The Mayfair Ballroom opened by the Mecca organization on 12th September 1961 and continued to be a major venue in the city for 38 years. I remember a night run by the students union at the Mayfair where they would have on 3 or 4 top groups of the sixties. The summer of 1967 I emigrated to Saskatchewan, Canada. Is Jim wright still alive? Whatever happened to them ? According to her they had sex on the floor there. The clubs Jeffrey ran in NEWCASTLE explain now why a lot of the music groups of the ROCK groups of the era needed 2 PULL!!! Also when I used go to the Dolce there used to be a DJ called Jimmy Walker. Me mam and dad met there in 1970 and Id love to get them a photo made? Marcus now lives in Leeds and is a professional artist. I noted last year when we posted vintage photos of clubs and music venues, that the 1970s and 1980s were great times in New Jersey for those who had a penchant for live music. I WAS A (VERY)YOUNG LEAD SINGER WITH THE CRUSADERS RESIDENT GROUP AT LA STRADA CLUBS 63/69,IF JANE IS READING THIS I WORKED WITH HER DAD KEN MADDISON FOR YEARS.HE WROTE MUSIC FOR ME FOR OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS AND WE MADE DEMO RECORDINGS TOGETHER FOR ERIC BOSWELL.I LOVED HIM AND BOY WHAT A MUSICIAN.I LEARNED OF HIS PASSING NOT LONG AFTER AND SHED A TEAR.I WISH I COULD HAVE SEEN HIM ONE MORE TIME.THOSE YEARS RIGHT THRO THE BEATLES ERA AND WORKING WITH ALL THOSE STARS WAS UNFORGETTABLE .OH I COULD WRITE A BOOK.GOD BLESS YOU KEN. I have fond memories of the Cavendish Club from 1967. What an era! Such a shame it all came to an end way too soon. Your email address will not be published. Lol. But I am sure that they also got a lot of bands from London. During the sixties, seventies and beyond the Mayfair hosted some unforgettable nights featuring many of the top chart and touring bands of the era; bands such as Led Zeppelin, The Who, Pink Floyd, Queen, Black Sabbath, The Clash, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Motorhead, Thin Lizzy and Nirvana, to name just a few. Thanks for the memories though, and keep up the good work. Its a good job my parents never heard about the murder that took place there in the mid 70s. One of our group was Pat Carling. He was an alto sax/clarinet player with Don Smith in the 60s and I worked in the cloakroom for about a year. The last couple of times I've been in the beer has been very poor, I tried the Landlords bitter and old speckled hen but both were tasting dodgy. Does anyone remember anyone from there? Gordon Livingstone. I too loved that era seemed to be so much fun and simpler! The reunion took place at the Jazz Caf, Pink Lane, Newcastle hosted by Keith Crombie who was involved in the day to day running of several Newcastle clubsback in the sixties. Trevor Chance. Fond memories of him. Rehearsals were sometimes in the Engineers Club in Ellison place. There was mutual respect there. worked there opposite the Sounds with Eddie Farrow and Bobby Carr on a temporary basis untill a club in Low Fell was completed.. that name escapes me tho.,.One night at at the Picadilly, Ronnie Pipe in an agitated state (unusual for him MR laid back) informed my old man that the the CRAYS were in.. sure enough. Does anyone remember Joe and Pat McBeth,fab dancers, Does anyone know of any Italian restaurant where someone called Frank Calzini or Franco Calzini worked in 1967 it was in Pink Lane. Thank you. Does anyone have a list of bands appearing at the Ballroom in the University Union in the 1960s, Eclection, Family, Jethro Tull, Graham Bond, Taste, Pink Floyd , Alex Harvey for starters. Great time being a teenager in the 60s in Newcastle. If anyone has any good images or information, please post on here or contact me personally. Hi does anyone know what happened to Tom Oxley the nightclub photographer? If Pete is still around you could use my email to get them together. Bounce Back 2 the Old Skool . But you'll always have your memories. I beleive he appeared at a number of clubs in Newcastle and the north east. I worked in the baileys club Bloomers in bath lane first manager was Dave abbot who went to a bailey club in Stockton second manager was Bob Duncan who after three years moved over to manage La Dolce Vita . I would like to say a huge Thank You to Roger for first of all, building up this amazing website and secondly helping people, as you have with me, to share their memories of a very special time in their lives. The drummer had an American car. Robbie use to lean out of the passenger window as they were driving around shouting LOOK NO HANDS ! I stayed with Kim when she went solo but only again for a short time. Davey, worked at club agogo sadly passed away yesterday morning great man. Ahhh the memories of such magical days If you want to get in touch enquiry@deadgoodvideo.co.uk. please HELP solve the mystery that was geoff manning. My sister was the girlfriend of Gordon Cleghorn. I was so petrified that I felt that every part of my body froze. Im loving the new web site a fantastic design and fantastic photos. The lion was not part of the act, the guy just had it as a pet,it was amazing when he walked into the club with the lion on the lead. went to most of the other clubs mentioned, brilliant times ? Hi Check out our Memory Lane local history website. Also played drums on I Keep Singing that same old song, Heavy Jelly (Skip Bifferty). and myself on Hammond Organ. You and I used to share guitar vocals with Ken Maddison in the early 70s at La Strada until I moved to Montego Bay. Sixties and seventies I had 7 music and record shops around Tyneside so was involved with the discos and nightclubs dance music sounds and strings. 69 Club Westgate Street plus MANY social clubs all around the North East. Eric Burdon of the Animals lived in the Walker area and I remember standing next to him in the bus queue shortly before he rocketed to international fame. Near the North/South Shields ferry landing. I must have known your Dad as I went there a lot (do you have any photos of your dad from then, Im certain that I will recognise him and then after I met John there in 1974 we shared our club nights between Change Is or was iit Bloomers then and Scamps. Johny Sampson provided the music with Mirelle Grey and later Johny Heenan. The Club AGogo was situated on Percy Street, Newcastle on the top floor of a building which was also above the famous Handyside Arcade (or Arcadia as it was sometimes called). My dad played with him in a band before the war as a lad in Newcastle. What a very comprehensive and informative site and great to see some of the places that meant quite a lot to me in my younger days. I still have the Badfinger single I won off the DJ in my treasure box. Others such as the unique Grotto, built among caves on the seafront at Marsden, are very much still with us. But who were the men and woman who owned and ran the north easts iconic clubs and kept us entertained throughout the sixties? My first event that I went to was every Saturday at the Miners Welfare hall which I think was in Burnopfield where the reqular group were Trevor Chance and the Gamblers. La Dolce Vita went into decline in the seventies and had several name changes before finally closing its doors as a venue in 2002. how about that for happenstance. La Dolce Vita supporting P J Proby. i used to go to the old cellar club in south Shields i/m sure it did/nt sell alcohol then, any way my mam bought me a can can petticoat and it was made of lace that was starched and when us girs sat down the petticoat was a massive sea of lace and our [sussies and stockings] were often on view!! Just stumbled across it whilst looking at pics. I went to Change Is probably from 1969 until Scamps opened at the end of 1973. Initially the Downbeat was a jazz venue but towards the end of its life it featured mainly Rhythm & Blues bands. Thanks, Great memories, and thanks to everyone for sharing them. Read more about the Mayfair Ballroom on this link. The club was in a street of semi derelict terrace house and the club itself was an ordinary terraced house with the music on the upper floor. Fantastic read! theses lists and memories are priceless but who can remember the truly horrible bands? Jean x. Fuelled by this success, they picked a fight with Family singer Roger Chapman who proceeded to chin both of them in two minutes. My wife Joan still meets up with the girls every week, Jen Sherwood, Eleanor Robson, Brenda Grieves, Marlene Charlton, Wendy Wilson, Ros Daly, Jean Orr, Elaine McCleod. Ill get back to you on that. Tatler Club in the Haymarket. there was a keyboard player and a drummer called Allan, who drove around Newcastle in a big left hand drive American car. Two Scotsmen together in a nightclub, what could possibly go wrong! Also meeting up on Saturday at the Pit then up to the Go-Go in the afternoon, purple hearts were the thing to have instead of alcohol. It was quite difficult to get a membership in the early days. In relation to the Hendrix gig my dads uncle was the manager at the Haymarket Hotel and he reckons the band had a pint in the back room ,presumably before they went on or between sets, Great to see Germain up there looking as animated as ever ..pity there is not a music track download of everyone in action! oops sorry just found them under media -great stuff thanks. I remember a band called the Wildcats with Hilton Valentine & Chas Chandler (playing bass I think) ,who played at the Hotspur hall in Whitley Bay on Saturday nights in the sixties.I also remember the Alan Price combo playing frequently at the Victoria pub next to Woolworths in Whitley Bay, haven,t seen any mention of these venues in your lists! The Marimba Coffee House on High Bridge, Newcastle (off Grey Street) was another venue opened by Mike Jeffery. me and me mates were rockers, wed move down to the rockliffe arms and the station hotel then the club a go go. That totally made my day, especially after having visited his grave just last week. Amongst those talked about were two men who were heavily involved in the north east club scene in the sixties Mike Jeffery and Ray Grehan. Nice to see the Dolce vita, too. Cheers. 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Do you remember the DJ Big Phil not sure if he ever worked in Change Is but he certainly worked in Scamps, which was the place I went to the most from 1974- onwards probably til I got to the stage where I couldnt go clubbing and get up for work in a Bank anymore-old age I think its called! I used to visit clubs like the Flamingo,La Discotheque, The Scene,Marquee,Whisky A Go Go,All Star, Tiles etc. Is it true? In response to the comments about Bloomers on May 11th by George Sinclair, Venues were St.Georges Drill Hall by Northumberland Rd. Just found a post from Jane Maddison whos dad Ken Maddison was my bandleader for many years after I left groups to settle down. Your email address will not be published. FANTASTIC SITE. Does anyone remember my dad Mike Mccormick who worked for teddy berg at greys, Having read through these posts I dont think anyone has mentioned the fantastic group called the Gas Board they played at the Quay Club also the Majestic, Theres a bit about the Gas Board on this page, Liz: http://readysteadygone.co.uk/bryan-ferry/. HI, JT, Hi Micky Dunn/ John Taberham, A long shot here but wondering if you ever heard of a band called the Lyle Brown showband or similarplayed in whitley bay in the mid 60s. He played a vital role in its history and the history of Newcastles night life in the 60s. In North Shields, for quite a long time in the 60's, the basement of "The Jungle" was a night club. Gigging in the North East 1965-1972. I just wish I could remember them all. There were two lads called Tich and Grass who frequented the club and fancied themselves as hard men.They beat up Paul Williams, who was then with Mayall, when he bumped into one of them. And Shani, you mentioned your Dad playing piano at La Strada, which my Dad did too wow, amazing. Hi Closed to become Ocean & Collins and has since rebranded as Bliss and is now Voodoo. Eileen, In the late fifties I played many of those venues, usually singing and paying guitar in the group called The Black Cats and The Billy Gamblin Trio. Hi David, great to hear from someone who worked in so many places, back in the disco days, doing such an important job by providing the fab music. He was playing at the Arcadia Theatre. Remember Mike Jeffrey trying to get Legalite roulette system into me CIU clubs. Plus Dave living in W. Bay! Before then, they always return false. I also wore a lot of mascara and false eye lashes which sometimes pealed off! I briefly played guitar with the George Ricco Band, rotating between Wetherals, La Dolce Vita and the Cavendish, 1965/66, FABULOUS SITE MY HUSBAND DENNIS BRAZIL REMEMBERS THESE CLUBS WHEN WORKING IN NEWCASTLE YEARS LATER BEFORE WE WERE MARRIED I REMEMBER FROM WORKING IN NEWCASTLE WITH A FRIEND LOVED NEWCASTLE AND THE CLUBS ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE WE ARE IN LEEDS. Near the North/South Shields ferry landing. Sadly he passed away at a comparatively young age. The Majestic Ballroom is probably most famous for hosting the Beatles very first appearance in the city on 28th January 1963. Pete Wallis ( ex Juncopartners and Gamblers), Re Jean McGowan, there are some photos of the inside of Bloomers nightclub on Facebook site called 70s Newcastle Nightclubs if thats a help still have not found a photo of the outside in its hey day but still looking. Im very interested in your post regarding a photographer who may taken photos of the nightclubs many of us attended. Does anyone remember her and her then boyfriend Ron Thomas who worked at the A Gogo (later going on to work at the Quay Club) always had an alsation with him and lived in Sandyford. The lavishly decorated premises had once been the Piccadilly Club, which was run by Dennis Stafford who was later jailed for the 1967 murder of Angus Sibbett in the notorious One-Armed Bandit case. i was the original singer with the Gamblers when we split they joined Billy Fury, who also stole my girlfriend ! my info is that Bob Monkhouse did indeed have an input in Change Is..formerly the Picadilly club the resident band that opened the Picadilly in the mid sixties was Thursday nights at the Agogo were the highlights of my week thats when the big-name touring acts played there, and admission was seven shillings and sixpence. AJS 170. Met my husband there and saw some great bands and stood next to Eric Burdon at the bar. Notice: Function is_feed was called incorrectly.Conditional query tags do not work before the query is run. I would like to think so. even had chairs in the corridor of the hotel they stayed at. Burlesque was my band until car accident and moved to London and became a session singer. We also got introduced to Newcastle Brown too! they were with some very large chaps and i believe an escort of C.I.D. Lovely girl Yours nostalgically I found a photograph of my great-great-grandmother Mary Jane Fergusons public house, the Station Hotel, in Laygate Lane, South Shields. I wonder if anyone would be able to help me to find them or is there a way I can access them without being a member? X. Our nightclub, Industry, will be launching at the end of March, we are next door to Arbeia Bar South Shields. I well remember the Crescendo club belonging to Ray Grehan as I was involved in the alterations carried out there. Big hair and big eyes and John with his shoes wouldve been 65 We married in 1976 and continued to go out to Scamps and are still married now. He now lives in High Heaton I believe. These included Tommy Hendersons Latin American Group and others such as the Bernie Thorpe Trio and Mike Carrs Emcee Four. Bars & Clubs By 688iang The range of beers and ciders is magnificent, all superbly kept by Kath and the staff. The Whitley Bay boys club venue was called Zone 22. How time flies. My credentials for getting the job to the best of my knowledge were I was a pro wrestler along with my tag team partner Jason Joe Robson from the Teams Gateshead and my hobby, hypnotism. Chas Chandler went on to become an impresario on the north east scene and was heavily involved with the Animals. :)Alas, me and my friends said theyd never be famous with a name like that!!!!! We all gave up the Go-Go after Sloopys opened at about 1967, Then it was Change Is which changed to Bloomers where I met my wife Joan, and by that time everyone had moved on and got married, I got married in 1976 aged 27 and now still Happily married with 3 kids and 3 grandchildren . ___________________________________________________________________________. Yes Trever. Then he worked for Baileys moving between the likes of La Dolce Vita, Wetherals, the Latino. Getting your hand stamped if you wanted to get into The Jazz Lounge (I was always too young and had to make do with The Young Set, which I reckon had a better atmosphere anyway!). old now and remember the Change Is days like they were yesterday. Tinker Smiths Brought back a loot of memories. Ken was great with fashions and always wore the latest gear, he got a job at City Stylish so we always tried to keep up with the latest trends. It was a Valentines Dance and we had to do the last part of the show as the audience were clamouring for dance music and they couldnt dance to the Moody Blues! Bob Redhead. Great bloke and wonderful muso. Hi, does anyone remember by dad Alan Clay? I can still remember the feeling of excitement as you stepped down each dark stair til you opened the door and the whole place came alive, with music, gorgeous people and the amazing music which never sounded the same anywhere else and still doesnt! South Shields is a coastal town in the North East of England at the mouth of the River Tyne, about 3.7 miles (6.0 km) downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne. Maggy Ross could be Maggy Heskith who died a few years ago. My grandfather owned a number of clubs and pubs before WW2, including Balmbras in the Cloth Market, of Blaydon Races fame, and Uncle Toms Cabin, an infamous sailors pub in North Shields. Jane Maddison, How are you? Drink and lack of sleep took its toll.The candle which I burnt at both ends went out in 1977. Anyone wanting to get in touch holland.A1@sky.com, Great to see all this stuff ,Ive been searching for a record I heard at the GoGo in about 67/68.Ive no idea what it was caled or who it was by ,the only bit I can remember was it was either called or had a line in it ..youve got roses in your soul