The topic on 60's London clubs proved popular, so (as there's a decent book just out on the 60's scene in the Midlands) I thought I'd start this one ...

.. hopefully we'll get lots of input about clubs out of my sphere back then (in say Northampton, Peterboro, Harboro, Gloucester & the like) ...

I'll open things up with info on (& an extract from) the book & a few old ads …

 

A regular bunch of soulies from Peterboro & Lincoln used to travel up to attend the Mojo niters in the mid 60's … folk from Kidderminster were among the usual crowd at the Wheel in the mid to late 60's. I also know folk from Newark, Grantham, Derby, etc would gravitate to the clubs in Nottingham most weekends plus folk from Brum, Walsall, Northampton & the like were frequently @ the Nite Owl in Leicester … but other crowds must have travelled to the more mod / soul orientated cities on a weekend back then. 

A link to the book on Amazon (if anyone wants to buy a copy) ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mods-Connection-Memories-Leicester-Nottingham/dp/1780915861/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3AK7V66F9WCFZ&keywords=mods+two+city+connection&qid=1557558193&s=books&sprefix=mods+two+city%2Cstripbooks%2C163&sr=1-1-catcorr

After the Mojo was closed down (in Oct 67), Stringfellow became a regular in the Nottingham clubs. He headed up a weekly nite at one in late 67 / 68 (it was the Dungeon) …..  the Groove A GoGo Ravin In Scene … 

Edited May 11, 20196 yr by Roburt

Then there was the Blue Moon in Cheltenham.

Edited May 11, 20196 yr by Roburt

1 hour ago, Roburt said:

After the Mojo was closed down (in Oct 67), Stringfellow became a regular in the Nottingham clubs. He headed up a weekly nite at one in late 67 / 68 (it was the Dungeon) …..  the Groove A GoGo Ravin In Scene … 

These are great links about the Dungeon Club and Nottingham Mod Scene

https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com/2017/03/28/nottingham-mods-the-kings-of-cool/

https://www.nottinghampost.com/whats-on/music-nightlife/remembering-nottinghams-1960s-mods-amazing-2660939

Edited May 11, 20196 yr by Blackpoolsoul
Typo and added link

Being from the West Riding (now Sth Yorkshire), I always class the likes of Chesterfield, Worksop, Retford & Lincoln as being in the Midlands … AND … being from God's country, I can't ever be wrong … so Retford's top club fits well into this thread … 

Edited May 11, 20196 yr by Roburt

We used (in mid to late 67) head off most Saturdays to the Nite Owl in Leicester. We'd either hitch down there via Nottingham (meeting up with local soul boys in their fave Notts pub), get a lift to the club in a car that would go via Lincoln (where the driver would pick up his girlfriend) or catch the train to Leicester from Sheffield Midland Stn (a few minutes after midnight so we could buy a day return) …. I liked the club for the brief period it was in biz between the Mojo niters ending & the Owl being closed down in early Dec 67.

BTW, lots of similar info in this old thread from 2008 … 

 

Anyone here got any memorabilia relating to the Blue Orchid in Draycott, Derby. Seems to be a venue for which little to nothing exists on-line.

I believe this modern day map shows the location of the place (a country club in the middle of nowhere) ...

21 minutes ago, Roburt said:

Anyone here got any memorabilia relating to the Blue Orchid in Draycott, Derby. Seems to be a venue for which little to nothing exists on-line.

I believe this modern day map shows the location of the place (a country club in the middle of nowhere) ...

There was this thread 15 years ago

 

So did the Blue Orchid niters just feature records or did they also have live soul acts on ? (guess the likes of the Fantastics, Flirtations, J J Jackson, Jimmy James & Vagabonds, etc would play the place on it's cabaret nights).  When did their niters start & finish ?

Nottingham seemed much more soulful in the 60's, though Derby did have CLOUDS which booked many US + UK based soul acts for live shows.

Edited May 11, 20196 yr by Roburt

Back to Nottingham … it had the reputation back then for being the city with the most fine women going out clubbing on a regular basis … that & decent soul tunes (live & from record) in a number of venues … not a bad place at all …

Bits & pieces about three of its top mod / soul haunts; the Beachcomber, Dungeon & Brit Rowing Club … BTW, if you think having Amen Corner on at a soul club was strange, don't forget the mainstays of their live show back then were songs such as OUR LOVE IS IN THE POCKET, EXPRESSWAY TO YOUR HEART, LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL / FEEL: SO GOOD, I DON'T WANNA DISCUSS IT / AMEN and more …. 

Another flyer for the nite owl included the Temptations, I recall seeing them at the Nite Owl and seem to remember them being the British Temptations of which there were 4 and one was white on that occasion.

On 11/05/2019 at 11:50, Roburt said:

Then there was the Blue Moon in Cheltenham.

This link may be of interest for anyone wishing to learn more about the Blue Moon in Cheltenham

https://www.thelocalanswer.co.uk/news/sport/general/1711-chel-general-blue-moon.aspx?area=cheltenham

23 hours ago, ibiza steve said:

Another flyer for the nite owl included the Temptations, I recall seeing them at the Nite Owl and seem to remember them being the British Temptations of which there were 4 and one was white on that occasion.

Yes, I included that in my initial post. I attended that nite, getting to see the group who had been the Velours & became the Fantastics. Here's another for a nite I didn't actually attend at the club but my mate Tom did (I was @ the Mojo niter at the time but saw Garnett at the Mojo dayer on that Sunday -- the next day). I posted other Owl bits on an old Nite Owl related thread on here.

Edited May 13, 20196 yr by Roburt

It seems that Malvern Winter Gardens was a big music venue in the 60's & 70's … in the 70's, it was mainlyrock bands that were booked but in the 60's it was R&B / soul bands that were often on there …. one London based 'lesser known' outfit who headlined there were Jeff Curtis & the Flames. This outfit had a number of different managers but by 1965 they were signed with Roy Tempest (the guy who brought all the US soul groups over here in the mid to late 60's but got them to perform as  outfits such as the Temptations & Marvelettes). Members of the group quit to join other outfits such as Beau Brummell & The Noblemen & Manchester’s Playboys. Many of Roy Tempests UK groups were used on tours and backed up visiting US soul acts. Anyone know if Jeff Curtis & the Flames got to tour behind a US act ?

Edited May 14, 20196 yr by Roburt

As a bunch of Peterboro lads were regulars @ the Mojo in 66/67, I always assumed that the town had little going for it back then (soul wise) BUT it seems it did have one venue worthy of mention back in the late 60's (& into the 70's)  -- CLOUD NINE.

There's an article on the venue here … https://theyplayedpeterborough.com/?p=7114

Poster for a gig staged there in early 1970 ...

Edited May 15, 20196 yr by Roburt

Early summer 69 … obviously not into it's 'soul era' yet … 

 

Retford, Nottingham & Hinckley … gigs from back in the day … 

 

Soul @ the footie stadium, @ the Working Mens Club and @ the equestrian centre … it was everywhere back then … 

anyone know who ran Rivonia Promotions in Whatton, Notts (which was & is in the middle of nowhere) ?

 

A soul festival alldayer staged back in 69 ….  wonder how many turned up solely to enter the Coke Drinking & Crisp Eating contests ? 

Saw loads of gigs at Clouds from the opening night . Steam Packet with Rod Stewart , Mad Lads , Showstoppers , Original Drifters ( who knows )  Geno Washington  as well as  Garnet Mimms , who went on twice and did exactly the same set after 4 of us pleaded with him and the promoters to go on stage again . Have photos of Ben E King , The Who , Small Faces , The Action taken at The Dungeon in Nottingham