[1][3][5] After leaving high school, Lincoln began wrestling in showground bouts staged by Roy Bell.
Unhappy with this, Assirati conducted a campaign of harassment against Crabtree at BWF shows, forcing him to retire from wrestling for several years.
[1][4] In April 1956, Lincoln and his business partner Ray Hunter purchased the lease on the 2i's, a steakhouse in Soho, London, and turned it into a coffeehouse.
[6][14] In July 1956, The Vipers Skiffle Group took shelter from the rain in the 2i's, whereupon Lincoln suggested they keep playing in the coffeehouse's basement.
[14] The 2i's went on to become hugely successful after Lincoln began staging music evenings aimed at teenagers featuring rock and roll and skiffle acts.
[16] Musicians such as Cliff Richard, Adam Faith, Ritchie Blackmore, Lionel Bart, and Tommy Steele went on to launch their careers in the 2i's.
[20][21] In addition to running the 2i's, Lincoln also managed the musicians Terry Dene, Wee Willie Harris,[1][22] and Kris Kristofferson,[23] as well as the band Les Hobeaux.
The concerts ran until 1963, with acts such as James Brown, Ray Charles, Chas Hodges, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Shadows, and Gene Vincent amongst those performing.