The Hideaways were a pop group that flourished in the mid-1960s as part of the Merseybeat era, and played at The Cavern Club over 250 times, more frequently than The Beatles; they are also noted for their connection to the Timex Watches advertising campaign of the time. The band included Ozzie Yue, later to become a well-known actor and Frankie Connor, now a BBC Radio Merseyside DJ. (More from Wikipedia)
The Searchers is another Liverpool band that had numerous hits in the U.K., though they were less successful in the U.S.; their biggest hit songs here were remakes of “Love Potion No. 9” and “Needles and Pins”. The Swinging Blue Jeans barely missed the U.S. Top 20 with their cover of “Hippy Hippy Shake”, which was also recorded by the Beatles. Others include the Cryin’ Shames (not to be confused with the Cryan’ Shames, an American band from the same time period), the Merseybeats, the Hideaways, the Koobas (also known as the Kubas), and one of the first all-female rock bands, the Liverbirds.
* * *
But mostly the Klubs began establishing themselves as a leading band in the post-Beatles Merseyside scene. They were fixtures at the legendary Cavern Club; the Hideaways boasted more dates there (over 250 appearances) than the Beatles themselves, but the Klubs are ranked #3 in that regard. After they signed a management contract with Cavern Enterprises, the Klubs were beginning to perform more original material; as a harmonica player, Alan Walker became sort of a sixth wheel in the Klubs and moved on.
(July 2013)
