comparison, in a class of their own’ They had an hours spot every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night and when the club opened on a Tuesday night, Ray McFall, the clubs owner, asked them to play on the Tuesday and suggested they had guest groups. They included Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy Kramer and the Coasters and The Beatles
Ray Ennis recalls ‘on the night The Beatles made their debut as guests in March 1961, we thought they were German, it was the leather gear which we had never seen before, it wasn’t until they spoke that I realised they were from Liverpool’
Les Braid noticed the average audience of 60 had increased to over 200 and was impressed by The Beatles local following.
In 1963 They changed their stage outfits to include wearing jeans, changed the spelling of Bluegenes to Bluejeans and started playing rock ‘n’ roll, from that point on things started to happen for them.
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