Post by yerblues1968 on May 30, 2008 1:46:36 GMT -5
STAR CLUB
Joe Flannery
The Beatles Booking Manager
The Star Club was located at 39 Grosse Freiheit , St. Pauli, Hamburg. It was opposite to the former site of the Kaiserkeller, the first club The Beatles had ever played in Hamburg. By the time the Star Club opened, the Kaiserkeller had been forced to revert back to a strip club due to the mismanagement of Bruno Koschmider.
The club was opened by Manfred Weissleder in April 1962. The site was formally a cinema and only minor renovations were needed to turn it into a nightclub. Manfred had sent Horst Fascher to Liverpool in January to recruit as many top Merseyside acts as possible, ready for the grand opening. Horst signed a contract with Brian Epstein on the 22nd January securing The Beatles for the Star Club. They arrived in April to the tragic news of Stuart Sutcliffe's death but they had no alternative but to begin their contract.
The ceiling of the entrance was covered in copies of Mersey Beat and the promotional posters outside boasted the 'Rock and Twist Parade '62' featuring bands such as The Bachelors, Tex Roberg and the Graduates and The Beatles. In May, Tony Sheridan and Gerry and the Pacemakers joined the line-up.
The Beatles' contact was for a seven weeks. Due to popular demand, they returned from 1-14th November 1962 and finally 18-31st December which by this time was earning them each 750 marks per week.
Sadly, the Star Club was forced to close in June 1964. There are still attempts today to reinstate the club.
Joe Flannery, The Beatles' first bookings manager and close friend of Brian Epstein talks about his experiences of managing bands for the Star Club.
The war was over only 10-15 years before The Beatles took off and let’s face it we are talking about lads, young lads, 18-19 year olds packing up and going over the Germany. They’d been bought up being terrified of Germans; well it was the Nazi Party that we were afraid off. We were afraid of the Party not the people. The Germans were the nicest people you could meet. When I lived over there and managed the Star Club they made a fuss of the Liverpool lads and the English boys coming over to make music. They were so proud of them.
Brian moved off to London with The Beatles and I was left here in Liverpool with what was required. We were still supplying Hamburg with music and bands so my brother went over to the Star Club. They liked him very much because he could speak and could sing in German. Germany was doing very well, still looking for artists so I went over with my brother and Beryl Marsden. I put her with my brother’s band as a guest singer with the All Stars. I was only over there a couple of weeks and I said 'I’m going to leave you here and go back to Liverpool and look after the business, otherwise we’ll have no business to get back to'. I went back, called into London on the way and spoke to Brian. He had taken over a band from Liverpool called the Remo 4. He said I’m not too happy with the Remo 4, we are going to split. I said 'I can use them in Hamburg!' It was from then I started using groups from Brian around the London area – so we became partners again.
I was asked by the management of the Star Club would I consider looking after the stage, by which be he meant the booking of artists and bring people into the Star Club. And I said yes, I’d like that. So I stayed over, my brother had a permanent address in the Pacific Hotel in Hamburg, so did Beryl Marsden and so did I. We were living there doing my management during the day and up most of the night looking after the stage, telling artists what time I wanted them on an off. I had a note at the side of the stage telling them what time they were on and off, which they’d never had before.
I booked a band from Brian called 'The Pretty Things'. They weren’t so pretty! They called themselves that because they wanted to be the opposite. It was their image not to wash even. It was my job to go to either the airport or train station to greet them and the owner, Manfred Weissleder, held office in a little café at the bottom of the Grosse Frieheit in Hamburg. I took them into the Café, to Manfred and he just looked at them and then at me and said 'Can I have a word with you Mr Flannery? Would these boys like to have a coffee down the road?' which meant 'Get them out of here!' He didn’t like them at all, their appearance it was a shock. Anyway he let them work that weekend as that was their fares back home.
They arrived on Thursday, we had them on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday and home Monday – or so I thought. The queue for the Pretty Things was wrapped around the Star Club, down Grosse Freiheit, along Reepherbahn and along the back. The kids were on each other’s shoulders, it was packed out all 3 nights. I got a phone call from Manfred to be in his office 10am Monday. I was on my knees, I’d had a hectic weekend. I got there and he said 'Very good! The cash takings were fantastic! We should have increased the entrance fee!'
We kept them [The Pretty Things] for a month and at this time we were talking about franchising the Star Club all over Germany. It was my job to go out to the cities, like Cologne arranging franchised clubs to take over the name. If they signed up and agreed to take bands from us, they would get a nice neon sign of the Star Club logo for above. The Star Club was known all over Germany. I would attend each opening with a band from Hamburg and make sure they got a good night’s work. The Star Club even went to Holland, people were fighting to get the name over their door.
My second big success at the Star Club was The Animals. They played at the star Club and also the franchised clubs. Then about 12 months later I had a phone call from Chas Chandler who was the bass player for The Animals. He said 'Joe, I’m living in New York now.' I said 'I know. How are you?' I’d read everything and knew The Animals had split up. 'I’ve discovered someone and I want to bring him to Europe. But I’d like the Star Club to be the stepping stone for him.' I said 'Ok, because it’s you and I know you wouldn’t put me onto a bum deal, we’ll give your artist a weekend.' Chas said 'That’s great! We can do the Star Club and then I’ll take him over to London.'
A very small gentleman arrived with Chas Chandler – it was Jimi Hendrix! We gave him a long weekend but he ended up doing a month, like The Pretty Things while Chas went over to London and built up publicity for him. While in London he got a big booking for him - he opened up The Apollo in London. I got a phone call saying you’d better come over to London. Jimi will not put his foot on the stage unless Joe Flannery is in the audience. I don’t know for sure it was for me but he opened up with 'Hey Joe'.
One day Manfred waved a set of keys in front of me. I said 'What’s that for Manfred?' He said 'I want you to move out of that hotel, it’s not fair that you should live in a hotel with all those bands. Now go and view this flat.' It was the most beautiful flat on the Ousterlake. It was so beautiful. My back garden went down to the lake. I stayed there for 4 years.
Joe Flannery - The Beatles Booking Manager Interview (4.57 minutes)
youtube.com/watch?v=xmfI0wuAAjM
www.beatlesstory.com/wiki/ow.asp?StarClub
Joe Flannery
The Beatles Booking Manager
The Star Club was located at 39 Grosse Freiheit , St. Pauli, Hamburg. It was opposite to the former site of the Kaiserkeller, the first club The Beatles had ever played in Hamburg. By the time the Star Club opened, the Kaiserkeller had been forced to revert back to a strip club due to the mismanagement of Bruno Koschmider.
The club was opened by Manfred Weissleder in April 1962. The site was formally a cinema and only minor renovations were needed to turn it into a nightclub. Manfred had sent Horst Fascher to Liverpool in January to recruit as many top Merseyside acts as possible, ready for the grand opening. Horst signed a contract with Brian Epstein on the 22nd January securing The Beatles for the Star Club. They arrived in April to the tragic news of Stuart Sutcliffe's death but they had no alternative but to begin their contract.
The ceiling of the entrance was covered in copies of Mersey Beat and the promotional posters outside boasted the 'Rock and Twist Parade '62' featuring bands such as The Bachelors, Tex Roberg and the Graduates and The Beatles. In May, Tony Sheridan and Gerry and the Pacemakers joined the line-up.
The Beatles' contact was for a seven weeks. Due to popular demand, they returned from 1-14th November 1962 and finally 18-31st December which by this time was earning them each 750 marks per week.
Sadly, the Star Club was forced to close in June 1964. There are still attempts today to reinstate the club.
Joe Flannery, The Beatles' first bookings manager and close friend of Brian Epstein talks about his experiences of managing bands for the Star Club.
The war was over only 10-15 years before The Beatles took off and let’s face it we are talking about lads, young lads, 18-19 year olds packing up and going over the Germany. They’d been bought up being terrified of Germans; well it was the Nazi Party that we were afraid off. We were afraid of the Party not the people. The Germans were the nicest people you could meet. When I lived over there and managed the Star Club they made a fuss of the Liverpool lads and the English boys coming over to make music. They were so proud of them.
Brian moved off to London with The Beatles and I was left here in Liverpool with what was required. We were still supplying Hamburg with music and bands so my brother went over to the Star Club. They liked him very much because he could speak and could sing in German. Germany was doing very well, still looking for artists so I went over with my brother and Beryl Marsden. I put her with my brother’s band as a guest singer with the All Stars. I was only over there a couple of weeks and I said 'I’m going to leave you here and go back to Liverpool and look after the business, otherwise we’ll have no business to get back to'. I went back, called into London on the way and spoke to Brian. He had taken over a band from Liverpool called the Remo 4. He said I’m not too happy with the Remo 4, we are going to split. I said 'I can use them in Hamburg!' It was from then I started using groups from Brian around the London area – so we became partners again.
I was asked by the management of the Star Club would I consider looking after the stage, by which be he meant the booking of artists and bring people into the Star Club. And I said yes, I’d like that. So I stayed over, my brother had a permanent address in the Pacific Hotel in Hamburg, so did Beryl Marsden and so did I. We were living there doing my management during the day and up most of the night looking after the stage, telling artists what time I wanted them on an off. I had a note at the side of the stage telling them what time they were on and off, which they’d never had before.
I booked a band from Brian called 'The Pretty Things'. They weren’t so pretty! They called themselves that because they wanted to be the opposite. It was their image not to wash even. It was my job to go to either the airport or train station to greet them and the owner, Manfred Weissleder, held office in a little café at the bottom of the Grosse Frieheit in Hamburg. I took them into the Café, to Manfred and he just looked at them and then at me and said 'Can I have a word with you Mr Flannery? Would these boys like to have a coffee down the road?' which meant 'Get them out of here!' He didn’t like them at all, their appearance it was a shock. Anyway he let them work that weekend as that was their fares back home.
They arrived on Thursday, we had them on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday and home Monday – or so I thought. The queue for the Pretty Things was wrapped around the Star Club, down Grosse Freiheit, along Reepherbahn and along the back. The kids were on each other’s shoulders, it was packed out all 3 nights. I got a phone call from Manfred to be in his office 10am Monday. I was on my knees, I’d had a hectic weekend. I got there and he said 'Very good! The cash takings were fantastic! We should have increased the entrance fee!'
We kept them [The Pretty Things] for a month and at this time we were talking about franchising the Star Club all over Germany. It was my job to go out to the cities, like Cologne arranging franchised clubs to take over the name. If they signed up and agreed to take bands from us, they would get a nice neon sign of the Star Club logo for above. The Star Club was known all over Germany. I would attend each opening with a band from Hamburg and make sure they got a good night’s work. The Star Club even went to Holland, people were fighting to get the name over their door.
My second big success at the Star Club was The Animals. They played at the star Club and also the franchised clubs. Then about 12 months later I had a phone call from Chas Chandler who was the bass player for The Animals. He said 'Joe, I’m living in New York now.' I said 'I know. How are you?' I’d read everything and knew The Animals had split up. 'I’ve discovered someone and I want to bring him to Europe. But I’d like the Star Club to be the stepping stone for him.' I said 'Ok, because it’s you and I know you wouldn’t put me onto a bum deal, we’ll give your artist a weekend.' Chas said 'That’s great! We can do the Star Club and then I’ll take him over to London.'
A very small gentleman arrived with Chas Chandler – it was Jimi Hendrix! We gave him a long weekend but he ended up doing a month, like The Pretty Things while Chas went over to London and built up publicity for him. While in London he got a big booking for him - he opened up The Apollo in London. I got a phone call saying you’d better come over to London. Jimi will not put his foot on the stage unless Joe Flannery is in the audience. I don’t know for sure it was for me but he opened up with 'Hey Joe'.
One day Manfred waved a set of keys in front of me. I said 'What’s that for Manfred?' He said 'I want you to move out of that hotel, it’s not fair that you should live in a hotel with all those bands. Now go and view this flat.' It was the most beautiful flat on the Ousterlake. It was so beautiful. My back garden went down to the lake. I stayed there for 4 years.
Joe Flannery - The Beatles Booking Manager Interview (4.57 minutes)
youtube.com/watch?v=xmfI0wuAAjM
www.beatlesstory.com/wiki/ow.asp?StarClub