In 1963, John Lennon, a member of The Beatles, got into a big fight with a man named Bob Wooler. John later said, “I was hitting him hard with a big stick, and I thought, ‘I could kill him.’ I saw it like a movie in my head—if I hit him one more time, that would be it.” After calming down, John sent Bob a message that said, “Really sorry Bob, I’m worried about what I did. What more can I say?”
This happened at a party for Paul McCartney’s 21st birthday on June 18, 1963. The Beatles were already famous in England. They had hit songs like “Love Me Do” and “Please Please Me,” and soon they’d record “She Loves You,” which would make them stars all over the world. Even though they were getting big, they still wanted to celebrate Paul’s birthday the old-fashioned way—with family, friends, and lots of drinks in his aunt’s backyard.
Bob Wooler was a big part of The Beatles’ early days in Liverpool. He was the DJ at the Cavern Club, where the band played 292 times. Bob knew everything about music in the city and loved to talk about it. He had a fun way of speaking, using silly phrases like “Hi all you Cavern dwellers, welcome to the best of cellars” or “The Sheik of Shake.” Everyone liked Bob because he was friendly and kind.
Before working at the Cavern, Bob helped a band called The Kingstrums and later became a DJ at dancehalls around Liverpool. He even worked at a club called the Top Ten, but it burned down. Then he got the job at the Cavern, where he met The Beatles. John liked chatting with Bob about music and sometimes played tricks on him by putting a pill in his drink to make him talk more.
The party for Paul’s birthday was a big deal in Liverpool. Local bands, friends, and even famous people like Cilla Black showed up. There was music, laughing, and drinking—everything you’d expect at a fun Liverpool party. But things turned bad when Bob made a joke that upset John.
John had just come back from a trip to Spain with The Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein. Some people thought it was strange for John to go on a trip with Brian instead of staying home with his wife, Cynthia, and their new baby, Julian. Bob teased John about it, calling it a “honeymoon.” John, who had been drinking a lot, got very angry. He said later, “I was so drunk I wanted to drink from empty glasses.”
That’s when John attacked Bob. He hit him hard with a stick and didn’t stop until he realized he could really hurt him. People at the party were shocked because Bob was so nice and didn’t fight back. Cynthia, John’s wife, was upset too. She had told John to stop being violent after he hit her years before, and he had promised to change.
A few days later, John sent Bob a message saying he was sorry. When they saw each other again, John said, “Sorry about that, Bob.” Bob forgave him, and most people didn’t stay mad at John for long. Cynthia said John never got violent like that again while they were together.
Bob was a quiet man who didn’t talk much about his personal life. He was gay, but back then, it was hard for people to be open about that. The fight left him less confident, and he stayed more private after that. The story got into a newspaper, but it didn’t become a big deal like some other Beatles stories later on. In 1963, people didn’t talk about fights the way they do now.
Bob helped The Beatles a lot in their early days. He even came up with the order of their names—John, Paul, George, and Pete (later Ringo)—that we still know today. He went to Beatles events in later years and passed away in 2002. Bob Wooler was a special person in Liverpool and in The Beatles’ story—a kind man who loved music and made people smile.
