IRIS
Shane Fenton's pretty blonde-haired wife Iris is the sister of singer Rory Storm. When they were children, Iris and Rory had a double-act and performed in numerous competitions. When they grew older, Rory formed a group and Iris became a professional dancer.

I remember one particular show I saw her perform a few years ago. It was at the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton when the Twist was all the rage. On stage were the Beatles, dressed in black leather outfits with Pete Best in the drumseat. Iris, in a very pretty costume, demonstrated the Twist to a large audience and the Beatles provided the backing. The group were really quite gone on her - which really pleased brother Rory who was also on the show.

TOMMY'S SISTER
Chris Curtis of the Searchers and Ray Ennis of the Bluejeans aren't the only ones who have a member of their family in an up-and-coming Liverpool group. Tommy Quickly performed with his former group the Challengers on most of the main venues on Merseyside before he was discovered by Brian Epstein. But few people know that he sang as part of a double-act. His co-vocalist was his sister. Pretty Pat Quigley still sings with the Challengers on Merseyside and is attracting a lot of attention - another example of a talented family.

IDEAL JOB
Members of the Mersey groups have held various sorts of jobs in their semi-professional days. Terry O'Toole, handsome 23-year-old pianist with Liverpool's top R&B outfit the Mojos holds something of a record regarding employment in different capacities. He's been a merchant seaman, a taxi driver, salesman, clerk, factory worker and a member of a modern jazz outfit. "Being in a group has proved to be the hardest job I've ever held," says Terry, "but I like it best of all."

BEHIND THE SCENES
Adrian Barber left the Big 3 in 1972. "I realized I didn't want to play in a group any more and I was offered a job as stage manager at the Star Club, Hamburg," he told me. Little did he realize that the job in a foreign country would keep him in close contact with the Mersey scene. He found that almost every Liverpool group of note was appearing at the club regularly: the Beatles, the Searchers, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer - even the Big 3 spent regular seasons at the venue. "The German audiences show their appreciation in a different way to those in England," comments Adrian. "They don't scream or shout - or even clap. If they like a group they prove it by visiting the club night after night to watch them. "Naturally, the groups are rather put-out when they first appear and don't seem to receive any reaction from their audience - but within a day or two they usually become accustomed to it."

RINGO
I may have a unique item in store for you concerning Ringo Starr. The other night I bumped into a nurse who clearly remembers Ringo when he was a patient at the Royal Liverpool Children's hospital in Heswall, Wirral, when he was only 14. She tells me that he was a real favourite with everybody there and that she has in her possession a photograph of him peering over the edge of the bath. The nurse will be giving me the photograph and also telling me of Ringo's hospital days and the time he made a reputation by drumming on the bedpans!

CAVERN BOSS
Genial Ray McFall, brains behind the Cavern Club, was a former accountant. I told Ray that Marilyn readers would be interested in knowing how he built the Cavern into such a famous Beat Basement. "It's quite simple," he said. "When former owner Alan Sytner offered to sell me the club it was recognized as a jazz cellar. "I never saw myself as an accountant and wanted to take it over. There was no Mersey scene at the time and I had to take a gamble. "There were bookings for all the leading jazz bands - Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball, Johnny Dankworth, but I thought some variety would be appreciated and started to regularly book Rory Storm & the Hurricanes (with drummer Ringo Starr). the Swinging Bluejeans and the Big 3.

"When I booked the Beatles and saw the fantastic following they gathered - I knew that here was a completely refreshing talent, and that my gamble had paid off. "From that moment everything seemed to happen. I booked the Beatles for numerous lunchtime and evening sessions and jazz seemed to vanish from the club as I engaged Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy Kramer & the Coasters, the Searchers, The Merseybeats, the Mojos and numerous other up-and-coming Mersey groups. "Through my gamble, the personality of resident DJ Bob Wooler, the coverage in 'Mersey Beat' and the talent of the Liverpool groups, the Cavern has become a household word.

"Since then several LP's and singles have been recorded at the club, it has been televised numerous times, we have our own Luxembourg Show and will shortly be extending our premises."

AT THE CROSS KEYS
Tony Jackson had to suppress a chuckle when he told me of the days when the Searchers played in a pub called the Cross Keys. "That was where I first met Mike and John," said Tony, "and at the time I used to get up in the pub and sing with a trio, using the name Clint Reno. "I joined the group, the trio left, and we began playing at the pub. "As usual a group from the audience got up and sang with them. I remember there were lots of people who 'got up' when we played. "One was an old docker who sang Maurice Chevalier numbers, and there were teenage girls and hill-billies. "We didn't know most of the songs they wanted to sing, so we just played 'Move It' in the background."

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