The Big Three
In 1962 the most popular group on Merseyside with other
musicians was possibly not The Beatles
but The Big Three, and yet they couldn't transform their local
success into national fame. Johnny Hutchinson could have been a
millionaire but ended up as a small-time builder.
 The
Big Three developed from the 1950's group Cass And The Cassanovas.
The group got rid of their rhythm guitarist and decided to stay
together as a trio, primarily because nobody on Merseyside had
done a loud trio before.
John 'Gus' Gustafson, Johnny 'Hutch' Hutchinson and Adrian
Barber played hard and fast, with loud and raucous drumming,
combined with obscure R&B material. (They were the first band
in Liverpool with Some Other Guy and Money).
The Big Three were signed by Brian Epstein,
who sent them to the Star Club in Hamburg. When the band returned
to Merseyside, Adrian Barber remained at the Star Club as stage
manager and was replaced in The Big Three by Brian Griffiths.
While they were in Hamburg, Epstein
arranged an audition with Decca. Their first single, Some Other
Guy, was actually a demo tape for Decca, and only made it to
Number 37 in the British charts, and yet remains the favourite Merseybeat
record of many Liverpool musicians who were around at the time.
Their most successful record was By The Way (No 22),
although this Mitch Murray song would probably have been more
suited to Freddie & The
Dreamers. The band would have much rather played Little
Richard songs, but they wouldn't have been as commercial.
Brian Epstein
was fighting a losing battle trying to transform these rough
diamonds into a happy, smiling pop band. He couldn't control their
live performances and The Big Three seemed plagued by crowds of
thugs and ruffians (and were not adverse to joining in the
fisticuffs with swinging guitars!).
But their live performances were exciting (as can be heard on
their The Big Three At The Cavern EP. Epstein
eventually sacked the band for "unruly and rowdy behavior"
(erm . . . but isn't that the essence of Rock & Roll, Brian?)
and an argument over the division of wages ultimately caused the
band to split up. Hutch worked with other musicians (notably Faron
and Paddy Chambers, both of Faron's
Flamingos) as The Big Three, but eventually moved out of
music.
Griff had a timber yard in Liverpool and moved to Canada. In
1973 he and Gus made an album called Resurrection as The
Big Three (with Elton John's drummer
Nigel Olsson).
Gus joined The Merseybeats and
became a respected session player in the 1970s, particularly for Roxy
Music. He was on the original cast album of Jesus Christ
Superstar and wrote the 1982 hit Dear John for Status
Quo.
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