Old club acts

Having mentioned old club acts in a previous thread
I thought how many could we name that were minor local stars numerous household names started of working the clubs Paul Shane Billy Pearce Marti kane Charlie Williams to name a few. Whilst others like myself dreamed at times of the big break actually shyed away from it when it came but instead were content in what they were doing earning decent money and having fun
The local clubs and pubs could be hard places to work
It was where you did your apprenticeship so to speak . Having worked the clubs myself many years ago I know just too well the mixed emotions you went through.... The highs the lows and let's not miss the funerals When you are dying on your Ar se .. And just want the ground to swallow you up... Most acts know the feeling too well some more often than others ... Lol
So starting you off... if anybody is interested
Carl Michael... Barnsley
Joel Mcqueen... '' '
Darron T Clarke..... " "
Mike Brent......" "
Sonny j Curtis (Donny lad)
GT Jones ( Sheffield)
Nev Page (Mexborough)
Jimmy Echo .. Barnsley
Sandy Rose.... "" "
Hank Diamond .."
Steve Connley.... " "


Just a few of many to be going at
So over to you the older end lol

 

Mighty atom and Roy

Ronnie Dukes and Ricky lee

Applejacks

Niteskool

Bitter sweet

Ted Beyer

Giant Hogweed

Midnight Duo (parents of Jack Land Noble )

 

Limelight
Bliss
Def Leppard
Squealer
Paddy Green Set
The Discoes
Frank White
Bobby Knutt
And of course Stan Richards

 

I used to work at a big WMC in Donny from being 15-21, Skellow Grange if you've heard of it.

There used to be some cracking bands and the place used to be rocking. Absolutely packed.

The biggest band were house quake, folk used to pile in for them... Not sure they could get away with their act nowadays. Lorraine Crosby who sang with Meat Loaf was doing the rounds back then and I'm going to see the Meat Loaf musical soon and she's part of it.

Skellow Grange died a death and was dead most nights including Saturday when I left, which is sad. Had some great times.

 

Back in the 1950's I worked in an office with Stan Richards ,laugh a minute,until Stan got sacked when the Managing Director discovered him fast asleep in another room! Stan had had a late night performing with The Melody maniacs(?) and couldn't keep awake,

 

Was in a band in the 80s doing the Yorkshire clubs, North East, South Wales and Germany And I was hard but fun. Enough bizarre tales to write a book which I might get round to. You could tell clubs, particularly in Yorkshire, that were going to be hard work from the number of notices in the dressing room (off stage 'store rooms' more often than not) SThey all started the same - "It is expressly forbidden.".....ending with "...by order of the Commit!ee" Oh and the ' Christians to the Lions! signs thoughfully left by some other acts above the door leading onto the stage. Great days!!!

Best one we saw was " It is expressly forbidden to play 'Alice' in this club! by order of the committee" (presumably the Chubby Brown version must have had some frequent airings).

 

Can remember seeing Cannon and Ball at Baa Baa club and Paul Daniels .
Paul wrote a book and in it I was told (I haven’t read it ) that in the dressing room there was a notice which read

“Will Artists please refrain from asking the audience if they are enjoying themselves as this has caused problems in the past “

Dong know if it’s true but I hope it is lol

 

Marti Kane was the compare when my sister appeared on New Faces from the Birmingham Hippodrome.Members of the audience had a gadget what they used to vote but family members wasn't allowed.The winner that night was a singer called Tim Murray who was the son of Ruby Murray.
As for Paul Shane I thought he was the best comic in club land.I recall seeing him 5 nights in one week.

 

If my memory serves me right, the Turnstyles were very popular in the late 60s and 70s. My dad used to tell me that Stan Richards would turn up regularly at the "Packers Party" at Michelle and Darfield Miners Welfare in Wombwell.

 

Jimmy Echo is still doing the pubs and clubs. His lad Darren ( Harry) is/was the drummer for Chumbwamba

 

Welcome to the Phoenix club.

 

Redfearns??

 

I remember Skellow Grange Club very well CT. When I lived in Donny I wrote a weekly column
in the Doncaster Free Press on Country Music. The Clubland reviewer was Julie Hodder and she
used to accompany me on a visit to the various Clubs in and around Donny to review the acts and
the Grange was a regular visit in Julie's itinerary. I had a mate who was a Club artist and I went to see him
on a regular basis. His stage name was Tony Lindell. One night in a Club in Thurnscoe, he met a lass
called Carol Carver. She was a singer herself and under her stage name Carol Deene she had several records
that got in the charts, the most notable being " Norman" and " James ( Hold the ladder steady). They now live
in Spain where they own a Radio Station.

 

He's my wife's cousin in law, Jimmy.

 

Harry now drums for interobang, Dunstan does the singing / shouting so has 2/5ths of chumbawamba in

http://interrobangband.co.uk/

there is a Jimmy Echo remix of tubthumping somewhere on my hard drive as well as a Barnsley 3 Manchester United 2 remix too pop pickers!

 

Sorry I don't know them names, maybe before my time (I'm 34 now), but I used to love them days, beer was cheap and the folk were decent and they were all good times.

 

Julie hodder ( stage name Alison, I think her hubby was called mick and they lived up by the tallyho) she had a shoe shop in Bentley opposite where I lived and I worked there on saturday

 

What about the Grumbleweeds, and you wouldn't forget Dicky and Dotty if you'd ever seen them at Kinsley Farmers.

 

Came all the way to the end to put "Dicky and Dotty" and you beat me to it scarf!

 

it was!!!! Were you there?