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More
than a century ago, Liverpool was the second most important port
in Britain. For millions, it was the gateway to the New World in
America and beyond. By the end of the Second World War, though still
a major maritime and industrial centre, the city was just one of
many in the UK faced with rebuilding the grey legacy of depression,
bombing and austerity. Modern historians will claim that what set
Liverpool apart in the years ahead was the indomitable, cosmopolitan
character and humour of its people.
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With
strong maritime links forged between the Mersey and North
America by companies like Cunard, Blue Funnel and Elder
Dempster, Liverpool in The Fifties was destined to be the
first landing place for the wild new music brought back
on records by Liverpool lads of the Merchant Navy. This
was the blues, jazz and country music that exploded in the
USA as rock'n'roll. Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Little Richard,
Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly set the world alight and
gave teenagers something of their very own - something to
dance and scream about. Within 3-4 years, their music had
taken the UK by storm and nowhere was the effect more dramatic
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than on Merseyside. Linked with the Lonnie Donegan-led skiffle
craze, there were over 200 guitar groups performing in and around
Liverpool by 1960. Most were pure imitators of their American
heroes, but the world now knows that one group would become the
creators of a look and a sound which would change the world forever.
The music and the lyrics of The Beatles are now engraved in our
history and - incredibly - look likely to become the classical
music of future centuries.
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