The Ready Steady Go Club, which had started in Aylesbury at the end of 1965, presented more gigs at the Borough Assembly Hall before closing in the spring of 1966. However, the club had trouble with artists failing to turn up or equipment not arriving, and small crowds. On 25th January, the Mark Leeman Five […]
Month: May 2016
Hobble on the Cobbles 1966
1966 was the Golden Jubilee for the Borough of Aylesbury. As part of the Jubilee celebrations, the first Hobble on the Cobbles took place – an event in the Market Square featuring local bands. The Bucks Herald reported: With the square barred to traffic it became the centre of a scene which surpasssed all expectations. […]
1965 – the last days of Aylesbury Bluesville
May 1965 saw the end of Aylesbury Bluesville, and with it the link with promoters Ron and Nanda Lesley, who had begun the Aylesbury Jazz Club at the Grosvenor Ballroon in January 1961. The Lesleys also promoted in London and other towns, and in particular in Ipswich on Monday evenings, where they continued with the […]
1965 rock in Aylesbury
The Borough Assembly Hall was the main venue in town in 1965. Eddie Friday continued to promote on Saturday nights, but during the year there were some new promoters bringing different artists to Aylesbury – including a short-lived folk club. One of the highlights of the year was the appearance of The Who on 10th […]
1964 rock in Aylesbury
1964 brought changes on Tuesday evening with Aylesbury Bluesville presenting rhythm and blues in the shape of acts such as The Animals, The Yardbirds and Manfred Mann – see here for details. Saturday evenings at the Borough Assembly Hall continued to be promoted by Eddie Friday. Highlights included two further appearances by Gene Vincent (February […]
1964 Aylesbury Jazz Club and Aylesbury Bluesville
With the decline in the popularity of trad jazz, Nanda and Ron Lesley made the decision to shut down the Aylesbury Jazz Club and to move toward rhythm and blues. Aylesbury Bluesville bought a different range of artists to Aylesbury – British artists such as The Animals, The Yardbirds, Manfred Mann, Georgie Fame and Long […]
Granada Aylesbury 1964 stage shows
1964 was the last year of the stage shows at the Granada. There were only three – but included probably the most famous of them all, when the Rolling Stones came to town on 21st January. The show was famous because the Stones performed as a four piece that night – Brian Jones got lost […]
1963 rock in Aylesbury – and the opening of the Borough Assembly Hall
1963 saw the closure of the Grosvenor Ballroom for refurbishment, re-opening as the council-owned Borough Assembly Hall. During its closure, the Walton Hall stood in, with weekly rock concerts. The Grosvenor Ballroom closed at the end of April 1963, initially for three months – but the date of the re-opening was put back a number […]
Granada Aylesbury 1963 stage shows
There were just five stage shows held at the Granada during 1963. The first on 23rd January was Jimmy Saville introduces Juke Box Doubles – something like Thank Your Lucky Stars, with the acts impersonating other, better-known artists. There was, for example, Brad Newman as Elvis, Steve Francis as Billy Fury and Dru Harvey as […]
1963 Aylesbury Jazz Club
The Aylesbury Jazz Club started 1963 at Aylesbury Social Club but, after a summer break, moved back to Market Square and the Borough Assembly Hall (being the refurbished Grosvenor Ballroom). Fewer of the established “big names” appeared at the Aylesbury Social Club. Len Baldwin, Micky Ashman, Ed Corrie, Doug Richford and Charles Galbraith were among […]