Everyone talks about Blackpool Mecca but can anyone  remember Burnley Mecca

Fantastic soul sessions

Boogaloo Party etc - exceptional tunes

Traveled up on the scooters from the Midlands

Paul, Ray, Richard and occasionally Ron

Yeah I remember it well  I met my wife there all those years ago  and we are still together on the scene.  I remember taking my copy of the incredibles down there for the then  DJ. To play for the fist time  around 1968  i think his name was Mick Brunt. ?   Happy Days 

We have just been talking and remember Lynn Duckworth (from Higham nr Padiham) and her friends.

Paul

What were some of the other decent soul venues in Lancs in the mid to late 60's. Obviously this place was. Then there was the T Wheel in Blackpool & the main un in Manc -- but I know if you missed the midnight (1am?) deadline to get into the Wheel and had to find an alternate venue, there were a couple of other Manc niter venues on around 67/ 68 (was one in Salford ?).

But there were also places like Wigan Casino, Bolton Casino & the Imperial Ballroom in Nelson (all these booked live visiting US soul acts). In Liverpool there was the Sink Club, the Cavern (they held soul niters with US acts on live), the Peppermint Lounge & the Locarno Ballroom.

But there must have been loads of others. I don't mean the little local clubs that just had a DJ who kept up with the latest UK soul releases but places that would book live acts and / or had DJ's who were spinning import 45's that hadn't also been released in the UK. 

Edited April 23, 20178 yr by Roburt

After further discussion we have come up with Lynn Duckworth's friends - Gill Sharpe and Kay Brown

Apologies if you girls are out there and we haven't got the names quite right.

Roburt, you know your clubs.

We knew Manchester and Blackpool but being from the Midlands generally frequented less well know clubs in our own area.

I did visit the Jacaranda in Liverpool as a teenager back in my 'pre soul days', where many top groups played live on their way up.

Let's not forget  Harrison's Hoist in Earby Near Burnley 

14 hours ago, Roburt said:

What were some of the other decent soul venues in Lancs in the mid to late 60's. Obviously this place was. Then there was the T Wheel in Blackpool & the main un in Manc -- but I know if you missed the midnight (1am?) deadline to get into the Wheel and had to find an alternate venue, there were a couple of other Manc niter venues on around 67/ 68 (was one in Salford ?).

But there were also places like Wigan Casino, Bolton Casino & the Imperial Ballroom in Nelson (all these booked live visiting US soul acts). In Liverpool there was the Sink Club, the Cavern (they held soul niters with US acts on live), the Peppermint Lounge & the Locarno Ballroom.

But there must have been loads of others. I don't mean the little local clubs that just had a DJ who kept up with the latest UK soul releases but places that would book live acts and / or had DJ's who were spinning import 45's that hadn't also been released in the UK. 

Hi Roburt, was the Salford (Venue) one in Little Hulton? rings a bell, but maybe for a different reason!

On 4/24/2017 at 10:08, Kenb said:

Hi Roburt, was the Salford (Venue) one in Little Hulton? rings a bell, but maybe for a different reason!

Can't remember now (too long ago). I just know that one winters night (68-ish) we arrived at the Wheel too late and had to find an alternate local niter. We did, it was rekkids only, but I seem to recall we enjoyed ourselves.

The Wigan Casino & the Bolton Casino must have come under the same ownership (or at least shared a booking agent) back in summer 68. I know this for sure as I have the actual contract booking Ike & Tina Turner to play at both venues on the same night back then.

I know that Bolton Casino was still going in the 70's though it did change it's name to Copperfields (or so I understand). Anyone know if the venue was still booking soul acts into the 70's ??

On 4/23/2017 at 20:34, Dothe45 said:

Let's not forget  Harrison's Hoist in Earby Near Burnley 

I went to Harrisons Hoist a few times as I lived in nearby Barnoldswick. Place closed after drug squad raid. Also went to Rose Room at Burnley Mecca where Mick Brunt DJ'd there. Sounds from those days Washed Ashore - Platters, Tightrope Charlie and Inez Fox. Would be around 69/70s. Good times
*
 

I'm assumin you're asking about Burnley Mecca circa mid seventies - well this is what it looked like in May 1979.

Derek

 

Sorry when I started this post I should have said mid 60s

The building was the same in the 70s but branding was different. I would presume there was a smattering of Motown together with chart music of the day during that period.

To be fair Mecca on a Saturday night in the 60s would be the same. Sunday night was the Soul Night, playing fantastic tunes from the Stax, Atlantic, Direction and Bell labels to name a few.

Pete Roberts at 'today's ' Wheel in Manchester still creates a fantastic atmosphere playing this sort of music.

I love Northern. However, if anyone knows of any venues still playing this wonderful 60s Soul, I would love to hear from you.

This was what this fantastic venue looked like in the 60's, featuring the Locarno Mecca signage (courtesy of the Burnley Express). The Rose room is perhaps the most underrated of all the Lancs 60's soul venues. Mick Brunt did DJ there and I also remember Norman Bradley as a DJ there too. Mainstream soul music played in the ballroom, but the real music was upstairs in the Rose room.

I remember the Sunday soul session as being 2/6d entry in 1968, but if you got the Friday Burnley Express, there was often a free entry ticket printed on page 3 which left more to spend on the Double Diamond in the Rose Room bar! We used to park our scooters just around the corner to the right of the entrance and hope they were still there when we came out. 

I remember Lynn & Kay etc. Lynns' Cedar Cottage and Kays' dads'Flying wheel VW garage. First met them at St Leonards youth club in Padiham. We used to drive our scooters over there from Burnley, as one of my friends was going out with a girl who used to go there too.

Crazy, Happy days.

Edited September 28, 20177 yr by Turismo Veloce

On 23/04/2017 at 20:34, Dothe45 said:

Let's not forget  Harrison's Hoist in Earby Near Burnley 

My old mate Phil Haigh R.I. P.  used to go to the place as I'm sure Les Cockell R.I.P. did , there was a big drugs bust there and was closed down. Didn't Flash Atkinson R I P Dj there?                               Regards Fred. 

On 23/04/2017 at 09:30, Mod66 said:

Everyone talks about Blackpool Mecca but can anyone  remember Burnley Mecca

Fantastic soul sessions

Boogaloo Party etc - exceptional tunes

Traveled up on the scooters from the Midlands

Paul, Ray, Richard and occasionally Ron

 

Had some good times at the Sunday soul nights . Remember Ray , Paul and Ron from Shropshire. Just noticed your forum . how are you all doing ? Gillian ,Lynne etc Padiham

Hi Gillian

Thanks for your reply. Have sent you a personal message

Very best wishes

Paul

10 hours ago, Mod66 said:

Hi Gillian

Thanks for your reply. Have sent you a personal message

Very best wishes

Paul

 

10 hours ago, Mod66 said:

Hi Gillian

Thanks for your reply. Have sent you a personal message

Very best wishes

Paul

 

Being from Burnley I was a regular, from the under 18s Thursday nights around 1971-72 to the midweek nights of Tony Jebb, Billy the Kid and later, Ian Levine. The resident DJs were Rod Stewart lookalikes Sammy D & Micky T😂. They used to let a few of us behind the decks to play our "American Imports" Sam & Dave, Arthur Connelly, Otis, James Brown etc, for the last hour. As some of us used to go Blackpool Mecca om the Saturday nights we pestered them to get a proper soul night at the Rose Room and that`s how the midweek soul nights arrived. 

The Small Faces did the Locarno in the 6ts, feat Stevei Marriot.

They also did the Nelson Imperial ballroom, 4 miles away. This place hosted one of the greatest soul shows of the 6ts, the Imp hosted the Atlantic/Stax/Volt tour in 1967, I was there to see Otis Redding, Sam n Dave, Booker T and the Mgs, Steve Cropper with the Mar Keys, Eddie Floyd plus compete Al Bell, what a night!! Mike Brunt the DJ mentioned in the Rose Room now lives in Oregon living and exploring sustainable ways of food production in a natural way, Roman.