17 March 1962 - Saturday
Joan McEvoy's home
Huyton
Photographer: Dick Matthews (top three)
Photographer: Mike McCartney
Several of these photos are compliments of samleach.com
Used by permission © Sam Leach

Earlier in the evening, The Beatles performed at the Village Hall in Knotty Ash, Liverpool. The evening was billed as a "St. Patrick's Night Rock Gala". The promoter, Sam Leach, booked The Beatles and Rory Storm and The Hurricanes to draw a big crowd so that he could make enough profits to pay for his engagement party, scheduled to follow the night's show. Both bands attended Leach's party, which didn't end until the following afternoon.

The party was at the family house in Huyton, thrown by Dolly, mother of Vera and Joan McEvoy (Joan was engaged to Sam Leach). Guests, among others: The Beatles, Brian, Rory Storm, Bob Wooler.

According to some reports, Brian pursues Vera all night. Sam leach confirms this, "I can vouch for the fact that Brian fell in love with Vera and pursued her all night. In fact after the party he wrote more than one letter to Dolly asking her could she help him fix a date with Vera. Unfortunately for Brian she wasn't interested."




Sam Leach jests, "George trying to muscle in with Joan."

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Sam Leach tells me, as this photo was taken, "Rory Storm was lying on
the floor hopelessly drunk. He shouted up to Paul, 'I wanna be in the picture'.
So, as you can see, Paul bent down and lifted his foot into the shot."


The Anthology book features this and the photo below on a page about going back to Vi Caldwell's home after gigs. It seems to imply that all the photos were taken at Vi's. However, that same page also features a couple of photos that, clearly, are not taken at Vi's home. Based on John and Paul's hair and attire, it seems evident that these two photos were taken on this date. Also, the shoulder seen in the lower-right of the above photo appears to be that of Joan or Vera.



Paul and, then, girlfriend Dorothy "Dot" Rhone.