Rory
Storm ashes location (7th January 1938 to 28th September
1972)
Here I am at Anfield crematorium
and cemetery where Rory was cremated and his ashes were spread. His real name
was Alan Caldwell but he changed this by deed poll to Rory Storm when he was
lead singer of The Hurricanes. The band was popular on the Liverpool and
Hamburg club scenes and The Beatles might never have happened because of them: Ringo
was the drummer and George Harrison tried to join but was too young (“perhaps
when you’re a bit older”.)
Rory was born in Stoneycroft, Liverpool to working class parents. He
had one sister who must have had a thing for musicians – she dated George
Harrison when she was 12 Paul McCartney when she was 17 and later married Alvin
Stardust. He was active, playing football, skating and swimming (once swimming
the 12.5-mile length of Windermere) but he loved running and ran for a couple
of amateur harriers. Later when the group was doing well and playing concerts
around Liverpool he would prefer to run home.
He had a stutter which was so bad his friends didn’t allow him to
order a round of drinks as it took too long. Through the day he was a cotton
salesman and in the evenings played in a skiffle group. He was in a few
temporary groups often playing songs before the Quarrymen (who later became The
Beatles. George Harrison asked if he could join his group but Rory’s mum
considered him too young. He met Ringo Starr at a talent contest and he became
the drummer.
He was still called Alan but the band appeared at Butlin’s holiday resort
in 1960 and had a poster made which announced him as “Storm and the
Hurricanes”. He changed his name officially to Rory Storm. The group started
gaining notoriety around the North West. When he was still only 21 the group
entered a talent competition "Search for Stars" at the Liverpool
Empire Theatre and came second out of 150 acts. Rory and his group were the
first ever group to perform rock and roll at The Cavern club. They were
supporting jazz group and Rory got up on the piano and performed “Whole Lotta
Shakin’ Going On”. The jazz audience booed and threw so many coins at him it
covered the fine imposed on them by The Cavern's manager.
Aged 22 Rory’s group became the resident group at Butlin’s holiday resort
in Pwllheli playing in the Rock 'n' Calypso Ballroom for a huge for £25 each
per week (now £530). Ringo Starr was still working at a company making climbing
frames for schools and wasn’t sure about giving it up for music but Rory gave
him a singing solo spot and said the women would be flocking around.
Rory’s group went to play in Hamburg with The Beatles (who were lower
down on the bill) each playing five 90-minute sets every day. During their
eight-week residency in Germany they went to a recording session. Lennon,
McCartney, and Harrison from the Beatles sang harmonies. This was the first
time Ringo played for The Beatles; their drummer Pete Best was out buying drumsticks
so Ringo played.
In March 1961 the group were back in England and
invited for a season at the Butlin’s, Skegness. Ringo left the group to join
The Beatles as they were paying £25 a week, £5 more than he was earning. Rory
didn’t hold grudges and both groups performed on the same bill regularly. He advised
Ringo (then Richard Starkey) to change his name as it wasn’t jazzy enough.
Though Rory wore extravagant clothes, drove flashy cars and thrived under
the spotlight (his stutter disappeared on stage) he was deeply insecure. He
craved attention. At a concert at the Majestic Ballroom in Birkenhead he tried
to climb the column supporting the balcony and fell 9 metres. At a New Brighton
Pier gig he climbed onto the roof and fell though the skylight. It’s well known that a new dude making
his mark called Rod Stewart stole Rory’s big blonde hair, stage moves and
cheeky-chappie persona.
Though he was a charismatic live performer the group were always on
the cusp of success without actually getting it. The songs weren’t catchy
enough and though the Beatles and Gerry and The Pacemakers secured recording
contracts The Hurricanes didn’t. Rory had to deal with Beatlemania on a daily
basis.
Aged 29 the band tapered off due to a lack of hits. Rory sought
treatment for his speech problem and became a disc jockey for the next few
years. At 34 life tapered off. Rory was working as a disk jockey in Amsterdam
when he heard his dad had died. He returned home devastated. One night he
couldn’t sleep and washed down sleeping pills with whisky and died of an
overdose. His mum found him a few hours later, suffered a heart attack and died
on the spot from shock. A post mortem determined that Rory had not taken enough
pills to kill himself but, mixed with the whisky, they’d sent him over the
edge.
The funeral service and cremation was carried out at Ainfield
Crematorium where I’m stood. I visited one Saturday afternoon. There was a
football match on at Ainfield Stadium and the roads and pavements were packed
we people heading to the ground. Many were walking through the cemetery so I
had a coffee and sandwich and waited for them to pass through.
I stood outside the crematorium and then, with map in hand, walked
about six minutes to section 23 of the Church Of England plot where someone
sprinkled Rory’s ashes (not sure if his mum was cremated at the same time.)
At the
crematorium. Note Ringo Starr stood on the left.
The entrance to
the crematorium…
In section 23
where Rory’s ashes were sprinkled…
The walk from
the crematorium on the left to section 23 of the C of E took just a few
minutes…
