Fifteen Quickfire Questions for . . . The Liverbirds
By Faber Editor, 17 May 2024
Mary McGlory of The Liverbirds entertains fifteen quickfire questions from our team.
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.
The Liverbirds: Our life in Britain’s first female rock ’n’ roll band is out now.
What is the best song to wake up to?
‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine’ by Marvin Gaye.
What one meal could resurrect you from the dead?
My mother’s Sunday dinner.
Who or what has most influenced your career?
The Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
What song do you wish you had written?
‘Imagine’.
What would you change about yourself if you could?
My being impatient sometimes.
What is your most valued possession?
My memories.
Which artist would you most like to bring back to life?
My husband, Frank.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A nun.
What are you most fascinated with?
Watching small children, of about two or three, having a conversation.
What was your first job?
Bookkeeping at James Brown & Co.
Where would you take an alien to teach them about life on Earth?
Probably to Ireland.
What do you splurge on?
Holidays with my children and grandchildren.
How do you pass time on a long flight?
Reading.
How do you like to celebrate success?
With family and friends at my favourite Greek restaurant.
From expensive candles to bowls of brown-free M&Ms on demand, the artist’s rider is a key part of their mystique: what would yours be and why?
A bottle of champagne and fish and chips (wrapped in newspaper, of course!).