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Recent content by Laurie

  1. L

    Phrase meaning: Back of Rackhams

    Apologies for being a little late in replying (9 years!) but this 'Back Of Rackhams' business has only just come to my notice. I actually wrote the song fifteen years prior to my musical 'Wallop Mrs Cox' hitting the stage. One of the first times I performed the song was in the old Lenches Trust...
  2. L

    Cofton Country Club

    The place you speak of was the Cofton Club, which had been the old roller rink during the Lickey Hills fairground days. Owned by the Smart family, in the mid 60's it was managed, as I recall, by a ginger haired chap named Ronny and was a great weekend live music rock gig that featured Jeff...
  3. L

    George Dixons Grammar School

    Hello. I've just sent a message intended for you but I think I sent it to another old GD chap. ( I always mess up with these damned computers!) Anyway I was there '59 to '64 at City Road and Five Ways. Please feel free to make contact and we'll maybe swap a few stories. It is [email address...
  4. L

    George Dixons Grammar School

    Hello. I was there the very same years, '59 to '64. I did the first and last year at City Road with the years in the middle being spent obviously at Five Ways. On my last day I hopped aboard the outer circle, went home, and, save for a couple of blokes, I never saw any classmates again. Sadly...
  5. L

    Handsworth during the 50's and 60's

    Hello. I lived in Malvern Road. just across from Island Road and was at Wattvile Road juniors from 1955 to 1959. I was also in Mr Cadman's class, which I think was class 8 next to the cloakroom. He was a big bald chap, a fair few years older than the other teachers, constantly sucking on Polo...
  6. L

    Carrier bag seller

    Hello Stacey. Thanks for making clear the surname 'Gibbs'. So the man 'Skidmore' I met in a club in Acocks Green was either you dad or your uncle. Sorry I can't add anything else to your research but if it's any consolation I recently had a new musical play have its first airing, 'Postcards From...
  7. L

    Lewis's Department Store

    Hello Colin. May I ask a great favour? Could you expand a little on information about the Miss Selfridge set up within Lewis's. My e mail is [email protected]. I would be eternally grateful for your assistance. From one Brummie to another, Laurie
  8. L

    Carrier bag seller

    Actually her family name was Skidmore and I met her grandson by chance in the Grange social club, Acocks Green some years ago when my song 'Andy Carriers' was picking up a lot of radio play. I've just noticed a piece that Malc Stent wrote a lyric, 'Saturday Night In the Bull Ring' to the tune...
  9. L

    info on Barbarella's and Peppermint Place nightclubs

    Hello, Peppermint Place was the old Post office converted, just by where the cinema is now. It belonged to Ronnie Williams who also had the Towrope cafe facing the Rum Runner. The club also traded as Chaplins for a while (early/mid 70's) Laurie
  10. L

    The Barrel Soho Road..

    Hello Alan. Yeah, every punter had to write his so called non de plume on the bottom of the bet. A more popular term for it was 'monica'. If you hadn't put your stage name on the slip the bookie would tell you to 'Stick your monica on!' Incidentally my great grandmother lived in one of the...
  11. L

    The Barrel Soho Road..

    Hello Alan. if your Dad picked 3 horses then the permutation would work out at 3 doubles and the treble. If he picked 4 horses then he'd have 6 doubles, 4 trebles and the all important 'roll up'. All the horses have to do is win! And then it's drinks all round! Like you, I can picture the letter...
  12. L

    The Barrel Soho Road..

    The bookie was Joe Smith. His pitch, as you say, was in Louise Terrace, down the side of the Barrel. his runner, or 'the tekker' as they called him, was Joe Dayus. his wife was Kathleen Dayus who wrote those amazing books in the late 80's.
  13. L

    The Plaza's -Handsworth and Old Hill, The Ritz Ballroom- Kings Heath

    The Beatles were at Handsworth Plaza in March 1963 and I remember an excited Gerrard Regan at school the following Monday morning morning that his mother had paid them an amazing fee of £250. 'Whow!' I thought. 'That's about 60 quid each!'
  14. L

    The Barrel Soho Road..

    What a great photo of 'The Barrel'. When I was a kid in Handsworth (early 50's) my family, and theirs before them always drank in the Barrel. I remember an August Bank Holiday Monday night, maybe 1954ish. My uncle Alf got involved in a punch up outside the pub and had to walk home down Grove...
  15. L

    Birmingham Groups

    Ken Lewis (real name Hawker) was from Small Heath as was his songwriting partner John Carter (real name Shakespeare). I've just heard on Brian Matthew's Radio 2 show that Ken that Ken is now in a nursing home in Staffordshire.
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