Mary McGlory and Sylvia Saunders
The Liverbirds
Our life in Britain’s first female rock’n’roll band
In the early ’60s, four friends from Liverpool formed a band. But this is not the ‘fab four’ story we know…
Mary, Sylvia, Valerie and Pamela – also known as The Liverbirds – were one of the world’s first all-female rock’n’roll bands. At an early gig, backstage at the Cavern Club, a young John Lennon told them that “girls don’t play guitars”.
But they took that as a challenge. Despite the early scepticism, they won over tough crowds, toured stadiums, recorded two hit albums, and played with the Kinks, Rolling Stones and Chuck Berry – all in the space of just five years. Now, the two surviving members of the band tell their incredible story in full for the first time – capturing a lost era of liberation and rock’n’roll, as they thrived in the vibrant Merseybeat music scene and formed a friendship that has endured through the decades.
