Nigel Walley
Nigel Walley | |
---|---|
Birth name | Christopher Nigel Walley |
Born | Tea-chest bass | 30 June 1941
Years active | 1956–1957 |
Christopher Nigel Walley (born 30 June 1941) is an English former golfer and
Early life
Walley's father was Chief Superintendent Harold Walley, who was the head of Liverpool's Police 'A' Division.
The Quarrymen and management
Although Walley did not secure the group many paid engagements, he sent flyers to local theatres and ballrooms, put up posters designed by Lennon, paid for small advertisements in the Liverpool Echo and the Liverpool Daily Post, as well as business cards to be displayed in local shop windows: "COUNTRY. WESTERN. ROCK N' ROLL. SKIFFLE - THE QUARRY MEN - OPEN FOR ENGAGEMENTS - Please Call Nigel Walley, Tel.Gateacre 1715".[7] He secured two intermission concerts at the Gaumont cinema (near Penny Lane) on Saturday afternoons, and for the group to perform at parties and skiffle contests in the Liverpool area.[8][9] Whilst playing golf with Dr. Joseph Sytner, Walley asked him if his son, Alan Sytner, could book The Quarrymen at The Cavern Club, in Mathew Street, which was one of three jazz clubs he managed. After passing on the information to his son, Sytner suggested that the group should play at the golf club first, so as to assess their talent.[4] After playing at the golf club audition, he phoned Walley a week later and offered the group an interlude spot on 7 August 1957, playing skiffle between the performances of three jazz groups at The Cavern Club.[10]
Paul McCartney made his debut with the group on Friday, 18 October 1957, at a Conservative Club social—organised by Walley—which was held at the New Clubmoor Hall in the Norris Green section of Liverpool.[11][12] Lennon and McCartney wore cream-coloured sports jackets, which were paid for by Walley, and he collected half a crown per week from each member until the bill was settled.[11] McCartney later clashed with Walley about payment: "The funny thing was that whenever Paul [McCartney] was around he used to say, 'Don't pay anyone who's not playing' ... He didn't really rate managers".[13] Walley stopped managing the group after his family moved from Vale Road to New Brighton on the opposite bank of the River Mersey to Liverpool, which was too far to be practical,[1] and because he had contracted tuberculosis.[14]
Walley kept in contact until Lennon's death in 1980: "John and I always stayed in touch after he was a Beatle – I would go round to his flat or house and we'd talk. ... He never forget any of the old gang … in fact towards the end of his life he was becoming more and more nostalgic".[13] Walley's name has been often mistakenly written as "Whalley" in many books and on numerous web pages, but, as he has often stated, there is no 'H' in the spelling of it.[15]
Death of Julia Lennon
On the evening of 15 July 1958, Walley went to visit Lennon at his aunt's house, finding
Golf professional
Walley became one of the youngest
Notes
- ^ a b c d Harry, Bill. "Nigel Walley - Their First Manager". Triumphpc. p. 2. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ a b c Harry, Bill. "Nigel Walley - Their First Manager". Triumphpc. p. 1. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ Ryan 1982, p. 31.
- ^ a b Spitz 2005, p. 59.
- ^ Shennan, Paddy (3 October 2007). "Teenage teds without a care in the world". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ Cross 2004, p. 7.
- ^ Spitz 2005, p. 54.
- ^ Spitz 2005, p. 56.
- ^ "Colin Hanton — Drummer". Original Quarrymen. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
- ^ Spitz 2005, p. 61.
- ^ a b Spitz 2005, p. 108.
- ^ Miles 1997, p. 29.
- ^ a b c d "The Quarrymen Q & A". Inside Out - BBC. 2 October 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ Miles 2002.
- ^ "Myth 19". Original Quarrymen. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ a b c Spitz 2005, pp. 145–146.
- ^ Spitz 2005, pp. 147–148.
- ^ "Welcome To Wrotham Heath Golf Club". Wrotham Heath Golf Club. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
References
- Cross, Craig (2004). Beatles-discography.Com: Day-by-Day Song-by-Song Record-by-Record. ISBN 978-0-595-31487-4.
- ISBN 978-0-7493-8658-0.
- ISBN 978-0-85712-000-7.
- Ryan, David Stuart (1982). John Lennon's Secret: A Biography. Kozmik Press. ISBN 978-0-905116-08-2.
- ISBN 978-0-316-80352-6.