The Beatles Legacy Group (BLG) will mark 10 years since its creation in 2016, to enhance and protect the cultural and economic impact of the Fab Four in their home city of Liverpool.
Formed in response to a report which recognized the significant £81.9m impact The Beatles had on the economy of Liverpool, over the past 10 years, the BLG has continued in its purpose of boosting the visitor experience and ongoing impact of the most famous band in history, in the city where it all began.
At the end of March, The Beatles Legacy Group celebrated its commitment to its mission by launching the Liverpool Music Heritage Trail, tracking 60 years of music history and shining a spotlight on the cultural value of music venues in the city throughout the years.
Supported by funding from The Beatles Story, the Liverpool Music Heritage Trail is the first of its kind in the city, featuring 12 plaques in the style of vinyl records positioned around the city in the locations of places that had an impact on Liverpool’s music scene over a period of 60 years.
From 1957–2016, the locations selected demonstrate the identity that emerged from the city’s maritime heritage and its relationship with music, as grassroots, underground scenes found a place amongst the warehouses and brick-built basements, creating global phenomena.
Taking 90 minutes to complete on foot, the free trail includes the original entrance of The Cavern Club on Mathew Street, along with venues such as Erics, The Lomax, Probe Records, NEMS, The Sink, and super-club Cream. People can connect with videos, historical information and playlists to bring each location to life.
At the inaugural, Peter Hooton, Chair of the BLG and frontman of the band The Farm, said: “The Liverpool Music Heritage Trail feels like the perfect way to mark 10 years of The Beatles Legacy Group, as it solidifies our purpose to keep music at the heart of this magical city of ours. The concept of a music heritage trail came to me when I started doing music tours of the city a few years ago. As I was pointing out venues and record shops that no longer existed, people on the tour would ask me why there was no reference to many of these iconic places that had inspired and shaped our musical and cultural identity.
“In 1957, the meeting of Lennon and McCartney first took place and that’s also when our musical journey begins, with the opening of the original location of The Cavern Club in the same year. We also include another pivotal step in The Beatles’ careers from 1962, when they signed their first official management contract with Brian Epstein in NEMS on Whitechapel.
“The trail celebrates and explores these key Beatles’ locations of course, but 10 others take us through a variety of key musical moments. From Eric’s, a venue on Mathew Street which had a key impact on local musicians and hosted leading punk and new wave acts including The Clash, The Ramones and Joy Division during its four short years of opening, to the more contemporary venue The Kazimier, which closed in 2016.”
