Photos: Maxine Brown & the Q-Set at the Central, Gillingham 3rd Dec 1967

A very interesting piece that captures the spirit of US soul acts touring the UK back in the 60's. The photos included are especially magical. Touring acts played many venues back then that have now largely slipped from the memory. These acts would just about play all the top London soul clubs (the 100 Club wasn't one of those at the time) & they'd also play the niter clubs (Nite Owl, Leicester; Twisted Wheel, Manc). But they'd also play other venues that were regulars on UK's soul circuit -- one of 3 clubs in Nottingham (Dungeon, Brit, Boat Club), Gliderdrome, Boston, Calif, Dunstable, the big venue in Nelson, Bolton & Wigan Casino, one up in the NE (Newcastle or Middlesboro usually), a Portsmouth club (Birdcage) + many more.

I also saw Maxine perform on that tour, catching her @ the Nite Owl niter session on October 7th. I kept a diary at the time & just noted down ... Nite Owl; Maxine Brown -- fantastic.  One of the best I've ever seen. Had a great night. Gunner (Peterboro) there as well as Scunny, Lincoln lot. Went home via Lincoln, back in Pete's (London) van. Journey made via Barrow-on-Soar (we must have dropped someone off there on the way to Lincoln & then to my home town Donny). It was a fateful weekend, as Sunday midday it was off to the last ever session @ Sheffield's King Mojo (Stevie Wonder being the live act at the alldayer). The Mojo was closed by magistrates the following Tuesday, with the Owl following just weeks later (Dec 4th).   

Edited September 29 by Roburt

BTW, I didn't even note down if FAMILY were also on that night. A Leicester group who (like just about all other UK beat groups at the time, played mainly soul covers). They would soon morph, like many other UK groups at the time, into a prog rock group just weeks later. They started having hits in their own right not long after (1968 LP 'Music In A Doll's House').

The Central R&B Club, Gillingham was still going as a soul venue a year later (after many other clubs on the UK circuit had gone over to prog rock / pop acts) ...

 

Edited September 28 by Roburt

A UK music mag interview undertaken by Maxine during that tour ... 

PLUS an ad for a London gig she undertook on the tour ... the changing face of London club live bookings can clearly be seen in the ad (not 100% soul acts anymore) ... EVEN Alan Bown had quit soul & was into his "Toyland"  / Outward Bown era.

Edited September 29 by Roburt

I saw Family three times in 68 and they sang all their own numbers except the encore which was a manic 7 minute version of JB Lenoir's'I Sing Em The Way I Feel' brilliant group 

Thanks for these photos, they're wonderful to see. I'll try and get them to Maxine 

Info on both of Maxine's UK tours in 1967 ... https://garagehangover.com/maxine-brown-q-sets-gigs/

When UK student unions still booked the top live acts ... 1967 ... 

Edited September 30 by Roburt

Incredible photos and stories here! It doesn't get any better.  Thank you.

 

That's a fantastic array of pictures. I remember that place prior to demolition, as I lived relatively close by. I had no idea it was a live music venue however. 

An ad for another show on her late 67 tour. It was mainly London clubs catering for black audiences that were still booking lots of black soul / ska acts late in 67 ... this was one such club ... 

Edited October 2 by Roburt

I used to go to the Central RnB Club in the mid 70s. But as luck would have it, I still know the DJ, Mungo Parks who was the DJ during the 60s at the Central. He DJ'd for Major Lance and Prince Buster. Are you able to send me these photos to see if they jog his memory. Dave and Lew went on to DJ at the Ash Tree in Chatham - another really popular venue with strong soul roots. The interior that you see in the Maxine photos remained unchanged in the 70's. The Central's ballroom was demolished in the late 70s/early 80s and it became the Avenue nightclub. It wasn't demolished to make way for a housing estate or Tescos. Tescos was across the road. I was the Sunday night resident DJ along with Paul French (RIP) at the Avenue from '83/84 onwards. I was working in Caroline Records in the Pentagon in Chatham and was getting all the imports and white labels into the shop and taking them to the Sunday night do's. One of the biggest 'coups' was having an import 7" of Freddie Jackson's 'Rock Me Tonight', playing it on the Sunday night and selling 200 copies on UK 12" the following week. Caroline's was a chart shop, with a Gallup machine and the people from Gallup came down to the shop as they didn't believe that I'd sold that many copies!!

On 28/09/2024 at 08:08, Roburt said:

BTW, I didn't even note down if FAMILY were also on that night. A Leicester group who (like just about all other UK beat groups at the time, played mainly soul covers). They would soon morph, like many other UK groups at the time, into a prog rock group just weeks later. They started having hits in their own right not long after (1968 LP 'Music In A Doll's House').

The Central R&B Club, Gillingham was still going as a soul venue a year later (after many other clubs on the UK circuit had gone over to prog rock / pop acts) ...

 

The Penthouse was in an old air traffic control tower at Rochester Airport. I went there once. I wore platform shoes to make myself look 16 lol.

On 03/10/2024 at 22:54, Vinylvixen said:

I used to go to the Central RnB Club in the mid 70s. But as luck would have it, I still know the DJ, Mungo Parks who was the DJ during the 60s at the Central. He DJ'd for Major Lance and Prince Buster. Are you able to send me these photos to see if they jog his memory. 

Jo, the photos are back with the owner, so ya need to print off from here or show via phone/tablet

Thanks @Mike I'll do a screen shot. Jo xx