all nighters

[Sharon Cooper]

Does anybody know which was the first SOUL allnighter. I know people mention The Wheel but my elder brother was going to the Dungeon in Nott'm somewhere around 66-67, later the Dungeon became the Beachcomber.

Was there others earlier than the Wheel and Dungeon?????????

Edited December 15, 2006 by bridget

[Guest]

Does anybody know which was the first SOUL allnighter. I know people mention The Wheel but my elder brother was going to the Dungeon in Nott'm somewhere around 66-67, later the Dungeon became the Beachcomber.

Was there others earlier than the Wheel and Dungeon?????????

Just a rumour,mojo sheffield,maybe

[Guest Leigh J]

Does anybody know which was the first SOUL allnighter. I know people mention The Wheel but my elder brother was going to the Dungeon in Nott'm somewhere around 66-67, later the Dungeon became the Beachcomber.

Was there others earlier than the Wheel and Dungeon?????????

One Of The First Allnighters Was The 'Iron Door Club ' In Liverpool 1963,Which Played R&B And Mod Sounds

The Chants And The Pressmen Played Live Sets

Edited December 15, 2006 by Leigh J

[Guest]

One Of The First Allnighters Was The 'Iron Door Club ' In Liverpool 1963,Which Played R&B And Mod Sounds

The Chants And The Pressmen Played Live Sets

Allnighter Liverpool,same sentence,thats a first probberly the last aswell.

Mojo 64 i think?.

Edited December 15, 2006 by ken

[Sean Hampsey]

Just a rumour,mojo sheffield,maybe

Close, Ken, but The Esquire, in Sheffield, was before the King Mojo.

Another Stringfellow gig!

Not sure if it was the first "R&B Soul Allnighter" in the UK though Ken, but that was always the South Yorks perspective.

Sean

[Guest]

Close, Ken, but The Esquire, in Sheffield, was before the King Mojo.

Another Stringfellow gig!

Not sure if it was the first "R&B Soul Allnighter" in the UK though Ken, but that was always the South Yorks perspective.

Sean

Ah!!well,i`m orf`out,to one of the most used names for a mod club,Brighton beach,islington luvie`s,have a good whatever everybody

[Sean Hampsey]

Ah!!well,i`m orf`out,to one of the most used names for a mod club,Brighton beach,islington luvie`s,have a good whatever everybody

Lucky lad.

The Esquire is now The Leadmill if anyone's interested. It was owned by Terry Thornton (less said about him the better). Pete Stringfellow was the DJ who later set up the (King) Mojo in competition with the Leadmill... and the rest is history!

The other big Allnighter venue at the time was the 'Club 60' (also owned by Thornton) who had Sonny Boy Williamson & Lightening Hopkins, but it couldn't compete with the Esquire & Mojo in the Soul / R&B stakes. The Mojo had a lot of Old Blues artists whereas the Esquire was pure Soul.... consequently the first true "SOUL Allnighter".

Stringfellow also made his name at The Black Cat on City Road n Sheffield. I saw Dave Berry there as a kid, when my cousin worked as a Barmaid. He was a bit of a local hero and a neighbour of hers!... You were as likely to see the likes of Procul Harum, Dave Berry, O'Haras Playboys & Joe Cocker as Inezz & Charlie Foxx.

The Leadmill is still Sheffield's most 'atmospheric' club.

Seen lots of good stuff there over the years, from Gino Washington to Womack & Womack!

They held a Mojo reunion about 18/20 years ago there, and I appeared on the Front page of the Sheffield Star with Stringfellow. Got some serious stick at work the next day .

A few old mates, Guys now in their 60's (and very much older than me ) have verified that the Esquire (now 'essentialy' the Leadmill - in the same block) was the first UK's 'Soul' Allnighter... and I've always believed that to be the case.

Sean

[Cunnie]

Lucky lad.

The Esquire is now The Leadmill if anyone's interested. It was owned by Terry Thornton (less said about him the better). Pete Stringfellow was the DJ who later set up the (King) Mojo in competition with the Leadmill... and the rest is history!

The other big Allnighter venue at the time was the 'Club 60' (also owned by Thornton) who had Sonny Boy Williamson & Lightening Hopkins, but it couldn't compete with the Esquire & Mojo in the Soul / R&B stakes. The Mojo had a lot of Old Blues artists whereas the Esquire was pure Soul.... consequently the first true "SOUL Allnighter".

Stringfellow also made his name at The Black Cat on City Road n Sheffield. I saw Dave Berry there as a kid, when my cousin worked as a Barmaid. He was a bit of a local hero and a neighbour of hers!... You were as likely to see the likes of Procul Harum, Dave Berry, O'Haras Playboys & Joe Cocker as Inezz & Charlie Foxx.

The Leadmill is still Sheffield's most 'atmospheric' club.

Seen lots of good stuff there over the years, from Gino Washington to Womack & Womack!

They held a Mojo reunion about 18/20 years ago there, and I appeared on the Front page of the Sheffield Star with Stringfellow. Got some serious stick at work the next day .

A few old mates, Guys now in their 60's (and very much older than me ) have verified that the Esquire (now 'essentialy' the Leadmill - in the same block) was the first UK's 'Soul' Allnighter... and I've always believed that to be the case.

Sean

Bloody hell Sean, you got a good memory.

Pass the old club 60 every morning on my way to work on Shalesmoor & the old doorway is still there to the cellar bar. The upstairs is a printers & i'd love to ask if i could have a look downstairs one day but he'd probably think i was mad (no comments!).

Remember John O'Hara as he used to live in a flat on Harcourt Rd just below my Dads house. Had a Transit van with O'Hara's Playboys painted on the side.

O'Hara's playboys moved to Germany i think & had a big following there in the 70s & 80s.

Wonder what John O'Hara is up to now?

Probably doing backstreet clubs with the likes of Frank White if he's still with us, hope he is.

[Sean Hampsey]

Bloody hell Sean, you got a good memory.

Pass the old club 60 every morning on my way to work on Shalesmoor & the old doorway is still there to the cellar bar. The upstairs is a printers & i'd love to ask if i could have a look downstairs one day but he'd probably think i was mad (no comments!).

Remember John O'Hara as he used to live in a flat on Harcourt Rd just below my Dads house. Had a Transit van with O'Hara's Playboys painted on the side.

O'Hara's playboys moved to Germany i think & had a big following there in the 70s & 80s.

Wonder what John O'Hara is up to now?

Probably doing backstreet clubs with the likes of Frank White if he's still with us, hope he is.

Frank White is still with us and I believe still doing the odd 'Blues - Revival' type gig... with Dave Berry.

Saw him a few times in local clubs in the 70's.

We used to call 'em the Wank Fright Band.

Immature eh?

Sean

[Sean Hampsey]

Bloody hell Sean, you got a good memory.

Pass the old club 60 every morning on my way to work on Shalesmoor & the old doorway is still there to the cellar bar. The upstairs is a printers & i'd love to ask if i could have a look downstairs one day but he'd probably think i was mad (no comments!).

Remember John O'Hara as he used to live in a flat on Harcourt Rd just below my Dads house. Had a Transit van with O'Hara's Playboys painted on the side.

O'Hara's playboys moved to Germany i think & had a big following there in the 70s & 80s.

Wonder what John O'Hara is up to now?

Probably doing backstreet clubs with the likes of Frank White if he's still with us, hope he is.

Reckon we could get the ol Club 60 up and running again then Mart?

[Sean Hampsey]

Bloody hell Sean, you got a good memory.

Pass the old club 60 every morning on my way to work on Shalesmoor & the old doorway is still there to the cellar bar. The upstairs is a printers & i'd love to ask if i could have a look downstairs one day but he'd probably think i was mad (no comments!).

Remember John O'Hara as he used to live in a flat on Harcourt Rd just below my Dads house. Had a Transit van with O'Hara's Playboys painted on the side.

O'Hara's playboys moved to Germany i think & had a big following there in the 70s & 80s.

Wonder what John O'Hara is up to now?

Probably doing backstreet clubs with the likes of Frank White if he's still with us, hope he is.

As an aside (and a bit off thread), I bumped into Dave berry about 12 months ago in an old Church off Broadfield Road. He's got an antiques stall in there.

Bought a few bits off him.

Great little place, full of bargains.... no vinyl though!

[SteveM]

Bloody hell Sean, you got a good memory.

Pass the old club 60 every morning on my way to work on Shalesmoor & the old doorway is still there to the cellar bar. The upstairs is a printers & i'd love to ask if i could have a look downstairs one day but he'd probably think i was mad (no comments!).

Remember John O'Hara as he used to live in a flat on Harcourt Rd just below my Dads house. Had a Transit van with O'Hara's Playboys painted on the side.

O'Hara's playboys moved to Germany i think & had a big following there in the 70s & 80s.

Wonder what John O'Hara is up to now?

Probably doing backstreet clubs with the likes of Frank White if he's still with us, hope he is.

John O'Hara is still doing the clubs in and around Sheffield Martin. Apparently, Sean was a mate of his grandads

BTW. Nice Sheffield double yesterday. Trust FMan Utd not to do th business at West Ham though

[Sean Hampsey]

John O'Hara is still doing the clubs in and around Sheffield Martin. Apparently, Sean was a mate of his grandads

BTW. Nice Sheffield double yesterday. Trust FMan Utd not to do th business at West Ham though

Yes... that's true... we were at school together and I always remember you, Mr Mannion, trying to get us both to come and look at some puppies.

[SteveM]

Yes... that's true... we were at school together and I always remember you, Mr Mannion, trying to get us both to come and look at some puppies.

But you came to see them every Saturday for a year

All for half a bag of jelly babies, some flying saucers and a balloon on a stick.

(BTW Cunnie. There are some new pups for you to come and see over Christmas. )

[Sean Hampsey]

But you came to see them every Saturday for a year

All for half a bag of jelly babies, some flying saucers and a balloon on a stick.

(BTW Cunnie. There are some new pups for you to come and see over Christmas. )

Ah, Happy days.

The Balloon has long perished... but I've still got the stick Mr Mannion.

What fun we had with it.

I do hope the Haemmoroids are on the mend.

[SteveM]

Ah, Happy days.

The Balloon has long perished... but I've still got the stick Mr Mannion.

What fun we had with it.

I do hope the Haemmoroids are on the mend.

Talking of which, the name Bill Ward just came into my mind Do you remember Bill. The Clifton Hall warm up after Chris Brady left ?

Now there was niter. Pity nobody remembers it

[Sean Hampsey]

Talking of which, the name Bill Ward just came into my mind Do you remember Bill. The Clifton Hall warm up after Chris Brady left ?

Now there was niter. Pity nobody remembers it

I do remember Bill (and his sidekick Torchie) very well.

I reckon those two lads were the scene's first 'returnees' circa 1979.

Boy, he got into it all over again in a BIG way, didn't he.

I vaguely remember Clifton Hall.... it's so very long ago.

Perhaps we'll need to wait until Bill returns again, to verify that it even existed!

Sean

[SteveM]

I do remember Bill (and his sidekick Torchie) very well.

I reckon those two lads were the scene's first 'returnees' circa 1979.

Boy, he got into it all over again in a BIG way, didn't he.

I vaguely remember Clifton Hall.... it's so very long ago.

Perhaps we'll need to wait until Bill returns again, to verify that it even existed!

Sean

I used to play football with Torchy. Mind you, it was a long time ago. We played in a cup final and a white horse called Billy trod on me.

[Sweeney]

Was the Twisted Wheel's music policy purely Soul? I was always led to believe it played a mixture of Black American / West Indian musical styles. If this is the case, so did the Flamingo in Wardour Street, London from early 1962 onwards. Very popular with American Servicemen and Modernists.

Even this pales into insignificance when you consider that my Father-in-law went to Jazz Allnighters in Soho from the mid-fifties onwards.

[Cunnie]

I used to play football with Torchy. Mind you, it was a long time ago. We played in a cup final and a white horse called Billy trod on me.

Played in't net didn't you Steve

[Geoff]

Was the Twisted Wheel's music policy purely Soul? I was always led to believe it played a mixture of Black American / West Indian musical styles. If this is the case, so did the Flamingo in Wardour Street, London from early 1962 onwards. Very popular with American Servicemen and Modernists.

Even this pales into insignificance when you consider that my Father-in-law went to Jazz Allnighters in Soho from the mid-fifties onwards.

I remember the Flamingo all nighters, didn't know they started in 62. The Scene and La Discotheque in Soho had all nighters from 63 onwards; the former was almost completely black music, i.e. rhythm and blues, early soul and a bit of Bluebeat (ska). La Discotheque played some pop records. Both aimed at a clientele of Mods. Not sure if the Roaring Twenties had all nighters.

I'd always associated all nighters with soul and R&B; seemed the ideal place to hear it. Were the jazz all nighters modern jazz or trad?

[Guest]

thanks for the info this is really interesting reading...Can anyone remember Peter Stringfellow DJ'ing, I was curious to know what type of DJ he was: did he play chart stuff or was he more underground than that then ?

[Guest melandthensome]

I have a pic from an old mag which features one of Liverpools group THE SEARCHERS on it.

He is seen coming out of THE IRON DOOR night-club in Liverpool around 1963ish with a chick on his arm a big smile on his grid and its early morning.

The article says

'a great week-end for me

leaving a good all-night soul/RnB club(although I understand the music policy was across the board in all music)with a nice girl and a great night out plus to top it all EVERTON winning as well.'

I heard the Iron Door was open around 1962 but played all music and mostly pop with black music as well and was apparantly an all-nighter.

cheers

'iron-lungs-mel-' THE SOULFUL BLUE-NOSE'

[Guest]

Lucky lad.

The Esquire is now The Leadmill if anyone's interested. It was owned by Terry Thornton (less said about him the better). Pete Stringfellow was the DJ who later set up the (King) Mojo in competition with the Leadmill... and the rest is history!

The other big Allnighter venue at the time was the 'Club 60' (also owned by Thornton) who had Sonny Boy Williamson & Lightening Hopkins, but it couldn't compete with the Esquire & Mojo in the Soul / R&B stakes. The Mojo had a lot of Old Blues artists whereas the Esquire was pure Soul.... consequently the first true "SOUL Allnighter".

Stringfellow also made his name at The Black Cat on City Road n Sheffield. I saw Dave Berry there as a kid, when my cousin worked as a Barmaid. He was a bit of a local hero and a neighbour of hers!... You were as likely to see the likes of Procul Harum, Dave Berry, O'Haras Playboys & Joe Cocker as Inezz & Charlie Foxx.

The Leadmill is still Sheffield's most 'atmospheric' club.

Seen lots of good stuff there over the years, from Gino Washington to Womack & Womack!

They held a Mojo reunion about 18/20 years ago there, and I appeared on the Front page of the Sheffield Star with Stringfellow. Got some serious stick at work the next day .

A few old mates, Guys now in their 60's (and very much older than me ) have verified that the Esquire (now 'essentialy' the Leadmill - in the same block) was the first UK's 'Soul' Allnighter... and I've always believed that to be the case.

Sean

Hi Sean .....

I remember that photograph of you with PS ...... The quiff you had was bigger than his !!

Malc Burton

[Guest]

Reckon we could get the ol Club 60 up and running again then Mart?

Send me a membership form if you do Sean ...... I'm nearly that now

Malc Burton

[Guest]

I used to play football with Torchy. Mind you, it was a long time ago. We played in a cup final and a white horse called Billy trod on me.

Didn't use a ball then , Steve .......

Malc Burton

Edited December 20, 2006 by Malc Burton

[Guest]

Does anybody know which was the first SOUL allnighter. I know people mention The Wheel but my elder brother was going to the Dungeon in Nott'm somewhere around 66-67, later the Dungeon became the Beachcomber.

Was there others earlier than the Wheel and Dungeon?????????

" Eee , when I were a lad ...... "

There was a short - lived all - nighter in Leeds in 1965 , that was held in a coffee lounge , next to the soft furnishing shop , 150 yards down from the ABC cinema .

The name of the place has been clouded by the mists of time , but it was owned by a Greek couple , whose family also owned the Carousel restaurant and coffee bar across from The Grand theatre .

As to why an all - nighter was held there , I am still at a loss ...... It had no dancefloor , only sofas , easy chairs and low tables !

The music was provided by a black guy's sound system from Chapletown ( which , to those familiar with the size sound systems were , took up a lot of space in the lounge ) , who played a varied mixture of rhythm & blues , blue beat , ska , rock & roll , blues , the " beat " sounds of the time , and records what we now label as " soul " .

The life of the place was , as I stated , short lived ; the more popular it became , the more noteriety it gained - i.e. the easy availability of a variety of mother's little hepers to the revellers , and as a result , It was closed down by the boys from Millgarth within six months of opening .

Malc Burton

[Sean Hampsey]

The music was provided by a black guy's sound system from Chapletown ( which , to those familiar with the size sound systems were , took up a lot of space in the lounge ) , who played a varied mixture of rhythm & blues , blue beat , ska , rock & roll , blues , the " beat " sounds of the time , and records what we now label as " soul " .

The life of the place was , as I stated , short lived ; the more popular it became , the more noteriety it gained - i.e. the easy availability of a variety of mother's little hepers to the revellers , and as a result , It was closed down by the boys from Millgarth within six months of opening .

Malc Burton

When I were a lad, this would have been called a 'Blues Party' Malc.

There were loads happening in Sheffield and I imagine still are. Normally held in a Basement, or similar.

It's funny you mentioned this because I was only thinking yesterday that the origins of the Soul 'allnighter' in the UK probably lie in the 'Blues Party'.

These would have been going on pretty much every night of the week somewhere in Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester, London etc.,,, and even Leeds!

Sean

[Dave Thorley]

I would have thought the first Soul/R&B allniter or club that ran allnitish, would have been the Pink Flamingo, Wardour Street, London. This first started back in the 50's as a jazz club, but had moved over to R&B/soul by the late 50's/early 60's. But would need a Londoner to confirm this, as I'm way to young. But did find this on the web.

https://www.tkogroup.com/jsk/flamingo.html

Dave

[Sweeney]

I would have thought the first Soul/R&B allniter or club that ran allnitish, would have been the Pink Flamingo, Wardour Street, London. This first started back in the 50's as a jazz club, but had moved over to R&B/soul by the late 50's/early 60's. But would need a Londoner to confirm this, as I'm way to young. But did find this on the web.

https://www.tkogroup.com/jsk/flamingo.html

Dave

Mentioned in post 19 in this thread.

Only Flamingo club, by the way not Pink Flamingo.

There's an interesting article about it here

[Sharon Cooper]

Thanks everyone for the information. Make very interesting reading.

[Ady Croasdell]

The Nite Owl in Leicester was just finishing abot 1968 when i started, i never made it but I'd love to hear about it by anyone who did. Presumably Jeff king the original bootlegger's stomping ground.

[soulAdequateNP]

Talking of which, the name Bill Ward just came into my mind Do you remember Bill. The Clifton Hall warm up after Chris Brady left ?

I still see Bill locally every now and then - I'll let him know you guys have been asking about him next time I see him.