Author Topic: Manchester club's 1950's and 60's  (Read 114395 times)

tony dixon

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Re: Manchester club's 1950's and 60's
« Reply #75 on: 15:15:44, 11/02/13 »
Apologies - My first photo was intended for celeste as it shows the entrance to her father's cafe.

Also wrongly dated - senior moment again.

celeste

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Re: Manchester club's 1950's and 60's
« Reply #76 on: 16:15:53, 11/02/13 »
Thanks for the photo Tony, a really good close-up, although he owned the whole building (later compulsory bought for £27k) I don't remember the Top Cat Club - he used to bring flowers home for my mother from Nellie's flower cart though :)
All that's necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing

yeroleaa

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Re: Manchester club's 1950's and 60's
« Reply #77 on: 19:20:14, 26/01/15 »
 :D
Yes went to Aunties Kitchen with my ex sister in law early 70s. Mostly students, A place to end the night.
Just realised my mum and dad had the coolest club in Manchester! The head bar man was my dad and my mum was the cook and on the cloak room attendant.  Just been hearing what wild nights were held at Aunties Kitchen.  So happy to hear that the fond memories mum and dad have are shared by so many people.  Mum and dad often what happened to those wild students!! :smitten: O0 :-* :P ;D
 
Did you know they sold it to George Best and Gus Demmy and became Blinkers Bistro!

john carrington

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Re: Manchester club's 1950's and 60's
« Reply #78 on: 20:20:25, 26/01/15 »
Gus Demmy there's a name I haven't heard in long time. That man could open doors for the right price.
Please I don't require moral guidance, well perhaps a little..

Joe Silmon-Monerri

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Re: Manchester club's 1950's and 60's
« Reply #79 on: 16:55:02, 14/04/15 »
ESTAR:  The dance hall near Crowcroft Park, Longsight, near the Midway Hotel and Farmers Arms, which was later used by the British Legion, and is now some kind of assembly centre for Muslims, used to be called the Levenshulme Palais de Danse. It was set up in the mid-late 1920s, featured Jazz for dancing back then, but it couldn't be called a Palais de "Jazz"--- a dirty word, associated with the bars and brothels of Storyville, New Orleans. In 1917, Storyville's predominantly black families had to find alternative accommodation to make way for the expansion of the New Orleans Dockyard, as hundreds of ships had to be built for the USA's eleventh-hour assistance to the British Allies during WW1. The move by the families up the Mississipie River to places like Memphis, Louisville, San Francisco, Chicago and New York, led to the expansion and proliferation of Jazz, not only in America, but globally.
So the 'Palais de Danse' designation, of wherever location, Glasgow, Nottingham, etc., covered a multitude of sins. It was now an acceptable term as it didn't mention 'Jazz'. There was a chain of these 'Palais' dance-halls throughout the British Isles. The craze kicked off at the Hammersmith Palais de Danse in London, in 1919, when the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, from New York (all-white-Jazz-band) was hired under contract for two or three years at the London venue. Louis Armstrong, joined them as a special guest on one occasion. The first band that played at the Levenshulme Palais, though, was Jack Tucker's Palais de Danse Band. Jack was a trumpet-player who led an early Traditional Jazz-style band, between 1926 and circa 1931 at the Palais. In the 1940s and 50s, and part of the 60s, Bill Edge and his band graced the venue with their presence. One outstanding trumpet-player in that band was the legendary Tony Fisher, who went on to play lead-trumpet in great bands, including those of Eric Delaney and Bert Kamfaert. You can follow Eric's big-band career by Googling to ... 'Levyboy' ... a site set up by ex-Levenshulmite George Nixon, now living in Canada.
I hope this is of some little help. Joe A A Silmon-Monerri, ex-Levenshulme author of Jazz, Biography, History, Genealogy, Heraldry themes. (Ex-Jazz musician "Joe Silmon"). 
 
 

Manx

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Re: Manchester club's 1950's and 60's
« Reply #80 on: 14:09:48, 15/04/15 »
The 'Levvy' dance floor was fully sprung (edge to edge lateral braced) - and although this was design matched for the early dancing scene, due to the evolving twist, beat, rock type music and dancing  the sprung floor took a heavy pounding up until the demise of the venue.

On any packed week-end in the sixties, often during the last dance when almost everyone was 'on the floor' - a pulsating bounce effect would begin and gradually build up to a rhythmic crescendo causing the drinking glasses and pint pots to bounce off the tables and onto the floor - what a scenario! - but enjoyed by all.

Joe Silmon-Monerri

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Re: Manchester club's 1950's and 60's
« Reply #81 on: 15:58:02, 15/04/15 »
Further to my pseudo-potted-history of the Levenshulme Palais de Danse, I'm afraid I have a major error to own up for:
When I wrote '...  You can follow Eric's big-band career ...', I meant Tony's career. [Tony Fisher's]. Maybe I can be excused, if I pull age on you all, I'll be 78 this August. 
Curiously enough, it was Tony's brother-in-law John [Booth?], also a musician, who sold me my first "REF" tenor saxophone, just after I signed on for my National Service in the Royal Air Force. After demob. at the end of 1957, I got into Traditional Jazz in Manchester, and went on to play with most of our local Jazz bands around here, but also at the Cavern, Liverpool, before "you know who" took over from Jazz. By 1962-63, my band was "Joe Silmon's Dixielanders", we're on the "Wall-of-Fame" bricks. I saw it recently for the first time. However, I did two stints (talent contests) on clarinet, on my own, backed by Bill Edge's band at the Levvy Palais, one wearing full Best Blue uniform (but being a bit of a rebel, wearing psychedelic "yellow socks" and ox-blood shoes). Had the RAF Police been about, I'd have been on a "fizzer".
For those of you interested in Jazz in the region, and quite a lot about Manchester, may I recommend Fred Burnett's jazznorthwest.co.uk website. There's a current "What's On" menu. Under "Jazz Extras", there is a multitude of menus you can consult, about many bands, many musicians, living and dead, from the area. I write most of the obituaries, and the occasional happy thing that goes on Fred's site. When I've finished some non-fiction projects , I'll be resuming work on "THE MANCHESTER JAZZ SCENE (1919-1990s)". There's already a great book out on the Manchester Jazz scene --- but it only covers the Modern Jazz scene and only for a limited time-scale (1946-72), by ex-bassist Bill Birch, called "THE KEEPER OF THE FLAME". It's available via Amazon.co.uk, where you'll see a review by me --- who else would bother??? --- maybe you can see yourselves or your Auntie Flo' or Uncle Bill, in it. It's a spanking good read, and very well illustrated. My book will cover all periods, and I already have thousands of Jazz musicians/vocalists/dancers, promoters, agents, etc., listed, so they won't be forgotten.  Meanwhile, I'm about to publish something else, for the second time. The first effort (728 pages long, with 300+ graphics and about the size of an old 'phone book, and which took 3 decades to put together), was unsuccessful, thanks to a scamming POD (print-on-demand) "publisher" in the USA, who was not interested in anything but 'money-up-front'. So I was scammed, as they didn't actually 'print on demand'. They only sold to authors!!! Sweet revenge came last year, though, when I found out that they were sued for US$ 5 Million + in a New York court because of 'Deceptive Practices' and 'Only selling books and expensive services that didn't work, to authors...'.
I do remember that bouncing floor at the Palais. Forces night was Wednesdays; we got in for nowt, or for a ridiculously low admission fee! Happy days! Mind you, at 28 shillings a week pay, you didn't have much to throw about!
Best wishes, everybody.
Joe S-M

maggi

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Re: Manchester club's 1950's and 60's
« Reply #82 on: 16:05:24, 15/04/15 »
Great reading     thank you Joe

lozflan

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Re: Manchester club's 1950's and 60's
« Reply #83 on: 09:22:50, 16/04/15 »
Don,t know how long I can wait Joe, its a race which will go first, eyes or memory. Some of , Bodega, MSG, Post office, Sportsman, Thatched House, Black Lion and other happy times in London to listen to home grown greats.
Politicians and nappies must be changed often,and for the same reason

Tom Murray

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Re: Manchester club's 1950's and 60's
« Reply #84 on: 19:57:17, 25/04/15 »
I used to go dancing at the court School of Dancing at Ardwick Green, and also Belle view. remember the Ritz went thee on my first date with the girl who became my first wife.

maggi

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Re: Manchester club's 1950's and 60's
« Reply #85 on: 20:36:27, 25/04/15 »
My Mam worked at the Ritz in the 60s

Tizzy

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Re: Manchester club's 1950's and 60's
« Reply #86 on: 01:27:11, 03/06/15 »
I remember going to Placemate, Rafters, Talk of the Town, Tiffanys in the 1970's. In the late 1970's I use to work in the Bee Knees Failsworth

Tizzy

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Re: Manchester club's 1950's and 60's
« Reply #87 on: 01:30:50, 03/06/15 »
Don't remember Dougie Flood owning a Mr Smiths but he did own The Bees Knees, Quaffers and a club in Bolton as well as Bredbury Hall

peter rawcliffe

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Re: Manchester club's 1950's and 60's
« Reply #88 on: 08:16:21, 22/07/15 »
Does anyone remember stolen from Ivor's on market Street, around about 1969. It was a men's clothes shop. I'd buy my suits or Ben Sherman buttoned down collar shirts from there then go to the underground market if I wanted a pair of slip on shoes. Every Friday or sat night would go to round trees sound, spring gardens , Mr smiths or top of the town. Would get drunk on a couple of pints of double diamond.

brownduke

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Re: Manchester club's 1950's and 60's
« Reply #89 on: 09:40:07, 13/08/15 »
Also there was the pendulum club near pips but does anybody remember a club called "granny takes a trip" that might not have been its real name but it was close by.