The Cavern Wall of Fame

Commissioned for the 40th anniversary of the Cavern Club in January 1997, the Wall of Fame spans the entire front wall of the Cavern Pub on Matthew Street. Painstakingly constructed by a local stonemason, it features 1,801 bricks engraved with the names of all the artists that appeared at the original club from 1957 to 1973.

A must for music fanatics and historians, the wall makes fascinating viewing as it features pop, funk, soul and rock icons alongside local and national acts that disappeared into obscurity. Personally, I was delighted to find that blues legends like John Lee Hooker and Sonny Boy Williamson graced the stage alongside Queen, Rolling Stones, The Hollies, The Temptations, Little Stevie Wonder and yes, The Beatles!

The Beatles rehearsing: youtube.com/watch?v=cXja…

This wall of bricks is on Mathew Street just outside The Cavern Pub etching all the artists who have played the club out in a nice and organized fashion. The sculpture of John Lennon is right next to the bricks and is a super cool photo spot.

This wall was created in 1997 and truly is a nice tribute to all the fantastic artists that have played the club. It ain't just The Beatles y'all.

The sheer volume of historically impressive names engraved on this grubby brickwork baffled me when I first saw it. I couldn't comprehend how so many famous bands played the old Cavern Club. Queen? The Who? The Kinks? The Rolling Stones? I thought it was just a certain foursome of excessive fabness who graced the club's stage. Where did all these other ones come from?

I'm not the first to lament the original club's demise and I won't be the last but it really is an annoying shame that it's gone forever. What's more confusing is this huge list of names comprises the front wall of a pub they didn't play in. It's only marginally more relevant than if the bricks adorned Sandringham or Strangeways.

Speaking of prison, two names have been officially removed from the wall, those of Gary Glitter and Jonathon King, who both turned out to be weirdy nutjobs. I think this was the right move. Good for you, Cavern.