1966 rock in Aylesbury

Published on May 31, 2016February 7, 2021 by Stephen Daglish

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 were due to appear – but only three of them appeared. The Bucks Advertiser reported:

Last week a much reduced Mark Leeman Five – without a vocalist and organist – gave us a makeshift show of, mainly, instrumentals. Although, admittedly, it may not be the club’s fault, this is the second time recently that things have gone wrong with group bookings.

Worse was to come when Inez and Charlie Foxx were due to play on 8th February. They arrived – but their backing group did not. John Finn reported in the Bucks Advertiser:

The famous American brother and sister singing team did arrive but a backing group did not. For two hours they sat in their dressing room twiddling their thumbs waiting for the group that was supposed to have left London at six o’clock …

Eventually Inez and Charlie agreed to appear and sang over one of their records. Teenagers rushed to the front of the hall and with just one number the Foxx’s rhythm and music swept over the small crowd. Resounding cheers followed their one and only number after which anger flared up again.

A few weeks later, on 22nd February, Tony Rivers and the Castaways were due to play – but the same thing happened. The Bucks Advertiser commented:

Another chapter in the trouble-plagued history of Aylesbury’s RSG was written on Tuesday night.

Three times now, in almost as many weeks, things have turned sour with artistes. On Tuesday the twist, treated by teenagers as a poor joke that is quickly wearing thin, was with Tony Rivers and the Castaways. They turned up, but their equipment didn’t. Again, no show.

Things got no better when another club, the Top Of The Pops Club, opened. The intention was to present top DJs, with some live bands. Pete Murray appeared with The Mindbenders.

There were soon allegations of payments not being made – under a front page heading of Top Of Pops Club Flops, the Bucks Herald reported on March 18th that:

Agents for two of the country’s top disc jockeys alleged this week that they had been unable to get payment from the Top of the Pops Dance Club, based in the Borough Assembly Hall, Aylesbury. They maintain that Alan Freeman and Peter Murray – famous faces on television and well-known on radio – have received no money for their personal appearances.

And club members who intended going to the club tonight to see The Small Faces, last week No. 1 in the hit parade, will be disappointed. Their agent has told The Bucks Herald that the group, contrary to an announcement made from the Assembly Hall stage last week, have never been booked to appear at Aylesbury.

Meanwhile, Eddie Friday continued with his Saturday evenings, distancing himself from the problems with other promoters. Among artists appearing for Eddie on Saturdays were Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, The Honeycombs, Patti LaBelle and her Bluebelles, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes and The Ink Spots.

Eddie Friday with Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles - 7 May 1966 Image: Bucks Herald / Aylesbury Remembered — Eddie Friday with Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles – 7 May 1966
Image: Bucks Herald / Aylesbury Remembered

The Ink Spots was a strange booking. Tony White in his review in the Bucks Advertiser wrote:

It must have been very difficult – and nerve-wracking – for the Ink-Spots to face a crowd of beat-crazy teenagers at Saturday night’s Eddie Friday promotion at the Borough Assembly Hall, Aylesbury.

At least that was the impression I got from the wings as I watched this veteran group of American showbusiness at work. They looked nervous in front of the youngsters, most of whom had probably never heard of them. That the Ink-Spots’ music was so many years pre-beat was very obvious…

This is the first visit to Britain by the Ink-Spots since 1952. Billy Bowen told me after the show that American bases around the country are included in their itinery. I’m sure they will be far more appreciated there than in the current British ballroom scene.

On 18th October, the El Bribon Organisation put on Lee Dorsey, who had a hit with “Working In A Coal Mine”.

Note: There is some confusion as the local papers also carried ads for Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band on the same evening!

Towards the end of the year there were more problems with artists advertised but not appearing. On 22nd November, the El Bribon Organisation advertised Tom Jones – billed as “The Greatest Rave Night in Aylesbury”. However Tom Jones did not appear. Dave James later reported:

Last November, posters all over the town proclaimed a show and a dance would star Tom Jones. Tickets were even available from local shops. Tom Jones did not appear, which was not surprising – he was not booked to appear and did not even know his name was on the posters.

Crowds of youngsters turned up on the appointed day, to read a notice saying there would be no show and no dance.

1966 also saw the first Hobble on the Cobbles in the Market Square – see here for more.

List of gigs at the Borough Assembly Hall in 1966:

Date	Club	Promoter Name	Artist 1	Artist 2
1/1/1966		Eddie Friday	Chris Andrews	Barry Lee and the Planets, The Ironsides
4/1/1966	Ready Steady Go Club		Them
8/1/1966		Eddie Friday	The Bystanders	The En Devers Ltd, The In-Sect
18/1/1966	Ready Steady Go Club		The Applejacks
22/1/1966		Eddie Friday	Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs	The Gent-L-Men
25/1/1966	Ready Steady Go Club		The Mark Leeman Five
29/1/1966		Eddie Friday	Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers	The New Creations, The Future Set
1/2/1966	Ready Steady Go Club		The Paramounts
5/2/1966		Eddie Friday	The Caesars	The Associates
8/2/1966	Ready Steady Go Club		Inez and Charlie Foxx (no backing group - only one song)
11/2/1966		Eddie Friday	The Anzaks	The Ravons, The 5th Dynasty
12/2/1966		Eddie Friday	Stevie, Johnny and the Various Others	The Tridents, The Unchained
15/2/1966	Ready Steady Go Club		The Yeng Tongs (did not play)
19/2/1966		Eddie Friday	The Tennessee Teens	The Sneakers
22/2/1966	Ready Steady Go Club		Tony Rivers and The Castaways (equipment did not arrive - no show)
26/2/1966		Eddie Friday	The Washington D.C.s featuring Johnny Cannon	The Sonics
1/3/1966	Ready Steady Go Club		The Downliners Sect
5/3/1966		Eddie Friday	Chris Lamb and the Universal Show Band	Group Survival
8/3/1966	Ready Steady Go Club		The Birds
11/3/1966	Top Of The Pops Club		The Mindbenders	Peter Murray (DJ)
12/3/1966		Eddie Friday	The Zuider Zee	The Night Beats
19/3/1966		Eddie Friday	Must-B-Blues	Mistral-Tuac
2/4/1966		Eddie Friday	Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas	The Shindigs, The Quantum
5/4/1966			The Fortunes
9/4/1966		Eddie Friday	Fernandos Hideaways	The Ironsides
12/4/1966			Tony Knight's Chessmen
16/4/1966		Eddie Friday	Terry Judge and the Barristers	Pinky and the Phellows
23/4/1966		Eddie Friday	Lynn Cordette and the Countdowns	The Future Set
30/4/1966		Eddie Friday	The Honeycombs	The Vibratones, Blue Velvets
7/5/1966		Eddie Friday	Patty La Belle and her Belles	The Bystanders, The Dark Ages
14/5/1966		Eddie Friday	Peter Fenton and the Crowd	The Associates, The Denim Blues
21/5/1966		Eddie Friday	The Survivors	The Tridents
28/5/1966		Eddie Friday	Brian Poole and the Tremeloes	The Ravons, The Methods
3/6/1966		Bucks Ass of Youth Clubs / Eddie Friday	The Ravons	The 5th Dynasty
4/6/1966		Eddie Friday	The Ink Spots	Bluesology, The Ironsides
11/6/1966		Eddie Friday	The Endevers Ltd	Sounds from Spectre
18/6/1966		Eddie Friday	The Fenmen	The Triads
25/6/1966		Eddie Friday	Chris Lamb and the Universals	The Little Angels
9/7/1966		Eddie Friday	The Orlons	Gates of Eden
16/7/1966		Eddie Friday	Terry Judge and the Barristers	The Denim Blues
23/7/1966		Eddie Friday	Pinky and the Phellows	The Tridents, Anna Arki of Ready Steady Go!
30/7/1966		Eddie Friday	Wainwrights Gentlemen	The Reasons
6/8/1966		Eddie Friday	The Mansfields	The Ironsides
13/8/1966		Eddie Friday	Patterson's People	The Nightbeats
20/8/1966		Eddie Friday	Bean & Loopys Lot	The Vibratones
27/8/1966		Eddie Friday	The Original Dyaks	The Associates
3/9/1966		Eddie Friday	Mud	The Dark Ages
10/9/1966		Eddie Friday	The Essex Five	Sounds from Spectre
17/9/1966		Eddie Friday	The Future Set	Jo Jo Gunne
24/9/1966		Eddie Friday	The Uglys	The Nitebeats
1/10/1966		Eddie Friday	Pinky and the Phellows	The Tridents
8/10/1966		Eddie Friday	The Lovin' Kind	The Methods
15/10/1966		Eddie Friday	Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs	The Denim Blues, The Kontax
18/10/1966		El Bribon Organisation	Lee Dorsey	The Neat Change, John Dimble (Radio London)
18/10/1966			Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band (advertised)
22/10/1966		Eddie Friday	Pattersons People	The Vivas
29/10/1966		Eddie Friday	Terry Judge and the Barristers	The Moonbeats
1/11/1966			The Action	The Neat Change, John Dimble (Radio London)
5/11/1966		Eddie Friday	The Meantimers	The Ironsides
12/11/1966		Eddie Friday	Finders Keepers	The Southern Valley Four
19/11/1966		Eddie Friday	The Missing Links	The Fenton Weils
22/11/1966		El Bribon Organisation	Tom Jones (did not appear - show cancelled)	The Question, The Neat Change
26/11/1966		Eddie Friday	The Sneakers	The Associates
2/12/1966	Barbados Independence Big Dance	The Hot Line Special of Aylesbury	D.C. Ward and the Fies Fiestas	The Havana Boys
3/12/1966		Eddie Friday	The Anzaks	The Vibratones
10/12/1966		Eddie Friday	The Future Set	Jo Jo Gunne, The Choosey Beggars
24/12/1966		Eddie Friday	Pinky and the Phellows	Sounds from Spectre, The Substitutes

1965 rock in Aylesbury

Published on May 28, 2016October 15, 2020 by Stephen Daglish

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 September. A review by Tony White in the Bucks Advertiser covered The Who who played on a Friday evening and Screaming Lord Sutch who appeared the following evening – click on image below to enlarge:

Aylesbury saw the two extremes in pop entertainment last weekend – Friday being the noisiest thing it’s ever been my misfortune to encounter in the shape of The Who and Saturday being far more enjoyable, even though mostly old hat, in the form of Screaming Lord Sutch.

Friday’s performance by the young men being lauded as the bringers of “pop art” to pop was the first, and I sincerely hope the last, time that any form of music, even in its most primitive guise, has made me physically sick. The noise – I think that would be a better title – was so abominably loud that after 20 minutes I had to leave for a stiff whisky with aspirins to settle a throbbing head and an upset stomach.

S & M Promotions presented 16 year old Lulu on 20th August. In 1964 as a 15 year old, Lulu and the Luvvers had a hit with “Shout”. Tony White writing in the Bucks Advertiser was impressed:

This vivacious 16-year-old, who hails from Glasgow, brought the lads to the front of the stage to cheer her wildly – a change from the hordes of screaming girls. And her brief (about 35 minutes) appearance on stage sent them back asking for more …

Overall, it was a first-rate performance from a young girl I think is destined to be in show business for a long time.

The Ready Steady Go Club was another newcomer to the Borough Assembly Hall, with Zoot Money and his Big Roll Band, The Hollies and The Nashville Teens playing.

This was the third visit to Aylesbury by The Hollies, having previously played at the Granada in November 1964 and at the Borough Assembly Hall in April 1965. 1965 had bought two hits – “I’m Alive” (number one in June/July 1965) and “Look Through Any Window” (October 1965).

In July a Folk Blues Club presented by Bruce Dunnet spang up for a few weeks, presenting Nadia Cattousse, Shirley Collins and Arlo Guthrie.

Tony White did not enjoy Arlo Guthrie’s performance – and questioned whether the Borough Assembly Hall was the right venue for folk:

To me, and I know to many others, the answer lies in the Borough Assembly Hall bogie – that is its barn-like structure designed to immediately kill off any initimate atmosphere that a promoter aims for.

I know Bruce wants to get some of our younger folk artists used to working on a large stage, but I think he must realise that a much better rapport could be attained between the performers and listeners if they were altogether on the same level.

Eddie Friday’s promotions included Them and The Ivy League.

Them had had chart success with “Baby Please Don’t Go” (with B-side “Gloria”) and “Here Comes The Night”. The photo below is thought to have been taken at this gig in 1965. Thanks to Simon Gee who wrote to identify (left to right) Pete Bardens (keyboards), Terry Noon (drums), Van Morrison, Joe Baldi (guitar), Alan Henderson (bass).

Image: Bucks Herald / Aylesbury Remembered

See more photos at the Aylesbury Remembered website: https://www.aylesburyremembered.com/LiveMusic/Misc-Live-Music/1960s/Them-1965/.

The Ivy League had “Tossing And Turning” in the charts, peaking at number 3.

On 10th November, the Small Faces played.

The band included Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Ian McLagan, who had replaced Jimmy Winston. In his review, John Finn wrote:

Those chirpy East Enders, the Small Faces, who rocketed to fame with their first record, “Whatcha Gonna Do About It”, recently paid their first visit to the Borough Assembly Hall last week.

Perhaps the most significant thing about them is their meteoric rise to fame. Inside six months they have risen from nothing to become potentially one of the biggest groups to hit the pop scene this year.

List of gigs at Borough Assembly Hall in 1965 – not including Bluesville:

Date	Club	Promoter Name	Artist 1	Artist 2
2/1/1965		Eddie Friday	The Half Dozen	The Mantas
9/1/1965		Eddie Friday	The Eric Delaney Band
16/1/1965		Eddie Friday
23/1/1965		Eddie Friday	The Knives and Forks	The Vibrations
24/1/1965		Eddie Friday	The Echoes	The Whispering Four
30/1/1965		Eddie Friday	The Classmates	The Cavaliers
6/2/1965		Eddie Friday	Shane and the Shane Gang	The Sonics
13/2/1965		Eddie Friday	Terry Judge and the Barristers	The Apollos
20/2/1965		Eddie Friday	Tom Thumb and the Four Fingers	Georgie, The Rave Ons
27/2/1965		Eddie Friday	The Wackers with Terry Anton	The Mantas with Carol Hanson
6/3/1965		Eddie Friday	Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs	The Narcotics
10/3/1965			The Primitives	The Shames
13/3/1965		Eddie Friday	Tony Knight and the Livewires	Rodgers Codgers
20/3/1965		Eddie Friday	Bern Elliott and His Klan	The Downsiders
10/4/1965		Eddie Friday	The Hollies	The Cavaliers, The Homelanders
17/4/1965		Eddie Friday	Shirley and Johnny	The Berries, The Monktones
1/5/1965		Eddie Friday	Beat Six	The Yes 'n' No
8/5/1965		Eddie Friday	Terry Judge and the Barristers	The Cameos
15/5/1965		Eddie Friday	Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs	The Mantas
22/5/1965		Eddie Friday	Bryan and the Brunelles	The Triads
29/5/1965		Eddie Friday	Washington D.C.s	The Macambos, The Victors
5/6/1965		Eddie Friday	Shelley	The Reasons
12/6/1965		Eddie Friday	Yenson's Trolls	The Silhouettes
19/6/1965		Eddie Friday	Shirley and Johnny	The Homelanders, The Konways
26/6/1965		Eddie Friday	The Persuasions with Terry Anton	The Vibratones
3/7/1965		Eddie Friday	Beat Six featuring Jeannie St. Claire	The Sneakers
10/7/1965		Eddie Friday	Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	The Sneakers
17/7/1965		Eddie Friday	The Tramps	Geoff Moule and the Diggers
20/7/1965	Folk Blues Club	Bruce Dunnet	Nadia Cattousse
24/7/1965		Eddie Friday	Gobbledegooks	The Dark Ages
27/7/1965	Folk Blues Club	Bruce Dunnet	Shirley Collins	Barry Thomas, The Tinkers
31/7/1965		Eddie Friday	The Cameos	The Nightbeats
3/8/1965	Folk Blues Club	Bruce Dunnet	Arlo Guthrie
7/8/1965		Eddie Friday	Them	Sound F-X
14/8/1965		Eddie Friday	The Ivy League	Terry Judge and the Barristers
20/8/1965		S & M Promotions	Lulu and the Lovers
21/8/1965		Eddie Friday	The Fairlanes featuring Lindi Loo	The Mantas
28/8/1965		Eddie Friday	Jimmy Royal and the Hawks	The Reasons
4/9/1965		Eddie Friday	The Shindigs	The Associates
10/9/1965			The Who
11/9/1965		Eddie Friday	Screamin' Lord Sutch and the Savages	The En Devers Ltd
18/9/1965		Eddie Friday	Johnny Cannon and the Shades	The Tribe
25/9/1965		Eddie Friday	The Wayfarers	The Vivas
2/10/1965		Eddie Friday	Rip Van Winkle and the Monsters	Lynn Cordette and the Countdowns
9/10/1965		Eddie Friday	The Cameos	The Skyliners
12/10/1965	Ready Steady Go Club		Kenny and Kash
16/10/1965		Eddie Friday	The Blue Ravens	The Sonics
19/10/1965	Ready Steady Go Club		Zoot Money and his Big Roll Band
23/10/1965		Eddie Friday	Dean Lord and the Gaylords	The Nightbeats
29/10/1965		Eddie Friday	Mistral Tuac	The Quantum
6/11/1965		Eddie Friday	The Barron Knights	James King and the Farinas
9/11/1965			John Mayall and his Bluesbreakers
10/11/1965			The Small Faces
13/11/1965		Eddie Friday	The Symbols	Alan Wade and the Hawkers
16/11/1965			Chris Farlowe and the Thunderbirds
19/11/1965		Bucks Ass of Youth Clubs / Eddie Friday	The Cameos	The Ravons, The Justice League
20/11/1965		Bucks Ass of Youth Clubs / Eddie Friday	The Shindigs	The Mantas
23/11/1965	Ready Steady Go Club		The Hollies
27/11/1965		Eddie Friday	Washington D.C.s	The Associates
4/12/1965		Eddie Friday	Billy Storm and the Falcons	The Vivas, The Unchained
11/12/1965		Eddie Friday	Johnny Anger and the Wild Ones	The Neutrons
14/12/1965		Eddie Friday	Dutch College Swing Band
18/12/1965		Eddie Friday	The Cameos	The Vibrations
21/12/1965	Ready Steady Go Club		The Nashville Teens
24/12/1965		Eddie Friday	Shirley and Johnny (hosts)	Lynn Cordette and the Countdowns, The Dark Ages

1964 rock in Aylesbury

Published on May 23, 2016February 5, 2021 by Stephen Daglish

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 – see below – and July) and three more by the Barron Knights (July, October and December).

Appearing for the first time during the year were the Swinging Blue Jeans (two appearances in February and November), Unit Four Plus Two (in May and September) and The Applejacks. With the winding up of the Aylesbury Jazz Club, Eddie Friday also took the opportunity to present some jazz artists, such as the Terry Lightfoot Jazzmen and the Dutch College Swing Band.

The Swinging Blue Jeans appearance in February caused a stir. The Bucks Advertiser reported:

It was the biggest night at the B.A.H. for many seasons, of that there was little doubt. Promoter Eddie Friday shut the doors tight at 8 o’clock, just as the dancing started. Inside were as many people as he dare alow. The fans had waited for a long time – two girls started their vigil four hours earlier.

They played again in November:

Other promoters brought Alexis Korner and his Blues Incorporated and the Graham Bond Organisation. The Graham Bond Organisation included Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker who, with Graham Bond, had left Blues Incorported to form this new group, and Dick Heckstall-Smith. Despite their reported hostility to each other during their time with Graham Bond, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker were later to form Cream with Eric Clapton – Cream played in Aylesbury in February 1967. Before this Bruce left the Graham Bond Organisation, joining John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, which included Eric Clapton, and then Manfred Mann, playing on “Pretty Flamingo”.

One unsolved mystery is a possible appearance by Marianne Faithfull. In her book Faithfull: An Autobiography it shows that, as part of her schedule for November 1964, Marianne Faithfull appeared at the “Barrow Assembly Hall” in Aylesbury on 23rd November 1964 – but this was a Monday night when wrestling was taking place at the hall. No other details can be found about this – can you help?

List of gigs at Borough Assembly Hall:

Date	Promoter Name	Artist 1	Artist 2
4/1/1964	Eddie Friday	Johnny Milton And The Condors	The Apollos
11/1/1964	Eddie Friday	Shane Spencer and The Casuals	The Trackers
18/1/1964	Eddie Friday	Roy Starr and the Cherokees	The Crusaders
25/1/1964	Eddie Friday	The Ghouls	Neil Landon and the Burnetts
1/2/1964	Eddie Friday	Johnny, Mike And The Shades	The Rhythm 3, The Journeymen
7/2/1964	The Chris Du Maurier Agency	Shane Fenton and the Fentones	The Kossaks featuring Johnny Kaye
8/2/1964	Eddie Friday	Gene Vincent & The Shouts	The Apollos
15/2/1964	Eddie Friday	Dave LaKaz and the G Men	The Bullets
22/2/1964	Eddie Friday	The Kubas	Johnny Anger and the Wild Ones
28/2/1964		Alexis Korner and his Blues Incorporated	The Impulsions
29/2/1964	Eddie Friday	The Swinging Blue Jeans	Ken Gordon and the Dynamic Down-Siders
7/3/1964	Eddie Friday	Russ and the Sabres	The Cavaliers, The Rave Ons
14/3/1964	Eddie Friday	The Cherokees featuring Roy Starr	The Apollos
21/3/1964	Eddie Friday	Mike Berry and the Innocents	Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs
28/3/1964	Eddie Friday	Shane Spencer and The Casuals	The Phantoms
4/4/1964	Eddie Friday	The Flintstones	The Strangers
11/4/1964	Eddie Friday	Johnny, Mike And The Shades	The Craymen
17/4/1964		Graham Bond Organisation
18/4/1964	Eddie Friday	Wee Willie Harris backed by The Rockets	The Redcaps, The Rave Ons
25/4/1964	Eddie Friday	Peter Andersen and The Midnighters	Johnny Anger and the Wild Ones, The Preachers
2/5/1964	Eddie Friday	Unit Four Plus Two	The Classmates, The Sound Trekkers
9/5/1964	Eddie Friday	Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs	Cliff Adams and the Twilights
16/5/1964	Eddie Friday	Grant Tracey and the Sunsets	The Corvettes
18/5/1964	Eddie Friday	Shane Spencer and The Casuals	The Whispering Four
23/5/1964	Eddie Friday	The Redcaps	The Telstars, The Chessmen featuring Jeff Reed
30/5/1964	Eddie Friday	Steve Francis and the Higrades	The Rebels
6/6/1964	Eddie Friday	Pat Wayne and the Beachcombers	The Storms
13/6/1964	Eddie Friday	King Size Taylor and the Dominos	Tony and the Stranglers
20/6/1964	Eddie Friday	The Plus Four featuring Erky Grant	Roy Powell and the Offbeaters
27/6/1964	Eddie Friday	Shane Spencer and The Casuals	Ken Gordon and the Downsiders
4/7/1964	Eddie Friday	The Barron Knights and Duke D'Mond	The Silhouettes
11/7/1964	Eddie Friday	The Wackers featuring Terry Anton	Johnny Anger and the Wild Ones
18/7/1964	Eddie Friday	Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs	The Chessmen featuring Jeff Reed, The Rave Ons
25/7/1964	Eddie Friday	Gene Vincent & The Shouts	The Apollos
1/8/1964	Eddie Friday	The Hustlers	The Cavaliers
3/8/1964	Eddie Friday	The Niteshades	The Whispering Four
8/8/1964	Eddie Friday	Washington D.C.	The Leon Boys
15/8/1964	Eddie Friday	Shane Spencer and The Casuals	Tony and the Stranglers
19/8/1964	Eddie Friday	Terry Lightfoot Jazzmen
22/8/1964	Eddie Friday	The Deacons	Johnny Anger and the Wild Ones, The Journeymen
29/8/1964	Eddie Friday	The Applejacks	Georgie, The Rave Ons
5/9/1964	Eddie Friday	Unit Four Plus Two	Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs
11/9/1964	Music Management Promotions	Snowballs	The Soundtrekkers, Scrooge and the Misers
12/9/1964	Eddie Friday	Jimmy Nicol and the Shubdubs	The Reasons
18/9/1964	Music Management Promotions	The Other Two	The Herd, Evergreens
19/9/1964	Eddie Friday	The Mike Cotton Sound	The Storms
26/9/1964	Eddie Friday	King Size Taylor and the Dominos	Terry Judge, The Barristers
3/10/1964	Eddie Friday	The Migil Five	The Cavaliers
10/10/1964	Eddie Friday	Mal Ryder and the Spirits	Shane and the Shane Gang
17/10/1964	Eddie Friday	The Barron Knights and Duke D'Mond	The Apollos
21/10/1964	Eddie Friday	The Papa Bue Viking Jazz Band
24/10/1964	Eddie Friday	The Wranglers	The Dolphins
30/10/1964	The Grange Youth Club	The Mistral Tuacs	The Berries
31/10/1964	Eddie Friday	Johnny, Mike And The Shades	The Whispering Four with Pam Cordell
7/11/1964	Eddie Friday	Dave Curtis and the Tremors	Tony and the Stranglers
14/11/1964	Eddie Friday	Buddy Britten and the Regents	The Trolls
21/11/1964	Eddie Friday	The Swinging Blue Jeans	Georgie, The Rave Ons
28/11/1964	Eddie Friday	The Clouds	The Koalas
2/12/1964	Eddie Friday	Dutch College Swing Band
5/12/1964	Aylesbury Young Conservatives	The Mistral Tuacs	The Penny Blacks
12/12/1964	Eddie Friday	The Fenmen	The Storms
19/12/1964	Eddie Friday	The Downsiders	Washington DCs
24/12/1964	Eddie Friday	The Barron Knights and Duke D'Mond	The Reasons
26/12/1964	Eddie Friday	Johnny Anger and the Wild Ones	The Sneakers

1963 rock in Aylesbury – and the opening of the Borough Assembly Hall

Published on May 15, 2016February 5, 2021 by Stephen Daglish

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 of times, and eventually to October 7th.

For a list of gigs during 1963, please see below.

During the first months of the year, Eddie Friday continued to promote rock gigs at the Grosvenor on Saturday evenings. Among the artists appearing were Emile Ford and the Checkmates, Eden Kane, The John Barry Seven, Eric Delaney and his Band and the Vernon Girls.

Tony White in the Bucks Advertiser was particularly impressed with Eric Delaney and his Band. Eric Delaney was a drummer and bandleader, and Herbie Goins was the vocalist. Click on image to enlarge:

Walton Hall

The closure of the Grosvenor caused some concern – the Editor at the Bucks Advertiser received a letter on behalf of “A Group of Aylesbury Teenagers” – see below. It was announced that Alan Wallis and Stan Wyatt, who had promoted gigs at the Town Hall before the fire in March 1962, had booked the Walton Hall for 19 weeks, to start when the Grosvenor closed. The first night at the Walton Hall was on 11th May – and the run eventually extended to 21 weeks, ending on 28th September. Click on image to enlarge.

Borough Assembly Hall

In September it was announced that the new name for the Grosvenor would be the Borough Assembly Hall – not popular with many, including Tony White in the Bucks Advertiser:

The Borough Assembly Hall. Look at it. Read it. Let it roll around your tongues for a while. You will probably agree with me. It sounds horrible! Believe it or not, this is the name Aylesbury Borough Council – new owners of the Grosvenor – have decided to call that popular centre of entertainment in the corner of the Market Square …

For goodness sake, why not leave it as it was. The Grosvenor is well-known over a large area either through the jazz club or the Saturday night dances that used to be held there until it closed. “The Grosvenor” is short. “The Grosvenor” is an appropriate name for a building that is to be the venue for the type of entertainment to be offered there.

And I say this. I’ll bet my whole collection of long-playing records that “The Grosvenor” is how it will continue to be known, no matter what the new owners like to call it.

The Bucks Advertiser also published a useful potted history of the venue (click to enlarge):

Grand re-opening

The grand re-opening took place on 7th October, with a charity ball in aid of the Mayor’s Freedom From Hunger campaign, with Joe Loss and his Orchestra and Johnny Thunder and the Thunderbirds.

One of the singers with Joe Loss was Ross MacManus (who also played trumpet); Ross is the father of Elvis Costello (Declan MacManus). He also composed and sang the 1970s “I’m A Secret Lemonade Drinker” TV ad for R. White’s lemonade.

Ian Samwell

Also of note is that during the year Ian “Sammy” Samwell presented record nights in Aylesbury on Wednesdays – initially at the Grosvenor Ballroom and then, after its closure, at the Walton Hall – see report below.

Ian Samwell was a member of Cliff Richard and the Drifters and he wrote “Move It”. He was later a record producer for artists such as Sounds Incorporated, Georgie Fame,John Mayall and The Small Faces. Later he was in-house producer for Warner Brothers in London, bringing artists such as Linda Lewis and America to the label, producing the first America album and the hit “A Horse With No Name”.

Pete Frame writes about Ian Samwell in the Epilogue to his book The Restless Generation. Ian had moved to Sacramento, California.

Sometime in late 1991, suddenly and unexpectedly overcome by breathlessness, he had collapsed and woken in hospital, where he was diagnosed with idiopathic cardiomyopathy. If he didn’t have a heart transplant, he would die, doctors told him – which was a bit of a bummer because he had allowed his medical insurance to lapse only six weeks earlier and the procedure was going to cost in excess of a quarter of a million dollars …

“There was no way I was going to get that sort of bread together,” said Samwell, “so I accepted I was going to die … I phoned a few friends, including Robert Allen, my lawyer in London, to ask him to bring my will up to date, and then fell into a deep sleep.”

When he came to, a hovering nurse came over. “Who are you?” she asked. “Samwell, Ian Samwell”, he replied, nodding toward the case notes at the end of the bed. “Yes, I know that,” she said, but who are you? The phone hasn’t stopped ringing. All these people have been calling with offers of money – Pink Floyd, Cliff Richard, Led Zeppelin … who are you?”

As soon as he had put the phone down, Robert Allen had got on to Jeff Dexter, the DJ / producer / manager who was Ian’s principal sidekick throughout the sixties and seventies, and Dexter phoned everyone he knew … Sufficient funds were gathered for an operation to replace his heart … and it pumped efficiently for another 11 years.

Ian Samwell eventually died on 13 March 2003, aged 66. Nicest guy you could ever meet. And he wrote Move It.

Ian Samwell obituary The Independent

Date	Venue	Promoter Name	Artist 1	Artist 2
5/1/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	Emile Ford and the Checkmates	Mike Sagar and the Crestas
12/1/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	Johnny Carr backed by Mel Turner and the Mohicans	Dave Seaton and the Leons
19/1/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	Eden Kane backed by the Rhett Stoller Group	The Lee Atkins Combo
26/1/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	Johnny, Mike and the Shades	Bobby Patrick Big Six
2/2/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	Peter Nelson and the Travellers	The Tartans
9/2/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	The John Barry Seven	Johnny Anger and the Wild Ones
16/2/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	Johnny, Mike and the Shades	Dru Harvey and the Jokers
23/2/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	Doug Sheldon backed by The Sceptres	Bobby Rio and the Dominators
2/3/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	Eric Delaney and His Band with Herbie Goins	The Lee Atkins Combo
9/3/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	The Tartans	Paul Dayton and the Deputies
16/3/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	Russ Sainty and the Nu-Notes	Mark Douglas and the Prowlers
23/3/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	The Original Checkmates	Ricky Marino and the Stormbreakers
30/3/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	The Barry James Show featuring The Strangers with Gary and Lee	Mike Sagar and the Crestas
6/4/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	The Black Arrows	Paul and the Hustlers
13/4/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	Peter West and the Embers	Paul and the Hustlers
20/4/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	The Vernon Girls	Mark Douglas and the Prowlers, The Noel Francis All-Steel West Indian Band
27/4/1963	Grosvenor Ballroom	Eddie Friday	The Fabulous Flintstones	Ricky Marino and the Stormbreakers
11/5/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	Johnny Milton and the Condors	The Twistettes, Nick Troy and the Trojans
18/5/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	Golli-Golli Show	Johnny Shadow and Danny Gavan, Paul and the Hustlers
25/5/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	Ray Pilgrim	Tony Vince and the Minutemen, Colin and the Champions
1/6/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	Jet Harris's Original Jetblacks	Terry Judge and the Waders
8/6/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	Ricky Brown & The Hi-Lites	Mike Harper & The Cerveza
15/6/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	Robb Storme and the Whispers	The Cavaliers
22/6/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	The Barry James Show with Gary and Lee and The Strangers	Terry Judge and the Waders
29/6/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	Kevin Scott & His Kinsmen	The Strangers
6/7/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	Johnny, Mike and the Shades	Mick Barber and the Travellers
13/7/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	Mike Everest and the Alpines Crazy Gang Show	The Strangers
20/7/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	Steve Francis	Johnny Anger and the Wild Ones, Apex Group with Colin York
27/7/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	Dave Dee and the Bostons	The Cervezas
3/8/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	The Gamblers	Roy Powell and the Off-Beaters
10/8/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	Jet Harris's Original Jetblacks	The Cavaliers
17/8/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	The Federals
24/8/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	Laurie Jay Combo	Gerry Temple, The Cervezas
31/8/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	Johnny, Mike and the Shades	Terry Judge and the Barristers
7/9/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	The Dowlands	The Soundtracks, The Stranglers
14/9/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	The Ravin' Savages	The Cavaliers
21/9/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	The Six Citizens	Del Summers, Roy Powell and the Off-beaters
28/9/1963	Walton Hall	Alan Wallis	Brian Fisher	The Raiders
7/10/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Gala Opening	Joe Loss and His Orchestra with Rose Brennan, Larry Gretton and Ross MacManus	Johnny Thunder and the Thunderbirds
11/10/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Stanley Wyatt Promotions	Ray Piligrim and Minute Men	The Phantoms
12/10/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Eddie Friday	Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs	Johnny Anger and the Wild Ones
18/10/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Stanley Wyatt Promotions	Ray Pilgrim and Minute Men
19/10/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Eddie Friday	Troy Dante and the Infernos	The Delta Five
25/10/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Stanley Wyatt Promotions	Danny Storm and Strollers	The Strangers
26/10/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Eddie Friday	Johnny, Mike and the Shades	Russ and the Sabres
1/11/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Stanley Wyatt Promotions	The Citizens	The Apollos
2/11/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Eddie Friday	The Barron Knights with Duke D'Mond	Johnny Anger and the Wild Ones
8/11/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Stanley Wyatt Promotions	Robb Storme and the Whispers
9/11/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Eddie Friday	Unit 7	The Jimmy Ritchie Combo
16/11/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Eddie Friday	Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs	Eddie King and the Chequers
23/11/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Eddie Friday	The Redcaps	Jimmy Richards and the Javelins
30/11/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Eddie Friday	Rockin' Henry and the Hayseeds	The Pagans
7/12/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Eddie Friday	The Eric Delaney Band	Dale Curtiss and the Blunotes
14/12/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Eddie Friday	Johnny, Mike and the Shades	Johnny Anger and the Wild Ones
21/12/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Eddie Friday	The Gamblers	The Coasters
28/12/1963	Borough Assembly Hall	Eddie Friday	Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs	Cliff Adams and the Twilights

1962 Rock in Aylesbury – and the Town Hall fire

Published on May 10, 2016January 31, 2022 by Stephen Daglish

1962 saw rock shows at three different venues. Eddie Friday continued with his Saturday evenings at the Grosvenor, Wallis & Wyatt (Alan Wallis and Stan Wyatt) at Aylesbury Town Hall until it burnt down in March, and at the Walton Hall.

At the Grosvenor, there was a wider range of artists presented.

In March Tony Orlando appeared as part of a tour with Jimmy Crawford and the Ravens.

Tony Orlando had hits in 1961 with Bless You and Halfway to Paradise. Orlando was later involved with Tony Orlando & Dawn, as well as being a producer.

Others appearing included Craig Douglas, Emile Ford (with both the New Checkmates and the Original Checkmates), Mike Sarne, Wee Willie Harris, Screaming Lord Sutch, Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers, Johnny Kidd and the Pirates and the Barron Knights.

Emile Ford died on 11 April 2016 – see his obituary from The Guardian.

Russ Sainty and the Nu-Notes were more-or-less the resident group at the recently opened California Ballroom in Dunstable. The Nu-Notes at one stage become the Rhet Stoller Group (Rhett, or Barry, Stoller being the guitarist) and had a minor hit in 1961 with “Chariot”. On one occasion they were billed at the Grosvenor as Russ Sainty and the Rhet Stoller Group.

The band were back in May as Russ Sainty and the Nu-Notes, supported by regulars Eddie Prince and the Creoles. Jack Clark kindly sent a photo of the poster.

Also in May, Eddie Friday also tried a new midweek venture with DJ Eddie Moreno called “The Teen & Twenty Nite-Club” – a similar club was already successfully operating in Wembley with over 4,000 members, but in Aylesbury this was short-lived, closing after just a few weeks.

Later in the year, Eddie Prince and the Creoles supported Garry Mills and the Deccades (June 2)

and Mel Turner and the Mohicans (November 3).

Meanwhile at the Town Hall, acts appearing included Eden Kane, Joe Brown and his Bruvvers, Shane Fenton, as well as Screaming Lord Sutch and the Barron Knights.

The Johnny Dankworth Orchestra was greatly enjoyed by Tony White, the jazz columnist in the Bucks Advertiser. Johnny Dankworth had enjoyed chart success with “African Waltz” in 1961 and had won the big band section of the Melody Maker jazz poll with almost 80% of the votes. Click image to enlarge.

Town Hall Fire

A disastrous fire at the Town Hall occured in March 1962. The Bucks Advertiser reported that it was the second fire within four days and thought to be the work of an arsonist. Painted solgans were found reading “If not this time there’ll be another” and “More to come”. Click image to enlarge.

A small ad appeared the following week:

Following the fire, some shows were put on at Walton Hall – which had hosted the odd gig up until then, and would again provide a useful alternative whilst the Grosvenor was re-furbished to become the Borough Assembly Hall in 1963.

Appearing were Rolly Daniels, Ricky Valance, Paul Hanford and Joe Brown and his Bruvvers.

The ad below includes Gene Vincent among future bookings on 28th April. However, John Braley, a local authority on Gene Vincent, has been unable to find any evidence that this happened. The gig continues to be listed on various websites as part of Gene’s appearances in April and May 1962, part of his seventh UK tour on which he was backed by Sounds Incorporated, with the Aylesbury date sandwiched between Broadstairs on 27th and East Ham Granada on the 29th. If anyone has more details about this, please let us know!

Below are lists of gigs at the Grosvenor Ballroom, the Town Hall and Walton Hall. Scroll down to view.

Grosvenor Ballroom

Date	Club	Artist 1	Artist 2
6/1/1962		Terry Young and the Bluenotes
7/1/1962	Sunday Club	Rocky Lane and the Victors
27/1/1962		Russ Sainty and the Rhet Stroller Group	Royston Jones and the Raiders
3/2/1962		Dru Harvey and the Jokers	Mike Dee and the Jaywalkers
10/2/1962		Dave Sampson	Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs, Rikki Forde and the Cyclones
17/2/1962		Craig Douglas	Jimmy Virgo and the Bluejacks
24/2/1962		Peter Elliott	Johnny La Starr and the Marzipan Twisters
3/3/1962		Tony Orlando	Jimmy Crawford and The Ravens, Verne Rogers and the Hi-Fis
10/3/1962		The Checkmates	Eddie and The Chequers
17/3/1962		Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers	Johnny Vallons & The Deejays
24/3/1962		The Allisons	Leon Chad Quartet, Verne Rogers and the Hi-Fis
31/3/1962		Emile Ford and the New Checkmates	Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs
7/4/1962		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	The Le-Roys
8/4/1962	Sunday Club	Johnny Vallons and the Deejays
14/4/1962		Johnny Gentle and the Jaybirds	Johnny Dark and the Silhouettes, Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs
15/4/1962	Sunday Club	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
21/4/1962		Jimmy Crawford and the Ravens	Lee Atkins and the M.I.5
22/4/1962	Sunday Club	Dru Harvey and the Jokers
23/4/1962		Tony Allen and the Kansas City Four	Paul Dean and the Dreamers
28/4/1962		Emile Ford and the New Checkmates versus The Original Checkmates
29/4/1962	Sunday Club	The Dominators
5/5/1962		Russ Sainty and the Nu-Notes	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
6/5/1962	Sunday Club	Clyde Burns and the Beachcombers
12/5/1962		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	The Magnificent Six
13/5/1962	Sunday Club	Grant Tracey and the Sunsets
19/5/1962		Colin Hicks	Cliff Adams and the Twilights, Teddy and the Cannons
20/5/1962	Sunday Club	Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs
22/5/1962	Teen and Twenty Nite-Club	Eddie Moreno (DJ)	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers, Nick Raynor and the Falcons
26/5/1962	Big Rock 'n' Twist Show	Shirley Ann Field, Andrew Ray (judges)	Robb Storme and the Whispers, The Magnificent Six
27/5/1962	Sunday Club	The Federals
2/6/1962		Garry Mills and the Deccades	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
3/6/1962	Sunday Club	The Spiderman
9/6/1962		Grant Tracey and the Sunsets	Dru Harvey and the Jokers
11/6/1962		Paul Dean and the Dreamers	Ricky Wade and his Crossfires
16/6/1962		Garry Edwards Combo	Shane Spencer and the Casuals
17/6/1962	Sunday Club	Mike Sagar and the Crestas
23/6/1962		The Original Checkmates	The Le-Roys
24/6/1962	Sunday Club	Pete Chester Combo
30/6/1962		Mike Sagar and the Crestas	Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs
7/7/1962		Chico Arnez and his Orchestra	The Stormbreakers with Ricky Marino and Clive Turner
8/7/1962	Sunday Club	Tony Bolton and the Federals
14/7/1962		The Flintstones	Ricky Allen Combo
21/7/1962		Paul Raven	Cliff Adams and the Twilights, Shane Spencer and the Casuals
28/7/1962		Michael London	Johny Carr and the Cadillacs, The Stormbreakers with Ricky Marino and Clive Turner
4/8/1962		Dru Harvey and the Jokers	The Swinging Skyways
11/8/1962		Gerry Temple	Peter Nelson and the Travellers, Carl Vincent and the Maniacs
18/8/1962		Danny Davis and the Marauders	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
25/8/1962		Lance Fortune	Rocking Henry and the Phantoms, Roy Wayne and the Wanderers
1/9/1962		Johnny Milton and the Condors	Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs
8/9/1962		Jackie Lynton	Bob Xavier and the Jury, The Cervezas
15/9/1962		Peppi and the New York Twisters	Johnny and the Jaytones featuring the Lynton Twins
22/9/1962		Mike Sarne	Billie Davis, Keith Turner and the Swallows
29/9/1962		The Original Checkmates	Clyde Burns and the Beachcombers
6/10/1962		Mike Sagar and the Crestas	Shane Spencer and the Casuals
13/10/1962		Wee Willie Harris	Tony Crombie and the Rockets
20/10/1962		The Original Checkmates	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
27/10/1962		Emile Ford and the Checkmates	Garry Edwards Combo
3/11/1962		Mel Turner and the Mohicans	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
10/11/1962		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Dave Martin and the Martells
17/11/1962		Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs	Paul Dean and the Dreamers
24/11/1962		Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages	Johnny Starlite and the Gamblers
1/12/1962		Ray Pilgrim	Rikky Temple and the Lonely Ones, Peter Nelson and the Travellers
8/12/1962		Mike Sagar and the Crestas	Verne Rogers and the Hi-Fis
15/12/1962		Craig Douglas	Rikki Allen Trio, Bern Elliott and the Fenmen
22/12/1962		The Barron Knights and Duke D'Mond	Johnny Anger and the Wild Ones
24/12/1962		Russ Sainty and the Nu-Notes	Bern Elliott and the Fenmen
29/12/1962		Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs	The Chris Farlowe Combo
31/12/1962		Johnny Vallons and the Deejays	Billy Reid and the Bluecoats, The Sonics

Town Hall

Date	Artist 1	Artist 2
5/1/1962	Danny Davis	Gary and Lee, The Paramounts
6/1/1962	Eden Kane	Peter Jay & The Jaywalkers, The Barron Knights
10/1/1962	Shane Fenton
13/1/1962	Tommy Bruce and his Bruisers	Barry James, The Strangers
17/1/1962	Vince Eager	Barry Edward and the Semi-Tones
20/1/1962	Rolly Daniels	Chris Wayne, Gerry Temple, The Barons
24/1/1962	Seven Fabulous Flintstones
27/1/1962	Fleerekkers	Johnny Dave Five
3/2/1962	Joe Brown and his Bruvvers	Duke D'Mond and the Barron Knights
7/2/1962	Screaming Lord Sutch
10/2/1962	Danny Rivers	Nelson Keene, Ricky Wayne and the Offbeats, The Jesters with Maureen Cochran
17/2/1962	Johnny Dankworth and his Orchestra with Bobby Breen	Frankie Short's Apex Rock Group
21/2/1962	The Barron Knights
24/2/1962	The Viscounts	Dan Haggerty Trio, Mick Barber's Travellers
28/2/1962	Senators
3/3/1962	Mudlarks	The Barron Knights with Duke D'Mond
7/3/1962	The Apex Group
10/3/1962	Michael Cox	Keith Kelly, Peter Wynne, Bob Xavier and the Jury, Jimmie Richie Group

Walton Hall

Date	Artist 1	Artist 2
24/3/1962	Rolly Daniels	Chris Wayne, The Condors, Gerry Temple
7/4/1962	Ricky Valance and the Cruisers	The Jesters
14/4/1962	Paul Hanford	The Federals, Gary Lane and the Garrisons
23/4/1962	Joe Brown and his Bruvvers	Apex Group

1961: Rock at the Grosvenor Aylesbury … and the Town Hall

Published on May 1, 2016February 5, 2021 by Stephen Daglish

Eddie Friday, who held the lease on the Grosvenor Ballroom, continued to promote rock gigs there on Saturday evenings throughout 1961, usually featuring a headline group plus support. The Sunday club also carried on, with one group playing each week.

Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, who had been regulars in 1960, continued to appear – playing six times on Saturdays, plus two more appearances at the Sunday Club. However, the group with the most Saturday night appearances during 1961 was Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers, with 18 appearances, plus 2 more at the Sunday Club.

Making their debut in 1961 were the Barron Knights – with five appearances through the year. Their first appearance, on May 13th, was billed as Barron Anthony and the Barron Knights.

Bill Wyman has written in his book “Stone Alone” about how he was inspired to take up bass guitar after seeing the Barron Knights play in Aylesbury in 1961. He wrote:

“One of the biggest turning points in my life came at the beginning of August 1961 when Diane and I went to Aylesbury to visit my sister Anne and her husband David. We went to a dance in an old converted cinema. On stage were the Barron Knights, who later became popular by brilliantly mimicking other people’s hits. The sound of their bass guitar hit me straight in the balls … From that moment, I wanted to play the bass”.

This has clearly stuck in Bill’s memory. Peter Langford from the Barron Knights says that he was with Bill at his offices in London a couple of years ago, and Bill’s first words to him were “Pete, you changed my life!”.

The Sunday Club gave opportunities to Eddie Prince and the Creoles, Rocky Lane and the Victors, Johnny Carr and The Combo and Peter Nelson and the Travellers.

Many remember that Saturday night at the Grosvenor around this time could be a bit rough. In September, under a headline “Mr. Friday Gets Tough – Toe The Line Or – Out!”, the Bucks Advertsier reported:

Aylesbury is fast becoming a mecca for the good-time boys – trouble-making teenagers out for “kicks” on Saturday nights. They are rolling in by car from such places as Dunstable, Wycombe, Chesham and even London.

Because of this at least one local dance promoter – Mr. Eddie Friday, of the Grosvenor Ballroom in the Market Square – has adapted extremely tough measures. Patrons who do not toe the line – who do not obey the strict rules – are OUT. No explanations are permitted …

Twice since July a Grosvenor dance had had to be ended early. Since then, everyone entering the Ballroom on a Saturday night has been carefully vetted … Mr. Friday is sorry that events have caused him to get tough. But he feels it is the only way to cope with the situation – the only way to keep gang warfare out of Aylesbury.”

Later that year, Eddie Friday introduced a “no jeans or leather jackets” rule. The Bucks Herald carried the story on it’s front page on 10 November 1961 – alongside images of Billy Fury and fans at the Granada (click image to enlarge).

The following is a list of rock shows at the Grosvenor Ballroom:

Date	Club	Artist 1	Artist 2
1/1/1961	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
7/1/1961		Dean Shannon Group	Rocky Lane and the Victors
8/1/1961	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
14/1/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Mike West and the Silhouettes
15/1/1961	Sunday Club	Johnny Kidd and the Pirates
21/1/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Dean Shannon and the Dean Aces
22/1/1961	Sunday Club	Johnny Kidd and the Pirates
28/1/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Dean Shannon and the Dean Aces
29/1/1961	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
4/2/1961		Rocky Lane and the Victors	Dean Shannon and the Dean Aces
5/2/1961	Sunday Club	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
11/2/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
12/2/1961	Sunday Club	Dean Shannon and the Dean Aces
18/2/1961		Terry Young and the Young Stars	Brian Wood Five
19/2/1961	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
25/2/1961		Mike West and the Silhouettes	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
26/2/1961	Sunday Club	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
4/3/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Rocky Lane and the Victors
5/3/1961	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
11/3/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Paul Raven and the Trebletones
12/3/1961	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
18/3/1961		Mike West and the Silhouettes	Rocky Lane and the Victors
19/3/1961	Sunday Club	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
25/3/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
26/3/1961	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
1/4/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
2/4/1961	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
3/4/1961		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Eddie Prince and the Creoles plus "one other local group"
8/4/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
9/4/1961	Sunday Club	Eddie Prince and the Creoles	Ricky Temple and the Whispering Four
15/4/1961		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Jeff Sturgeon and the Statesmen
16/4/1961	Sunday Club	Rocky Lane and the Victors
22/4/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Mike West and the Silhouettes
23/4/1961	Sunday Club	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
29/4/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Rocky Lane and the Victors
30/4/1961	Sunday Club	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
6/5/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
7/5/1961	Sunday Club	Rocky Lane and the Victors
13/5/1961		Barron Anthony and the Barron Knights	Rocky Lane and the Victors
14/5/1961	Sunday Club	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
20/5/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Ricky Temple and the Lonely Ones
21/5/1961	Sunday Club	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
22/5/1961		Johnny West and the Apaches	Rocky Lane and the Victors, Eddie Prince and the Creoles
27/5/1961		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
28/5/1961	Sunday Club	Johnny Carr and the Combo
3/6/1961		Johnny West and the Apaches	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
4/6/1961	Sunday Club	Rocky Lane and the Victors
10/6/1961		Verne Rogers and The Hi-Fis	Gerry and the Giants
11/6/1961	Sunday Club	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
17/6/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Ricky Temple and the Lonely Ones
18/6/1961	Sunday Club	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
24/6/1961		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
25/6/1961	Sunday Club	Johnny Carr and the Combo
1/7/1961		The Barron Knights	Johnny West and the Apaches
2/7/1961	Sunday Club	Rocky Lane and the Victors
8/7/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
9/7/1961	Sunday Club	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
15/7/1961		Clyde Burns and his Beachcombers	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
16/7/1961	Sunday Club	Johnny Carr and the Combo
22/7/1961		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Ganges Delta Seven
23/7/1961	Sunday Club	Rocky Lane and the Victors
29/7/1961		The Barron Knights	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
30/7/1961	Sunday Club	Johnny Carr and the Combo
5/8/1961		Johnny West and the Apaches	Paul Dean and the Dreamers
6/8/1961	Sunday Club	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
12/8/1961		Johnny West and the Apaches	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
13/8/1961	Sunday Club	Rocky Lane and the Victors
19/8/1961		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
20/8/1961	Sunday Club	The Bluetones
26/8/1961		The Barron Knights	The Crystals
27/8/1961	Sunday Club	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
2/9/1961		Johnny West and the Apaches	Paul Dean and the Dreamers
3/9/1961	Sunday Club	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
9/9/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Paul Dean and the Dreamers
10/9/1961	Sunday Club	Rocky Lane and the Victors
16/9/1961		The Bluetones	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
17/9/1961	Sunday Club	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
23/9/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Jimmy Sherwood and the Cadillacs
24/9/1961	Sunday Club	Johnny Carr and the Combo
30/9/1961		The Barron Knights	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
1/10/1961	Sunday Club	Rocky Lane and the Victors
7/10/1961		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Paul Dean and the Dreamers
8/10/1961	Sunday Club	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
14/10/1961		Mark Haven and the Paramounts	Jimmy Fleetwood and the Cadillacs
15/10/1961	Sunday Club	Johnny Carr and the Combo
21/10/1961		Peter Nelson and the Travellers	Paul Dean and the Dreamers
22/10/1961	Sunday Club	Rocky Lane and the Victors
28/10/1961		Mike West and the Silhouettes	The Bluetones
29/10/1961	Sunday Club	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
4/11/1961		Terry Young and the Young Stars	Peter Nelson and the Travellers
5/11/1961	Sunday Club	Johnny Carr and the Combo
11/11/1961		Mike West and the Silhouettes	Paul Dean and the Dreamers
12/11/1961	Sunday Club	Rocky Lane and the Victors
18/11/1961		Terry Young and the Young Stars	Paul Dean and the Dreamers
19/11/1961	Sunday Club	Chico Nelson and the Sabres
25/11/1961		Jimmy Fleetwood and the Cadillacs	The Bluetones
26/11/1961	Sunday Club	Eddie Prince and the Creoles
2/12/1961		Mike West and the Silhouettes	Paul Dean and the Dreamers
3/12/1961	Sunday Club	Johnny Carr and the Combo
9/12/1961		The Tremalos	Clyde Burns and the Beachcombers
10/12/1961	Sunday Club	Rocky Lane and the Victors
16/12/1961		The Dauphines	Paul Dean and the Dreamers
17/12/1961	Sunday Club	Jess Hunter and the Premiers
23/12/1961		Mike West and the Silhouettes	Jimmy Fleetwood and the Cadillacs
26/12/1961		Terry Young and the Young Stars	Paul Dean and the Dreamers
30/12/1961		Paul Dean and the Dreamers	Tony Kaye and the Dauphines
31/12/1961	Sunday Club	Eddie Prince and the Creoles

By the end of the year, there was an alternative. Promoter Alan Wallis started putiing on rock ‘n’ roll at the Town Hall. At around the same time Aylesbury Jazz Club had moved from the Grosvenor to the Town Hall.

Under a headline of “A Wind Of Change At The Town Hall”, the Bucks Advertiser reported:

How the winds of fortune change! Aylesbury Town Hall is now back in favour among dance promoters – will, in the rock ‘n’ roll and traditional jazz fields anyway. The past couple of years have been pretty bleak underneath the Town Hall arches. Now look what has happened.

Just a fortnight ago Aylesbury Jazz Club took the plunge and changed its venue. Result? A useful 350 jazz fiends crowded the place. And last week rock ‘n’ roll hit the Town Hall. This time 450 youngsters trooped in.

Such was the response to the “rock” night that local dance promoter Alan Wallis … will be holding there every week. And there will be no ban against the leather jerkin and jeans brigade. Who said rock ‘n’ roll is dying out?

The following is a list of rock shows at the Town Hall:

Date	Promoter Name	Artist 1	Artist 2
13/1/1961	Frank Promotions	Al Kline Five	Les Rogers and the Wild Ones
14/1/1961	Frank Promotions	Al Kline Five	Les Rogers and the Wild Ones
20/1/1961	Frank Promotions	Bond Waynor and the Quintones
21/1/1961	Frank Promotions	Bond Waynor and the Quintones
20/11/1961	Alan Wallis Promotions	Nero and The Gladiators	Frankie Short's Apex Variety Group
29/11/1961	Alan Wallis Promotions	Michael Cox	The Echoes, Frankie Short's Apex Variety Group
6/12/1961	Alan Wallis Promotions	Frankie Short's Apex Variety Group
13/12/1961	Alan Wallis Promotions	Joe Brown and his Bruvvers	The Barron Knights
18/12/1961	Alan Wallis Promotions	The Fabulous Flintstones
27/12/1961	Alan Wallis Promotions	Frankie Short's Apex Variety Group

Rock Around The Clock film

Published on April 19, 2016February 5, 2021 by Stephen Daglish

In February 1957, the film Rock Around The Clock was shown at the Odeon, Aylesbury. The film had opened in the UK on 20 July 1956 at the London Pavilion, and in other towns there had been reports of problems with “teddy boys” destroying seats and dancing in the aisles – so some extraordinary measures were taken to prevent trouble in Aylesbury.

The Bucks Advertiser reported on February 8, 1957, that:

Police officers in plain clothes – some accompanied by their wives – occupied seats in strategic positions at the Odeon Cinema, Aylesbury, every night last week, while outside was a police dog and its handler … In addition to the police, there were also present three experienced management personnel of the Odeon circuit who have attended the various cinemas where the fulm has been shown.

In fact, there were no problems in Aylesbury – and the manager. Mr. W. D. Laing told the paper that “he was extremely happy that the scenes which have accompanied the film in other places did not take place in Aylesbury.”

News of the disturbances around the country may have been exaggerated by the newspapers – at least to some extent. There is a file in the National Archives which shows that the Home Office was approached by the Cinematograph Exhibitors’ Association (C.E.A.) about the prohibition by some local authorities of the showing of the film. Introducing the subject, the following comment appears (click on image to enlarge):

The file includes a list of towns where the film had been banned – including Oxford, and the whole of Berkshire, including Reading, Windsor and Maidenhead:

There are also examples of exaggerated reporting:

Images: The National Archives

Rock Around The Clock was not necessarily a great film but was the first movie to showcase the new music of the fifties – rock ‘n’ roll in a low budget story targeted at teenage audiences. But it did have a big impact.

Pete Frame in his book “The Restless Generation” devotes 10 pages to the release of the film in the UK. He writes:

Rock Around the Clock, a cheap Hollywood exploitation movie rushed out to capitalise on the current American rock ‘n’ roll fad, really did stick a dagger into Britain’s staid way of life, opening up a festering wound – later descrined at a “generation gap” – which grew wider and deeper by the day … It is not an exaggeration to say the film changed lives. Of how many movies can that be said? Most people who saw it left the cinema uplifed and exhilarated. Some felt inspired. Hundreds of kids wanted to start bands. Thousands wanted rock ‘n’ roll to be the soundtrack of their lives.

1960: Rock ‘n’ Roll comes to the Grosvenor

Published on April 18, 2016February 5, 2021 by Stephen Daglish

February 1960 saw rock ‘n’ roll come to the Grosvenor Ballroom on Saturday nights. Until then, Saturday evenings had featured dance bands.

For the first three weeks Stanley Dale is shown as the promoter, but after this the adverts are under a heading of Eddie Friday presents – though it seems likely that Stanley Dale continued to be involved for some months. Stanley Dale managed Johnny Kidd and the Pirates through his company Associated London Scripts until January 1962 – the period in which Johnny Kidd and the Pirates made most of the Aylesbury appearances. Later, in October 1962, Stanley Dale made a bid to buy the Grosvenor Ballroom (see below).

Playing that first night were Johnny Kidd and the Pirates and Terry Anton and his Rhythm Rockers. This same combination played for each of the next three weeks, and both went on to be regulars in Aylesbury. The Bucks Advertiser reported that the attendance was 560 for the opening night, and by the third week a “sell out” was reported.

Johnny Kidd and the Pirates played 48 times in Aylesbury, including nine times at the Sunday Club that Eddie Friday started in May 1960. That month also saw Johnny Kidd and the Pirates in the studio recording “Shakin’ All Over” which took the band to No. 1 in the singles chart.

Johnny Kidd and the Pirates – Skakin’ All Over

Guitarist Alan Caddy and drummer Clem Cattini were later in the Tornados, after leaving the Pirates. Cattini went on to be a session drummer – and has played on 44 UK no. 1 singles. He also played on Lou Reed’s debut solo album which was recorded in London in 1971/1972 with London session musicians, including Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe.

Clem Cattini – Guardian article 2010

Another group making regular appearances was Mike West and the Silhouettes. Mike West had previously played with Johnny Kidd and the PIrates, but had left to form his own group, which included guitarist Tony Doherty who had also been a Pirate.

Also appearing were Red-E-Lewis and the Redcaps who at some stage included Jimmy Page as guitarist. There is some confusion with the Red-E-Lewis band and Neil Christian and the Crusaders.

Clem Cattini (drummer with Johnny Kidd) wrote in “Trampled Under Foot: The Power and Excess of Led Zeppelin”:

I was touring with Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. We used to play this place in Aylesbury and Jimmy [Page] was in Neil Christian and the Crusaders, which was the support band. He was only fifteen and he was already a phenomenal player.

I have found no record of Neil Christian and the Crusaders playing in Aylesbury. As Clem joined the Pirates in 1960 (source: Johnny Kidd and the Pirates website – Timeline), it may be that he is referring to Red-E-Lewis and the Recaps.

On October 14th, the Bucks Advertiser carried a front page story under the title “Aylesbury Grosvenor Surprise – Rock ‘n’ Roll Man: £20,000 Bid For Ballroom”.

It was reported that Stan Dale had made an offer to buy the hall – and he had plans for it. He is quoted as saying “The building is out of date … The future of the site could involve the spending of £250,000 over a three- to five- year period, and could be made to fit in with the whole scheme of the town, including a supermarket, flats and an entertainment centre.”

Although the article reported that the deal was due to be clinched that week, it did not go ahead. Click on image to enlarge.

The following is a list of 1960 gigs at the Grosvenor. It is possible that there were some changes to the artists who actually appeared due to last minute cancellations, etc.; details have been checked as far as possible, but if you have any corrections or additions please let us know! Looking at the list, it is obvious that there was a regular rotation of a relatively small number of groups during the year.

Date	Club	Artist 1	Artist 2
6/2/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
13/2/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
20/2/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
27/2/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Mike West and the Saxons
5/3/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
12/3/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
19/3/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
26/3/1960		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Martin Jae and the Hi Five
2/4/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
9/4/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
16/4/1960		Red-E-Lewis and the Redcaps	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
30/4/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
7/5/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
8/5/1960	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
14/5/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
15/5/1960	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
21/5/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
22/5/1960	Sunday Club	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
28/5/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Bobby Tempest and the Lyrics
29/5/1960	Sunday Club	Johnny Kidd and the Pirates
4/6/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Bobby Tempest and the Lyrics
5/6/1960	Sunday Club	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
11/6/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Red-E-Lewis and the Redcaps
12/6/1960	Sunday Club	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
18/6/1960		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Mike West and the Silhouettes
19/6/1960	Sunday Club	Johnny Kidd and the Pirates
25/6/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Mike West and the Silhouettes
26/6/1960	Sunday Club	Red-E-Lewis and the Redcaps
2/7/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
3/7/1960	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
9/7/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Mike West and the Silhouettes
10/7/1960	Sunday Club	Creole Combo	The Blue Knights
16/7/1960		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Mike West and the Silhouettes
17/7/1960	Sunday Club	Johnny Kidd and the Pirates
23/7/1960		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Mike West and the Silhouettes
24/7/1960	Sunday Club	Johnny Kidd and the Pirates
30/7/1960		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Mike West and the Silhouettes
31/7/1960	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
6/8/1960		Mike West and the Silhouettes	The Avalons
7/8/1960	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
13/8/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Mike West and the Silhouettes
14/8/1960	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
20/8/1960		Mike West and the Silhouettes	The Avalons
21/8/1960	Sunday Club	Johnny Kidd and the Pirates
27/8/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Mike West and the Silhouettes
28/8/1960	Sunday Club	Smokey Dean and the Dean Aces
3/9/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Smokey Dean and the Dean Aces
4/9/1960	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
10/9/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Mike West and the Silhouettes
11/9/1960	Sunday Club	Smokey Dean and the Dean Aces
17/9/1960		Smokey Dean and the Dean Aces	Mike West and the Silhouettes
18/9/1960	Sunday Club	Johnny Kidd and the Pirates
24/9/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Mike West and the Silhouettes
25/9/1960	Sunday Club	Smokey Dean and the Dean Aces
1/10/1960		The Quavers	Mike West and the Silhouettes
2/10/1960	Sunday Club	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
8/10/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Mike West and the Silhouettes
9/10/1960	Sunday Club	Smokey Dean and the Dean Aces
15/10/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Mike West and the Silhouettes
16/10/1960	Sunday Club	Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers
22/10/1960		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Smokey Dean and the Dean Aces
23/10/1960	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
29/10/1960		Dean Shannon and the Dean Aces	Billy Gray and the Graymen
30/10/1960	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
5/11/1960		Dean Shannon and the Dean Aces	The Al Kline Five
6/11/1960	Sunday Club	Johnny Kidd and the Pirates
12/11/1960		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Mike West and the Silhouettes
13/11/1960	Sunday Club	Dean Shannon and the Dean Aces
19/11/1960		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	Dean Shannon and the Dean Aces
20/11/1960	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
26/11/1960		The Victors	Dean Shannon and the Dean Aces
27/11/1960	Sunday Club	Dean Shannon and the Dean Aces
3/12/1960		Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers	The Al Kline Five
4/12/1960	Sunday Club	Dean Shannon and the Dean Aces
10/12/1960		Mike West and the Silhouettes	Ray Dexter and the Summits
11/12/1960	Sunday Club	Dean Shannon and the Dean Aces
17/12/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Dean Shannon and the Dean Aces
18/12/1960	Sunday Club	Mike West and the Silhouettes
24/12/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Mike West and the Silhouettes
26/12/1960		Dean Shannon and the Dean Aces	The Brian Wood Five, Terry Young and the Thunderbirds, Brian Gold and the Blue Knights
31/12/1960		Johnny Kidd and the Pirates	Pierce Rogers and the Overlanders, Mike West and the Silhouettes, Rocky Lane and the Victors

Aylesbury Music Town

A survey of live music in Aylesbury from the 1950s

Rock ‘n’ Roll