One of the more popular groups at the Iron Door was The Undertakers. In 1963, at the time they were playing in the jazz clubs and beat cellars of the Liverpool area, the group was comprised of Brian Jones (saxophone), Bugs Pemberton (drums), Chris Huston (lead guitar), Jackie Lomax (bass guitar and vocals), and Geoff Nugent (rhythm guitar and vocals).

In discussing the music scene in Liverpool in the early 1960s, Chris Huston commented

" The Iron Door was in the city central area, an area that had several clubs in it. Yates Wine Lodge and the Cavern, for instance. Liverpool people take their weekend recreational activities very seriously. So the order of the evening usually started with a bit of a 'pub crawl' then off to a dance. Fighting was a time-honored distraction and Yates Wine Lodge and the Iron Door got their share. The Cavern was not immune, but it always seemed to happen less there. Of course, Liverpool being a seaport, with lots of foreign seamen, only made the weekend activities of drinking, dancing and fighting more attractive. Indeed, there were several gangs who showed up at various venues intent on causing mayhem and foreign sailors were always easy targets.


Sometimes the songs played by The Undertakers mirrored the events taking place on the dance floor. Huston commented briefly on a typical set

"We usually opened with 'Watch Your Step.' If a fight broke out, during our set, we would do a quick segue into 'Roll Over Beethoven.' Don't ask me why. This habit started in Hamburg."


The Undertakers found themselves in very good company as a number of well-known groups visited the Iron Door as their schedule permitted. On one such occasion Huston recalled

"I remember several times when we would play lunchtime sessions that the Hollies would be standing there, at the front, watching us. They would be in from Manchester, just a short hitch up the East Lancs Road, for an evening gig in Liverpool."

The Undertakers had a different style from many of the groups that performed in the Liverpool Clubs in the early 1960s. Their stage perfromance was filled with antics that entertained the crowds and they had a driving rhythm and blues sound that was unique during this time. Some of their Iron Door performances that were to be recorded on Pye Records under the watchful eye of their manager, Tony Hatch, included "Everybody Loves a Lover/Mashed Potatoes" and "What About Us/Money."

~ Brian Jones ~

Brian Jones added a very unique sound to the Undetakers with his tenor sax. Prior to joining the band he was employed as a butcher. From his photo above one can appreciate that he had a "Buddy Holly look". Before the Undertakers became known through their recordings, Brian capitalized on this resemblence by singing several Buddy Holly songs. According to Chris Huston

"He had a great sense of humor, crazy you might say." He was an incredible saxophonist, and was entirely self-taught. His major influence was "Boots" Randolph. The Undertakers were known for their raucous sound and, to a great degree, this sound stemmed from the sax riffs that Brian would play. The saxophone riffs were complimented by the guitar riffs of Chris Huston. Huston had a Maestro "Fuzztone", possibly the first stomp box for guitarists? He would play the riffs, along with Brian, the result being most distinctive and unusual for the times.

~ Bugs Pemberton ~

Warren "Bugs" Pemberton was the drummer and held the distinction of being the youngest member of the group. In fact, when The Undertakers we were first asked to go to the Star Club, in Hamburg, Bugs was still in school. Bugs was known as a solid drummer who caught on very quickly to any song. Huston recalled

"He picked up on the essence of the rhythm on a song that we were learning and nailed it, first time. We couldn't have asked for a more solid rhythm section than Bugs and Jackie gave us."

~ Chris Huston ~

Chris Huston was a Commercial Artist at 15 years of age, helping support his family. At the same time he was attending Art school, studying Design, Commercial Art and Technical Engineering Drawing. Academic studies terminated quickly when The Undertakers got the chance to turn professional. Huston was 19 years old when he first went to Hamburg. As far as his guitar playing Huston revealed

"I was a fair guitarist and could play what had to be played. Sometime later I got into the recording studio, in New York, I suddenly saw what I should be doing. I wanted to be a producer. I wanted to influence the outcome of musicians performances, in the studio. I learned how to engineer because, at the time, the engineer was usually the weakest link in the creative chain. What happened was that I became pretty well-known as an engineer. I did a lot of work for Atlantic. Groups would come into the studio having heard that there was this kid, from England, that would fix up your songs and make you sound good. One of my successes was the recording "Groovin'" by the young Rascals."

~ Jackie Lomax ~

Perhaps the member of The Undertakers that would have the greatest success as a recording artist was Jackie Lomax. Lomas was the bass player and lead singer. He was a clerk at the Mersey Docks & Harbour Board, in Liverpool, before turning professional. He really blossomed as a singer after The Undertakers' first trip to Hamburg. While there, he became really good friends with Astrid Kircherr and she helped him develop his style by finding songs that properly suited his style and voice. She took an avid interest in the manner in which he dressed as well. In one such example, she altered Jackie's blue jeans so that they were skin tight until they flared out at the bottoms. Astrid's interest in and friendship with The Undertakers was most beneficial for them. She took some great pictures of the group and was a regular attendee at their Star Club shows. On occasion they would go back to her place for meals. She would and play records that she considered would be well received by the fans.

Jackie's style of singing was unique. The Undertakers were trying to copy American artists and their records and in doing so, they came out different. This is what happened with Jackie. Huston considers

"He developed into a great singer during those first trips to Germany and all the gigs that the group were playing around Liverpool." Sometimes, The Undertakers played three venues on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This was not unusual! The Undertakers were known for openning one dance, rushing to a second before finally headlining a third. Sometimes their last gig would be an all-nighter at the Iron Door or at the Cavern. Jackie's amazing voice came out of all that hard work."

~ Geoff Nugent ~

Geoff Nugent was the rhythm guitarist and was also a good vocalist. He worked at Broadgreen Hospital, as an Artificial Limb Mechanic, before becoming a professional musician. His first vocation became useful in adjusting Chris Huston's first Bigsby vibrato tailpiece. Huston remembered

"Geoff would bring different types of springs for me to try. He would grind down a spring until it was just right to give a nice easy action. The funny thing was that they were pink, having a coating of some non-metal finish so that they blended in on the prosthetics. I really liked those springs."

Geoff Nugent was the only band member who was from the 'other side of the river'. He lived in Kirkby, a suburb of Liverpool. The rest of The Undertakers lived in Wallasey, which was across the River Mersey." Geoff was a good solid guitar player and had an interest in Country music before it was fashionable. He would sing the Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins songs.

This humourous moment from the Iron Door days was offered by Chris Huston.

"Early on, I remember one incident, that in retrospect is quite hilarious: You know how guitarists grimace and make faces as they bend strings and otherwise express themselves? Well, it appears that when I bent a string, I made a face! One day, the rest of the group confronted me and said, 'We just had a meeting and we've decided that if you are going to 'twitch' when you bend a string - don't bend a string!' Problem was, they were serious. I guess that this was before such things were acceptable and commonplace? I didn't even know that I was doing it."