Faber nabs untold story of Britain’s first female rock ’n’ roll band

Faber has nabbed the untold story of Britain’s first female rock ’n’ roll band, The Liverbirds.

World rights excluding US and Canada were acquired by Alexa von Hirschberg (formerly publishing director at Faber) from Jenny Hewson at Lutyens & Rubenstein. Fiona Crosby, senior commissioning editor, is the editor, and Grand Central will be publishing in North America.

The band that is the subject of the book was formed by four friends and started playing in the early 1960s out of Liverpool. The synopsis says: "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’... 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.

Drummer Sylvia Saunders and bassist and vocalist Mary McGlory said: "We’re so excited to be able to tell readers about our life-changing experiences with the first all-girl rock ’n’ roll band. It’s about our time playing in the sixties, our story of love found and lost, but ultimately about unbreakable, enduring friendships. Sixty years later, there are still very few all-female bands, so we hope this book will also encourage others to follow our example."

Crosby added: "The story of The Liverbirds is little known but utterly remarkable. We’re delighted to be bringing it back into the limelight. With a star-studded background cast from the likes of The Beatles, The Kinks and Jimi Hendrix, Mary and Sylvia’s book is a joyous read about liberation and the Sixties music scene."