He was the minder for Tom Jones when he came to the La Dolce Vita. Just discovered this site. 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. The original building has been demolished and has been replaced by a modern block, which now houses offices and a restaurant. 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. 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. June Viner, Sorry should have said Frank Pickering and Mickey Pemberton. The Old Ship Inn 8 Bars & Clubs By Fairydusters It's like stepping back in time in this bar. All The Clubs from back in the day | Facebook Does anyone remember anyone from there? He even stood in for the pianist who hadnt turned up on my Mum and Dads wedding day! Other people I remember from that period were Greg Burman (sound equipment), Dave Woods ( Impulse Records) and Dave Dixon and Geoff Wonfor from Tyne Tees Television. Just stumbled across it whilst looking at pics. Restaurants in South Shields 1. A weird coincidence is that the bearded chap in the middle is a friend of my wife, hes called Jason Robson, he used to work on the boxing show at the Hoppings, I wonder if he also worked at the Go Go? Im talking late 50s early 60salso played the Newcastle Empire on a show called Carrol Levis discovery.bit like opportunity knockscame 3rd out of 20 so no fame and fortune .I am 73 now and I have always said the best years were without doubt the 60s..When you said next to London came Newcastlecorrect. 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. Under new management I. Ill post a comment as soon as I have anything to report. I was hired by Ron Markem and Bob Monkhouse In January 1969 as Reception Manager for the Change Is club. Hi The Tube being one of his projects. But I am sure that they also got a lot of bands from London. Read more. it was Alfie wright who owned the Crescendo Club at Whitley Bay, not Ray Grehan, trust me I opened it I was around a bit earlier-my brother Tony Gillman (friend of Kieth Crombie)was heavily involved in music scene through New Orleans Jazz Club and used to organize Beach /Forest Barbecues(sometimes unauthorized by council I believe)we seemed to `move away from scene quite quickly-Jazz Bands and all.Great fun and wonderful memories of Melbourne street which ultimately inspired my visit to New Orleans and Nashville-music cities USA-great times. Nine lost North East nightclubs of the 1970s, 80s & 90s During his time working for the organisation he became aquainted with both Vince and Michael Lavaglio and Denis Stafford.. he always found them to be perfect gentlemen in his dealings both on a business and social level. Went to nearly all the clubs mentioned. 10. La Dolce Vita was situated on Low Friar Street not far from the Mayfair Ballroom. Chic was there when I was set upon by a couple of London thugs connected to the Krays, I remember one of the patrons saying that buggers goin back to the smoke with a couple of cracked ribs. I later joined the Gamblers backing Billy Fury. Was the crescendo manager Ken Brady from the Gamblers? 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. five sat new vikings (wally mcgill sid cross etc)high five sun(myself alan hull mickey gallagher kenny anderson martin quinn)forgot to mention when a train rumbled over viaduct all the beers fell off! I now live in Florida where I teach piano and still do a few gigs. It has been lovely reading through these posts , brought a smile to my face x. I,VE JUST REMEMBERED I WAS THE DJ on the opening night of Sloopys the disco above La Dolce Vita. Met my husband there and saw some great bands and stood next to Eric Burdon at the bar. Anyway, I moved to the states in 1970 and after moving around a lot I ended up here in California where I have a couple of gyms. Burlesque was my band until car accident and moved to London and became a session singer. any help would be great as they are my great uncles. Dusk nightclub to return to South Shields for one night only, as I know I had a great time working at many NE clubs during the late sixties and early seventies. JT, Try playing the 1967 Gamblers version of Cry me a River (on YouTube) Certainly stands the test of time. But you'll always have your memories. The line up was Ken Brady, Jimmy Crawford, Alan Blacks, Barry Preston, Spud Tate ( sadly passed away ). Great site..lots of nostalgia. The building which housed La Dolce Vita still stands but now contains luxury flats. We all used to gather around the juke box trying to get our favourite records played. La Strada in South Shields opened around 1962 and ran throughout the 1960s. Naturally had my photo took with him as well. Regards George, Re Photographs and Tom Oxley. During the seventies it was run by David Macbeth, a popular northeast singer in the late fifties and early sixties. Unofficially, the jazz sessions at the Marimba continued long after midnight. So he cannot remember if the signage was still showing. 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. View listing packages . Oh Mike Jeffrey. There is a good article by The Evening Chronicle when the last record went on sale in auction. I still have the Badfinger single I won off the DJ in my treasure box. By Sam Johnson 24th Nov 2021, 4:55am - 2 min read. Might be worth trawling facebook or look for Brenda Marsh who was close. he was garbage and so were we! I seem to remember the band playing at The Majestic at the bottom of Westgate Rd. I also went to the Playground on Westgate Road until about 1976. Another guy from that era I worked with was the tragic big Geordie Short, his group Bits & Pieces were well known around the WMC scene, they ended up as resident group at the now demolished Mount Pleasant club. Life goes on. Jean, I wonder if you could share any photos you may have of Bloomers nightclub. What a tremendous website with loads of nostalgic detail of the early music scene in North East. Jeffrey was CONTENT!!! In October 1968 the Bailey Organisation opened Sloopys disco above La Dolce Vita. My father was Carl Hersman who played keyboards. We always met at the Pit for coffee where we decided what time to meet before going to the Club Ago Go. Remember them all.. I then returned to a normal life !!!! If anyone reading this knew my mother or any other members of the Jimmy Bence Orchestra, please leave a comment on this site. Find what you're looking for about Nightclubs in South Shields with city-visitor. 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. The club itself played house music and the occasional cheesy bop. As a PS Leam Lane WMC still have a thriving group night on Fridays, they also have a first class resident duo in Dougie and Carl, not many if any clubs still have live backing for the turns. Hi Fred A TOUCH OF VELVET, A STING OF BRASS your intro tune? Saw Alan Bown Set, Downtown Faction and a group from Teeside(?Rivers Invitation)there. Remember Mike Jeffrey trying to get Legalite roulette system into me CIU clubs. Just stumbled across this, I am the son of David Finlay please put all your stories from the hay days so I can get some sort of history to pass on to my kids as my mother jackie and davey split up when I was a baby and I only have his reputation to talk of and dont know if what I am told is true. 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. I would just like to know anything about the soulless pos. Tom spent a lot of his time at The Dolce Vita when the club had super stag nights on Mondays and Crazy nights on Thursdays, Hi. Jane Maddison, How are you? Vintage photos of clubs and bands in N.J. - nj.com I lived there from when it opened in late1973 or early 1974. Heres a reminder of some of those Newcastle clubs and venues and where they were. I played most north east theatres and eventually retired (I think) in 2016. THE 10 BEST Nightlife Activities in South Shields - Tripadvisor Whatever happened to them ? Some of the guests hadnt seen each other for decades so there was a lot of catching up to do. My sister was the girlfriend of Gordon Cleghorn. old nightclubs in south shields - nasutown-marathon.jp pm me at cmburney@outlook.com. It was fun to meet and party with many stars of the times, Marty Wylde, Kathy Kirby etc. I never got to playground, when bloomers closed we all migrated to la dolce vita for a while but was never quite the same yes, loved dancing but fortunately my best mate Lesley was the same and we both hardly ever sat down ! Greys; Dolce Vita; Cavendish. After the party scene at John Osbornes house, the camera pans along a set of party goers as the police raid the party, and Oxley is one of those. 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/. #11 of 20 Nightlife in South Shields. . Ill never forget it. Covid-19 permitting, most of us hope to enjoy the hospitality of pubs in South Shields, and elsewhere, once again in the not-too-distant future. Your email address will not be published. Dusk was known for its huge New Year's Eve events, staying open till 7am. I was born in a Newcastle club (the Hillfield on Grainger Park Road, which my parents owned) and spent a lot of my late teens at the Pickwick in Whitley Bay (my home town), with frequent trips to Newcastle and the big-city night spots, mainly the Agogo, followed by the Cavendish and the Dolce Vita, or Greys if we were a bit flush. Cant remember the 60s without remembering the fabulous Righteous Brothers. Roger, thanks for a great website, it continues to bring back memories some good, some bad and some unprintable. I can still remember the feeling of excitement I felt when walking up the stairs and opening the double doors to be greeted by very loud and always very good music. Venues were St.Georges Drill Hall by Northumberland Rd. Today, the pub is called Kennedy's 3 of 10 The. Had some good nights at the Majestic. The late Joes favourite tale which I have heard dozens of times was the night they were working the GoGo and a very young band were guests, in Joes words bloody useless. By this time the Club AGogo on Percy Street was in decline and the opening of Sloopys was probably the final nail in the Club aGogos coffin. I used to go to the Marimba on a Saturday morning, I remember going down to the cellar which was typical of all the cellars in Grey Street as I believe it was known as smugglers run in the past, as they went down to the river. Anyone coming to the club during that period would have had to have been let in by me. Then there was the cheese cloth shirts bought in the Handy side Arcade, Ken went full into the Flower Power with Kaftan and bells round his neck. I worked at La Strada with your Dad in the early 70s. 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. I was then a young post-grad at Kings College 1966/67 and my girl-friend and I attended the Cavendish club regularly. I was a DJ at sloopys,(along with Dave), Bloomers, The Oxford plus many more including a club in Whitley Bay on the Esplanade. I think Wednesdays was Cats Night Out mainly only records being played but Saturdays it was bands,The Kylastrons were a favourite I remember in their leather trousers playing Hall Of The Mountain King with loads of echo. Dawn Ralston (nee. I used to go to the Club A Gogo in 1967/1968 as a 15 year old and saw many great bands; Hendrix, John Mayall, Cream, Family and loads of others. The Mayfair finally closed its doors in August 1999 and was later demolished to make way for the Gate Leisure Centre. Hi, I was in the Ken Maddison band for a number of years but when he died then Margaret I lost touch with her. Billy Bottos. 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. The sound system was said to be second to none. Top 10 Nightlife in South Shields, England - Things To Do Jean x. Would appreciate any current information regarding Margaret. Great times Anna. ___________________________________________________________________________. Would love to get hold of Jane Maddison, Kens daughter. I remember going to the GOGO, but could only go in young set. The time of the Club AGoGo was probably the best for live music in the city. Hi I just found a photograph of me with a young mountain lion on my knee. Marcus now lives in Leeds and is a professional artist. After he left the Gamblers he went to work for Ray Grehan. Good job with the website. Im mainly interested in the lead singer of the time called John Little (or possibly also used the name Osbourne). 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. you? He was an alto sax/clarinet player with Don Smith in the 60s and I worked in the cloakroom for about a year. Thanks to Roger, I have been able to share memories with someone else who was working in Change Is at that time and I know he mustve played great music as I was always the last one dancing every night! :)A perfect gentleman. Anyone still keep in touch with the Findlay brothers? Primary Menu. We actually had our engagement party (Nov 1974 I think) upstairs in Bloomers or Change Is not sure when name changed. So if you two ever want to meet up just let me know, my email is david.coates@autosounds.co.uk. A former nurse said she feels "lucky to . Brings back many memories. I have googled and tried Face book but without any success. The Club AGogo opened in 1962 and ran for just over six years. The 'leisure industry' pubs of 2021, of course, exist in a very different world to their mid-20th century predecessors when the town's hardworking men - seafarers , shipbuilders, coal miners and the like - were the main customers in the street-corner and riverfront bars. After leaving the Invaders I played there regularly with Blues Band Vermen, with the late Keith Waring on lead and harmonica,Malcolm,ex lead guitar from Kylastrones,forget bass players name and Les Proud singer. I met my first girlfriend Yvonne there, started going to the Downbeat also Club Eleven in Sunderland with my close pal Rod. 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. David and Tommy Finlay did work the door at the Crescendo Club in Whitley Bay. Rumour had it that the ex-Club AGogo bouncer Dave Findlay and his brother Tommy were going to put in appearance. Hope all is well. I lived in Whitley Bay in the apartment of a house owned by Jimmy Bence. The Oxford Galleries opened as a ballroom in 1925 and was a popular haunt for dancers through to the late sixties. #93 Roger. Finally, in relation to the Seaburn Hall in Sunderland we also used to go there does anyone remember Ronnie Stephens and Ray Huntley great dancers. industry nightclub south shields - bl.cause-play.com After the refurb of the Crescendo I carried on working for Ray firstly on his new house in Forest Hall and then on his new project which was amusement arcades in Sheffield and Nottingham I think he was talked into these by his brother in law I dont think his heart was in this part of the business as he loved the buzz of music and clubs when the Crescendo burned down he went on to buy The Deleval Arms on Scotswood road but it never opened.The last time I saw him was around 1977 but he seemed to have lost his sparkle definitely not the man I knew.As I had moved away from the area shortly after this I was shocked to learn years later that he had passed away he had been one of the best bosses I ever had. Pete Coulson here ,was lead singer with the Pilgrims & later Bassist with the Hillcresters e mail is geordie38@wildblue.net would like to correspond & anyone else who remembers me from those good times,now living nr.Boston USA, cheers, Hi Holly here lead singer with Toby Twirl. 54-56 Ocean Road, South shields, NE33 2JD 0191 4967500. Your parents would be overjoyed if you managed to find any photos. Im 75yrs. A Cumbrian group Rue & The Rockets were the resident band at the Majestic for a number of years and had a massive following in Newcastle. re comment by margaret duz comment no. In the event they failed to show up, probably much to the relief of the host Keith Crombie. The builders had only erected the wall a few days earlier HAPPY DAYS !!! I have tried unsuccessfully to find photos but no one took photos way back then and so all of those precious moments and memories were never captured. even had chairs in the corridor of the hotel they stayed at. Save this search; Map View; List your business for Free! Ifeel so incredibly nostalgic about those very important days, which went over much too quickly. I bet he wasnt too happy when he was told. South Shields Nightclubs, for Nightclubs in South Shields, Tyne and thankyou for bringing back fantastic memories every one. 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. My friend dad played with Del & the Infernos, from South Shields. Bringing back lots of stories! Bars & Clubs. I seem to recall that The Rocking Berries played there on one occasion in the Spring of 1967 and they dedicated Hes in Town to my girlfriend Margaret Armstrong. My favourite thing to do was go immediately to the clubs ( can you believe I used to think going to the pubs a waste of good dancing time!) ideal for struggling musicians. You mentioned Bill Colwill there was a Bill C. who used to be always at the Mayfair maybe to do with the music and he was in my shop every lunch time with a Colin Topping and a guy called Brian. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Also loved the Gogo. Thanks FANTASTIC SITE. When the Grey Street premises closed in the mid-seventies, the New Cavendish opened at the site previously occupied by Change Is and Bloomers on Bath Lane. Can you remember a guy called Louie who also worked at Change is? He had a son with cerebal palsy who needed to attend Prudhoe hospital on a regular basis and he felt he needed some sort of base in the north east. I was given an unopened and unused car sticker with the distinctive picture of the girl in bloomers (which is kept safely in my favourite memories box) but Im guessing that you already have a lot of the memorabilia. I worked at the Crescendo Club in Whitley Bay in 1968-9 and Ray Grehan owned it then . I met my first girlfriend Sandra Findley then with all her friends who use to go there, Linda & Sylvia Stoddart, Pat Larby, Cath, Eleanor and Jen. I remember you Chic Reid if you see this please get in touch. OK strange that, exactly the same names. He can remember going over and taking shots of the area when he heard it was going to be pulled down. Before then, they always return false. Alan Price was, I think, born in Jarrow and worked at the tax office. My favourite place ever was Scamps. Oh I could go on all day. Just stumbled across this great website. Is it true? We also played at the Seaburn Hall Cats night out regularly and the Rink ballroom. I went there quite a few times in the late 60s. Does anyone remember the Sands Club at Whitley Bay which is where I met my husband, his favourite haunts were the Old Vic Whitley Bay and also the Sovereign pub which was a good starting point for an evening out. Real name "Northumberland Arms". The photo is of her from when she used to sing at Mayfair and when she appeared on American Bandstand. Thank you for telling me where I can locate some photos taken inside Bloomers Nightclub in the early 1970s. Reading this took me back to my childhood. We had a drink with him at the hotel and what a lovely man he is. Tommy Oxley can be seen in the film Get Carter. The club ran for about five years and closed around 1966. A bit like the place in Dirty Dancing. Oh how I wish I couldve been there! June 30, 2022; my septum piercing won't flip up; vegan mochi cake recipe