The Mojo Sheffield

[Shinehead]

Before my time but maybe of interest to others, the artist roster was interesting , Otis Clay and Wilson Pickett amongst some other soul greats.

https://sheffieldmusicarchive.co.uk/cp-venues/king-mojo-club/

[Thinksmart]

Looks to of been a top Mod venue from reading and reports heard later. I know people from here in Notts went. 

Edited January 1 by Thinksmart

[Shinehead]

58 minutes ago, Thinksmart said:

Looks to of been a top Mod venue from reading and reports heard later. I know people from here in Notts went. 

 

I worked with a guy who was a few years older than me who was a mod in the sixties who went to the mojo, he met his wife there but he had no interest in soul music at all.

He and his brother in law had just purchased a scooter for runs out in the summer this was around 2018 he was well into his sixties by then.

Edited January 1 by Shinehead

[Ian Parker]

my late brother in law, used to frequent that place,  also Wheel,   Dungeon etc .   i was a 16 year old kid,  mesmerised by his tales.  all we had , was Nottm palais and Wiggun .    woulda loved to be a part of that era. 

[Shinehead]

Strange thing about the guy I posted about above 2 years ago in the summer he knocked on my door ( he did not know I lived there) to ask about and get some advise on my hanging baskets ! which he said were the best he had seen, he was surprised to see me come to the door

How times change an old mod and an old skinhead talking about hanging baskets .

[Jessie Pinkman]

Some great pictures there, I'd love to read "The Dirty Stop Outs Guide"  The Amboy Dukes seemed to be a popular band. I always loved there version of "Who's Foolin Who" whenever it was played out back then. The Stevie Wonder story is funny.

Edited January 1 by Jessie Pinkman

[Pied Piper]

1 hour ago, Ian Parker said:

my late brother in law, used to frequent that place,  also Wheel,   Dungeon etc .   i was a 16 year old kid,  mesmerised by his tales.  all we had , was Nottm palais and Wiggun .    woulda loved to be a part of that era. 

Totally Understand Ian, 

When you Hear Great Stories from People 

Who attended the Wheel, Mojo etc The Music, Dancing, Fashion. It makes you wish you were apart of it.

Please Remember you and I Have been Lucky to Have Great Memories of Wigan, And Other Great Venues, Treasure Them.

[Thinksmart]

I had friends older who went to all the early Midlands and North venues. Lots of memories here from some: https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com/

 

One friend who was a Wheel, Mojo, Dungeon, Cats go-er loaned me a big series of tapes to copy with the pre 73 Soul and related plays from his collection before his first retirement from the scene (many in that 65-72 era saw Wigan as the end, not the start), which were highly influential to me back in early 90s. 

I was on the then quite small scene scene but only hearing select oldies and the ace newies of the time. Things were coming back and I used to be an extensive tape swapper (remember that era?), but a lot of early Northern Soul was not being heard outside collections in those retired from going out.

Most of these on the tapes my friend loaned me were long gone, very Soulful classics not being played out anymore and yet to be compiled on CD or online later in the decade. These are obvious later such as Bang Bang Man, Mr Soul, Willie Tee, Yum Yum Tree, Bobbi Lynn, Soul Serenade, Bobby Bland etc but felt like a route back to the source back then. I worked out 90% of them over the years but the tapes perished in a storm that damaged our roof so I never found out the rest. The Kent series Cellar of Soul covers it well.

Amboy Dukes are intriguing as not the USA band of the same name unless preceded by the word American. The USA named band were Ted Nugent's hard psych-rock band (see 'Journey to the Center if the Mind' as their main song if you do not know it).

 

Edited January 1 by Thinksmart

[Dylan]

6 minutes ago, Thinksmart said:

I had friends older who went to all the early Midlands and North venues. Lots of memories here from some: https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com/

If I’ve got the address right I believe the dungeon also played an important role in Nottingham night life as Venus.  

[Thinksmart]

Yes I went to early days of Venus there as an underground House club. From about 85-86 outside the Mod scene I left, I was running out of places to hear Soul locally and many had tiny attendances by much older people. I was still too young to get entry to Rock City or Palais nights which were much more age enforced then. House music clubs were easier to get in for a while. By about 87-88 there was little NS, only slick 80s Soul I did not enjoy at the time or House music, which had a similar tempo and underground feel. 

For a long time I assumed The Dungeon was where Monastery and The Bomb were underground on Bridlesmith Gate. That really did feel like a dungeon. An invite-only tiny Soul night under The Salutation down the many steps in the caves was my most literal Dungeon style event.

Edited January 1 by Thinksmart

[Dylan]

30 minutes ago, Thinksmart said:

Yes I went to early days of Venus there as an underground House club.

For a long time I assumed it was where Monastery and The Bomb were underground on Bridlesmith Gate. That really did feel like a Dungeon. An invite tiny soul night under The Salutation down the many steps in the caves was my most literal Dungeon style event.

Went to the bomb quite a few time myself and also under its previous name the hippo which was a good club.

 

i moved to Nottingham autumn 93 after Venus shut that summer so missed that but heard great things about the place.

Edited January 1 by Dylan

[Roburt]

I was a member of the Mojo & attended on a regular basis in 1966 & 67 (till it was closed down) ... 

[Source Team]

As always... 

if you are going to lock topics that you have started, it is worthwhile to post up that you have closed the topic and if possible give a reason why

That helps keep other members informed and helps avoids misunderstandings

[Shinehead]

1 hour ago, Source Team said:

As always... 

if you are going to lock topics that you have started, it is worthwhile to post up that you have closed the topic and if possible give a reason why

That helps keep other members informed and helps avoids misunderstandings

I started the topic just to post the link and maybe get some reaction from people who attended the Mojo, then it seemed to be going down the route of other 60s clubs which there is plentiful of topics on that subject.

Did not know the etiquette on locking topics but happy to reopen and sorry for any inconvenience.

 

[Sheffieldsoulg]

I was really interested in this, I’ve heard lots of stories from many of the Sheffield Soul Folk, was chatting about this with Don Morris and Chris Brooke at Farm Road last week. 
 

I did a bit of looking up and there’s two websites with useful information on: 

https://sheffieldmusicarchive.co.uk/cp-venues/king-mojo-club/

https://www.kingmojostory.com

There was going to be a compilation cd however appears this didn’t come to fruition I was surprised at just how many of the records proposed were in my box! 
 

There’s also two books that are related one including the pop art displayed there and another dirty stop outs guide king mojo special edition. 
 

KTF

[Roburt]

The biggest problem the Mojo had was it's location. It was right in the middle of an affluent residential area of north Sheffield -- miles from the town centre. The locals got worried that just as they were locking up for the night & going to bed, 100's of strangely clad teenagers were milling about outside their houses (as they waited for the niter session to open it's doors). Also, it seems, lots of milk bottles used to go missing off door steps early on Sunday mornings.

A good thing about being a member of the club was, as Stringfellow ran the dance floor at Ready Steady Go, if you asked you could always get a ticket to attend the tv show.

Of course, Stringfellow (after he was hounded out of Sheffield) went on to bigger things. But he never forgot his 'start' and was always happy to return to celebrate reunion nights. One such was held in the 80's at the Leadmill in Sheffield (the location of Sheffield's biggest rival club to the Mojo in the 60's--  the Esquire).

[Roburt]

An article I wrote about the club around 25 years ago ... 

Although it is now more than 30 years since the club closed down, the memories of the King Mojo Club in Sheffield are still fresh for the people who used to go there every week. Those memories are stirred every time that news about Peter Stringfellow appears in the press.

The club was opened in 1964 by brothers Pete and Geoff. They first made a name for themselves thanks to a booking they made of the Beatles just before the group's initial 45 release took off. The Beatles show was a big success and this resulted in them signing similar bands to appear at their events. They promoted gigs for the Rolling Stones and other British R &B bands. The brothers were then offered an old hall, Day's Dance Hall, and they rented it for £30 a week after refurnishing it. They choose the name Mojo after hearing the song "Got My Mojo Working" and the club soon attracted a new set of people who followed blues and soul music. It quickly earned a great reputation because of the enthusiasm of the two brothers. At the beginning, it only was open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but soon an allnighter session was added on Saturdays, just about always with an American soul artist being the live attraction. On Sunday it was time for British R & B or soul bands, the session running from 8pm until 11pm. Sometimes, Pete and Geoff could not afford the money a great artist demanded, acts such as Wilson Pickett, so they asked him to appear at 2am, after he had sung at a bigger club earlier the same evening. The artist always charged them less for doing so (two bookings in one night increasing the profitability of a UK tour).

All-nighters began in 1965 with a £1 entrance fee and the sessions commenced at midnight. Soon, a regular crowd began to attend, with people from Sheffield and nearby towns like Doncaster, York, Hull, Scunthorpe, Lincoln and Nottingham turning up. The main meeting point at the start of the night's action was the Favorita Coffee Bar, in the centre of town. At 11pm everybody headed off to the Mojo and began to queue in order to ensure they got an early entry. Of the two brothers, Pete was always the showman and he also liked to DJ. In 1963, ITV had started "Ready, Steady Go", where you could see lots of black artists such as Major Lance, Otis Redding or Inez & Charlie Foxx perform. Pete Stringfellow enjoyed the programme so much that he went to the ITV offices to talk with one of the producers, Vicki Wickham. The show gave Pete the task of entertaining the audience in the studio before filming began and also put him in control of the dance floor. He worked on “Ready, Steady, Go” for a year. During that time, every Thursday he travelled to London for the filming. Peter was supposed to remain in the shadows, but he took every opportunity available to be in front of the cameras while he was marshalling the dancers.

If you were a Mojo regular, Pete would get you tickets to the show, but I never took that offer up because you had to spend all Thursday in London and also had to pay for the trip up to the capital (I was always cash poor back then). The Mojo soon changed its name to the King Mojo. It was on Burngreave Road, with parking for cars and scooters out front. The club premises were single storey and it was quite small, with capacity only for 250 people (although it had a total membership of 3,000). The record players were located on the left hand side of a stage which was only 25 feet long and 6 feet deep. No alcohol was sold at the club. The decor on the walls was often changed, to reflect current fashion. At first, the decoration had an African warriors theme. Next, it changed to Pop-Art based and then to gangsters (due to the popularity of the Untouchables tv show & a Prince Buster 45). Finally, it was changed to flower power paintings in the summer of 67. The club’s policy was to play 95 per cent soul music and some Blue Beat and ska. At the end, there was a record ("My girl, the Month of May"- Dion) that became the most well known flower power track played by Stringfellow. The song was covered by The Alan Bown Set, one of the main English soul bands of the time, purely because of the popularity that song had at the Mojo.

Some of the records that caused an impact at the club's all-nighter sessions were things like "Love a Go Go" by Stevie Wonder, "You've Been Cheating" (Impressions), "Determination" by The Contours", "365 Days" by Donald Height, "Oh Baby You Turn Me On" by Willie Mitchell, plus the new releases of the time from artists like Jackie Wilson, Homer Banks and Motown acts. The Artistics cut “I’m Gonna Miss You” was the most important song: it being spun to signal the end of every all-nighter. The best American artists played there: Ike & Tina Turner, Billy Stewart, Alvin Cash & the Crawlers, Ben E. King, The Spellbinders, Garnett Mimms and Stevie Wonder. The top English bands also appeared there: Geno Washington, Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, Chris Farlowe, Alan Bown Set, Georgie Fame, Zoot Money and Jimmy Cliff (who was then still in this soul phase). Even the Small Faces had one of their first gigs outside London at the club.

The stage was at the opposite end of the club to the dressing rooms, so when the club was crowded it was a problem for the artists to get onto the stage and back off. The night Ike & Tina Turner were at the Mojo, the pair had to push their way through the crowd to the stage with the three Ikettes and the 13 piece band following on. That helped creating an atmosphere for every show. Pete was a real Yorkshireman. He wanted as much as he could from every band he booked. He would sometimes encourage the audience to block the way for the artists, preventing them from leaving the stage. That way, he got them to perform a couple more songs. That night with Ike & Tina Turner, they had to sing three more songs. Then, Pete told the crowd to let them get to the dressing room. As the club had no air conditioning, sweat and condensation fell from the walls during most sessions (especially on hot summer's days).

Around 1966 and 1967, having a great record collection was not too important for your status. To be in with the in crowd you had to wear the correct clothes: Mohair suits, Levi’s, brogue shoes, leather gloves… you also had to be good at the latest dances. Back then, dances changed every seven or eight weeks. The best dancers performed on the stage. If you were brave enough, you could dance on top of a barrel that next to the stage. The main problem the club had was it was located on the outskirts of the city and it was complicated to get there late at night (especially for out-of-towners). Being out there also spelt the end for the club. As it was surrounded by up-market residential properties, the neighbours always complained. In a bid to stop the complaints in spring 1967, no more allnighters were organised. The last one was staged on April 15th with Geno Washington being the live act.

To keep the members happy, alldayers were held on Sundays. This enabled top live acts to still be booked and they also meant a younger crowd could also go to the club. When it was clear that the police would not support a license being granted to the club, an allniter session with Jimmy Cliff & The Shakedown Sound was organised for September 30th (1967). That night there was an incredible atmosphere in the place. The next week it was time for the last ever show at the Mojo: an alldayer with Stevie Wonder as the live attraction. This session had lots of younger people in attendance and that spoiled the atmosphere a bit for the niter crowd. Thanks to his status in the North and the Midlands, Peter Stringfellow was always required to spin at other mod / soul clubs. He used to DJ at the Dungeon in Nottingham. By doing that he could earn some money after the Mojo closed. He soon began to run new all-nighter sessions for his loyal supporters at the Crystal Bowl, Castleford. Lots of the Mojo crowd moved on to other clubs; the Nite Owl in Leicester, the Bin Lid in Dewsbury and the Twisted Wheel in Manchester.

The Stringfellow brothers did not leave the scene though and soon opened new clubs in Sheffield, but these weren't allowed to hold allnighter sessions. The old Mojo building was turned into a Bingo hall and with the money from that deal, the brothers invested in a Sheffield basement property, the Down Broadway. Another club they opened was the Penthouse; here they had licensing problems yet again and couldn't run all-nighters. Years later, in the 1980’s, all-nighters were held at the Penthouse, but by then, the Stringfellow brothers had nothing to do with the club.

Pete moved on to Leeds and then Manchester, becoming a millionaire along the way. In London he opened "Stringfellows", a place for the rich and famous. He also managed the massive Hippodrome disco, located in the old Talk Of the Town nightclub. From London, he went to the US and the brothers are still there in the club business. The bingo hall in the old Mojo building lasted until 1982, when the building was demolished. Now, a modern apartment block stands where the legendary club once stood. The Mojo might be only a name from the past for the soul music fans of today, but I can say that the legend that built up around the Twisted Wheel in Manchester would have been smaller if not for the demise of the King of Clubs, the King Mojo, Sheffield.