Members
Valerie Gell - guitar, vocals (Born: 14 August 1945, Seaforth - Died: 11 December 2016)
Sylvia Saunders - drums
Mary McGlory - bass guitar, vocals
Sheila McGlory - guitar, vocals
Irene Green - vocals
Heather ? - vocals
Pamela Birch - guitar, vocals (Born: 9 Aug 1944, Kirkdale, Liverpool - Died: 27 October 2009)
Christiane Schulz - guitar
Renate Wassermeyer - drums
Irene Green is second on the left.
Formed in Liverpool in 1962.
Mary McGlory and Sheila McGlory were cousins and decided to form a group with some other cousins. They bought instruments and made outfits, but couldn't play. Valerie Gell and Sylvia Saunders found out about the all-girl group and went to Mary's house to investigate. When they discovered that they couldn't play, Gell offered to teach them guitar. A few weeks later the other members of the first group dropped out and Mary, Sheila, Valerie and Sylvia formed another version of the group.
Previously known as
The Squaws, and then
The Debutones. Changed their name to the Liverbirds before the end of 1963. At some point in their early history they were referred to as
The Bikinis, probably by Mersey Beat magazine.
They began as a four-piece instrumental group and advertised for a singer to front the group in 1963. Apparently there were about 40 applicants. Irene Green was chosen.
Auditioned in front of Henry Henroid at the Rialto Ballroom, Liverpool in December
1963, to be considered for playing at The Star Club in Hamburg. Henroid was impressed and set about the process of arranging for these teenage girls to get their passports, visas and work permits. This took a few months and The Liverbirds did not get to go until their line-up had changed.
In April 1964 Irene Green left and started working under the name Tiffany. She joined the
Four Dimensions who changed their name to
Tiffany's Dimensions when playing gigs with Tiffany.
Tiffany also did solo engagements.
Sheila McGlory is on the far left of this picture.
Sheila McGlory also left in 1964. Sheila was later in
The Demoiselles.
Pamela Birch was brought in to play guitar and take over lead singing duties.
Pamela Birch had previously played in a duo with her sister Diane.
Supported many of the top groups of the day, including, The Rolling Stones, The Rockin' Berries and
The Kinks.
Managed by Manfred Weissleder.
In May 1964 an article in The People newspaper was published about the Liverbirds waiting for their big break and hoping to travel to Hamburg to play at the clubs.
The Liverbirds had more success in Germany than in the UK, especially in Hamburg.
Appeared on the very first episode of the pop music TV show Beat Club in Germany, playing live.
Reached No. 5 in the German singles charts.
The Liverbirds appeared in a film in February 1966 starring The Rattles, which was a Beatles-style effort called 'Hurra! Die Rattles Kommen!'. In the film the Liverbirds performed a couple of tracks from their album.
The beginning of the end came for the Liverbirds when Sylvia had to leave in 1967 because of problems during pregnancy. Val also left after her boyfriend, and future husband, was paralysed in a car accident. The Liverbirds were offered a tour of Japan around this time and recruited two German girls to complete this tour. Christiane Schulz and Renate Wassermeyer played guitar and drums respectively. Once the tour ended the group split.
Japan tour poster with new members Christiane and Renate.
Disbanded in 1968.
The Liverbirds reformed in 1998 and 2005 for reunion gigs.
In 2019 a stage show premiered at The Royal Court, Liverpool, about The Liverbirds' story called 'Girls Don't Play Guitars'. The two surviving members, Sylvia Saunders and Mary McGlory, were there and played on stage during the finale.
In 2023 The Liverbirds began to release new material including the songs '1964' and 'Rock Your World' with original members Sylvia Saunders and Mary McGlory and using the talents of Molly-Grace Cutler and Lisa Wright, from the Liverpool musical "Girls Don't Play Guitars" and later American musicians Lisa Troyer and Dawn Yoder. The new material was recorded in Hamburg, Germany.
Germany Singles
1964 Shop Around/It's Got To Be You Star Club 148 508 STF
(Released December 1964)
1965 Diddley Daddy/Leave All Your Love In The Past Star Club 148 526 STF
(Released April 1965. Reached No. 5 in the German charts)
1965 Peanut Butter/Why Do You Hang Around Me Star Club 148 528 STF
(Released June 1965)
1966 Loop De Loop/Bo Diddley Is A Lover Star Club 148 554 STF
(Released May 1966)
Germany LPs
1965 Star Club Show 4 Star Club 148 003 STL (STY)
1966 More of Star Club 158 021 STY
Netherlands Singles
1965 Shop Around/It's Got To Be You Fontana 148 508 STF
(Released 15 February 1965)
1965 Diddley Daddy/Leave All Your Love In The Past Fontana 148 526 STF
(Released 31 May 1965)
Japan Singles
1965 It's Got To Be You/Shop Around Philips FL-1180
(Released September 1965)
1968 Diddley Daddy/Too Much Monkey Business Philips SFL-1148
(Released May 1968)
US Singles
1965 Shop Around/It's Got To Be You Philips 40276
(Released March 1965)
1965 Peanut Butter/Why Do You Hang Around Me Philips 40288
(Released April 1965)
1965 Why Do You Hang Around Me/Diddley Daddy Philips 40288
(Released April 1965. Different track)
Known Gigs
6 Dec 1963 Liverpool, Adelphi Hotel. 22nd Annual Dinner Dance of the West Lancashire and Cheshire Division of the Motor Agents' Association.
Clipping from Liverpool Echo 7th Dec 1963.
16 Dec 1963 Dunfermline, Kinema Ballroom, Scotland.
4 Jan 1964 Liverpool, The Cavern, Mathew Street. With Chick Graham and the Coasters, The Master Sounds, and The Mark Four.
10 Jan 1964 Liverpool, The Cavern, Mathew Street. Lunchtime gig.
21 Jan 1964 Liverpool, The Cavern, Mathew Street.With The Kubas, The Rats, and The Panthers.
23 Jan 1964
Sheffield, Sheffield University. With The Searchers, Pete Lloyd and the Strangers, and
The Vantennas.
26 Jan 1964 Liverpool, The Cavern, Mathew Street. With Alexis Korner's Blues Inc., Vic and the TT's, and The Georgians.
14 Feb 1964
Liverpool, The Cavern, Mathew Street. With The Remo Four, The Riot Squad, and
Alby and the Sorrals.
21 Feb 1964
Frodsham, Mersey View. Supporting
The Kinks.
15 Mar 1964
Newcastle Upon Tyne, Popular Music Club. Supporting
The Kinks.
18 Mar 1964 Liverpool, The Cavern, Mathew Street. With The Kubas, The Country Gentlemen, and The Shimmy Shakers.
