Press & Publicity
Press Release January 2009
Musician to string along with Cavern favourites
Jan 29 2009 by Alan Weston, Liverpool Daily Post
AS A FORMER lecturer, turned musician, singer-songwriter, Bill Hart is a man with many
strings to his bow. Now he is hoping to add another by suspending 100 guitars from the
ceiling for a major new art installation.
Although the guitars can be of any value, type or condition, they must have one thing in common: they were all at some time played in public at Liverpool’s legendary Cavern Club.
This would potentially cover anyone from the Mathew Street club’s 52-year history, from
John Lennon’s first band the Quarrymen, through to the early days of The Beatles and Merseybeat, right up to modern-day acts such as The Wombats.
In between were thousands of unsung guitarists, whose instruments Mr Hart is also
hoping to feature in his installation.
The “floating” sculpture is intended to convey a gently flowing wave on the River Mersey.
It will cover a floor area of 1,200 sq ft, with the surrounding walls used to display information about each individual guitar donor.
Mr Hart, 62, hopes to have the installation ready to be displayed at a venue such as Tate Liverpool in 2011, which would also mark the 50th anniversary of the birth of “Merseybeat.”
Although he is seeking guitars, Mr Hart is a drummer by trade and plays with several
bands in and around the Southport area, where he lives. He said: “I’ve been a rock’n’roller all my life. Liverpool was at the forefront of the Mersey sound, with the Beatles and all the many others.
“I hope to get Paul McCartney to donate one of his guitars, but there are so many other musicians that never get any recognition, so they will also get a bit of glory out of it because they will be contributing to the building of the sculpture.“I want something that makes people proud of their association with the north-west, and to celebrate these unsung heroes.”
Mr Hart said he was inspired to create his own installation after seeing the work of Cheshire-
born, Turner Prize-nominated artist Cornelia Parker, specifically her artwork 30 Pieces of
Silver.
This involved flattening more than 1,000 silver items by steamroller and suspending the remnants from the ceiling.
However, Mr Hart promises that a similar fate will not befall the guitars he receives, and that all will be returned in their original condition. He said: “All I need at this stage is a promissory note from each donor that they’ll submit a guitar for the duration of the exhibition, along with a date and some kind of authentication of when and where it was played.
Paul McCartney guitar will be at Hart of artwork
Feb 16 2009 by Alan Weston, Liverpool Daily Post
Bill Hart and the
Sir Paul McCartney signed
copy of one of his guitars.
A BASS guitar once played by Sir Paul McCartney will take pride of place in a planned art installation to celebrate 50 years of Merseybeat.
The Mersey Sound Wave is the dream of musician-singer-songwriter Bill Hart, who is aiming to collect 100 guitars which have been played at Liverpool’s legendary Cavern Club.
These will then be suspended from the ceiling to create a wave effect.
Since the proposed artwork was first publicised in the Daily Post last month, Mr Hart has been inundated with promises of donations.
But the “jewel in the crown” was the offer of a Hofner Violin bass, signed by Sir Paul during his famous homecoming gig at the Cavern in 1999, and now on display in the Cavern pub.
Former Wings member and McCartney sideman Denny Laine fully endorsed the Mersey Sound Wave project when he made his own appearance at the Cavern for a live recording with his band last night. He said he would try to donate one of his own guitars to be included in Mr Hart’s exhibition, adding: “I admire what he’s doing. It’s an artistic endeavour, it’s different and it’s ambitious, and I’m into anything like that. “The Cavern has been the church of northern music, and anything associated with that is great. ”
Mr Hart, 62, is hoping to gather together enough guitars to create the artwork by 2011 to mark the 50th anniversary of the birth of Merseybeat. They can be of any value, type or condition but must have been played in public at the Mathew Street venue.
He has already won the backing of The Cavern Club who have said they will help contact musicians, both famous and unsung, who have played there in the past.
Mr Hart said: “Things have happened so fast since I first revealed the project that it’s been difficult to draw breath.
“The Cavern is the centre of the popular music universe for me, so to get their support is great.
“The idea of the Wave came from the fact that the music arrived in the late 50s and early 60s via the Cunard and merchant ships bringing R&B records to Liverpool from New York. I also want to involve the local schools and colleges by holding an Open Day at the Cavern.”
Ray Johnson, events manager at the Cavern, added: “I think the Mersey Sound Wave is a great way to commemorate and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Merseybeat, and I’m pretty confident we’ll be able to get 100 guitars together.”
* IF YOU have a guitar which could be included in the installation, Mr Hart can be contacted on 0845 0948795.
