Photographs from John Lennon’s First Gig

A Kirk Michael resident is selling prints of what is widely accepted to be the earliest photographs of John Lennon playing in public.

The prints will be on sale at a pop-up event in the village later this month.

Charlie Roberts was friends with the man went on to become arguably the most recognisable face on the planet and one half to the most influential writing duo with, the now Sir, Paul McCarney.

Before Lennon went on to become one of the Fab Four, he was in a skiffle band called the Quarrymen, made up of schools mates.

It was while performing with this band in June 1957 that Charlie borrow a Kodak Brownie camera to photograph  Lennon and the Quarrymen’s first public appearance at Rosebery Street party on June 22, 1957.

Just weeks later, Lennon was to meet McCartney and at the St Peter’s Church garden fête in Woolton and the rest, as they say, is history.

Charlie told Gef that while the photos now show what was the first public performance of the iconic figure of Lennon, at they time they were ‘just our mates playing on our street’.

The photos, which are signed by the surviving members of the Quarrymen, show Lennon singing with the band, with Charlie using modern techniques to have Lennon’s shirt tinted red to show him as he would’ve looked almost 70 years ago.

As well as the photos, Charlie will be selling copies of his book “Just Like Starting Over: John and The Quarrymen, My Teenage Years”. 

When the book launched at Beatlefest in New York, Charlie sold out of copies.

Describing his friendship with Lennon and the Quarrymen, the book offers an insight into the early days of The Beatles and their early shows in Liverpool and dispels some urban legends about those early days.

He said: ‘I wrote that because people used to say to me, you should write a book, because once you’re gone, nobody will know about so I’ve put some of my experiences in there.’

Charlie is selling prints at his popup in Kirk Michael on February Saturday 24 at LS Boutique from 10am to 4pm.

He said the event is open to anyone who wants to buy prints or his books, or even just wants to talk about the early days of the band which would go on to change the world.