Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Join Ringo Starr for a tour of the main floor of the Iron Door Club.

Geoff Hogarth should have good fun with this one!

There has been some controversy over this photograph of Ringo Starr,as to where the picture was taken.
Dick Mathews arranged to take the photograph at the Storyville.
We can date the picture to late August/Sept 1961.
The club was closed and in the middle of a major face lift,involving new bench seating,carpets etc.
The bench seating was manufactured on the premises,in one of the photo's Ringo is standing next to a bench seat that has yet to be installed.These facts help to identify the place and the time .
Ringo had a long connection with the Iron Door through Rory Storm,who had played at the club since 1960,and had connections with the management a long time before that.
I think at this particular time of the photograph session Ringo had or was contemplating leaving the Rory Storm band.
One of the next times we see Ringo at the Storyville he will be the established drummer for the Beatles.

Thanks Geoff. I just love the Ringo connection.

A recent conversation with Dick Mathews revelled that on the day the photographs were taken,Ringo and Dick spent about six or seven hours at the club,amidst all the refurbishment work,Ringo made the tea and coffee for all of us working there.
One of the characters Dick mentioned was the man who made the bench seating Alan Mclean.More of Alan at a later date.
After the photo session at the Iron Door, Dick and Ringo went along to Dick Mathews studio in Renshaw Street(Dick's studio was above the Merseybeat offices) the photographs of Ringo sitting on a chair, were taken at this time.(The photographs can be seen on the Savage Young Beatle site).

Doesn't Ringo have that "beginning Beatle Look" with his hair starting to be combed foward? Maybe this photo is early 1962? Also wearing of the suit? Just an observation.

cp

Thank you Steve, I agree Ringo certainly does have the "beginning Beatle Look" I understand why you have doubts as to the year this photograph was taken.
The photograph of Ringo sitting on the bench seat I dated 1962,however when Peter produced the photo of Ringo standing with the bench seat in the background not installed, I knew the date immediately as being late September 1961.
Incidentally Ringo's first job on leaving school was on a building site making tea for the workmen.Thanks again Steve really nice to know you are interested in the Iron Door.

Background information re -posting of the photograph of Ringo for sale on e-Bay.

See Ringo's visit at the Iron Door Club on page 40 of Geoffrey Hogarth's Memoirs.

http://files.rickresource.com/Hogarth2021.pdf