Gene Vincent at the Cavern in Liverpool

Mike McCartney took some amazing photographs at the Cavern in Liverpool in the early 1960s, including a few memorable pics of John, Paul, George, Pete, and Gene Vincent.  But I’d never seen this one until a month ago.  Rock ’n’ roll had literally gone underground as this picture shows, incubating until it was ready for a rebirth.  The flame flickered in this sewer turned nightclub.  And there he is, the Screaming End, Mr. Wildcat, the Be-Bop-a-Lula kid, Gene Vincent delicately holding the candle.