Jill
I stumbled across your thread whilst looking for a singer who used to sing at this club.
The Artists Variety Club (AVC as we knew it) certainly was in Trinity Road Aston and was as both a social club and a vehicle for both up and coming talent and established artists to get work. I regularly appeared at this club!.
The shop windows were run on both Tues nights and Sunday mornings. During the 1970s it was still vibrant as the Sundays were introduced as acts struggled to get seen on the Tuesdays due to lack of time. During these shows the audience was largely made up of entertainment officers from clubs from all over the Midlands and beyond looking to book acts for their respective clubs. Such was it’s reputation as a source of good talent.
My first experience of this club was being taken there as a 15 year old in 1971. I was playing the electric organ locally at church fetes/weddings and other local events and my uncle took me there to see how artists demonstrated their talent and got bookings. What I didn’t know was that he had arranged for me to play in one of these shop windows. There organ was a scaled down electric Wurlitzer theater organ. I must have been okay as I got loads of bookings for months ahead and the entertainment officer of AVC (a white haired man called Bill ? (Can’t remember his other name just yet, but I thought at the time he seemed ancient). He informed me that I was to become AVC’s resident organist starting from the following week!. With a resident drummer Dave, I appeared on stage every week to back all acts that needed backing (no karaoke or backing tracks in those days!). Something I did for some 4-5 years. I was also booked to play in the concert room n the Saturday Night Gala Show & Dances. These shows consisted mainly of 2 turns, a novelty act or comedian in the first half. Obligatory bingo in the middle and then the star turn which was nearly always a singer headlined the show. Afterwards we played on, often joined by a singer to finish the show for the dancing. Gala shows were open to both club members and the local residents alike.
As you can imagine there were many – many acts appearing, often from afar that either appeared only as often as it was necessary to fill their diaries with bookings for the whole year or those that operated more locally and regularly appeared as demanded.
The club didn’t die in the 60’s it was still alive and thriving until the mid 70’s. Whilst the telephone certainly reduced the need to return just to get bookings for established artistes the shop windows carried on and was certainly still required for startup talent that had yet to be discovered. However by the time I moved on to other clubs and better bookings the club however was tired and stale and new talent found it easier to go to their local clubs to get started.
I know of nothing about it being reduced to a sleazy joint. If this happened it must have been post 1975. During my time at the club, I regularly went to other evenings that I was not playing at for drinks and networking with other artists. Yes by then I was at least 18 and could drink a lemonade shandy!!. I would agree however that it was no place for teenagers to feel cool to be seen in with their parents as it owed its heritage to a largely bygone era.
Saw some great acts and evn to this day saw some magicians acts that made models disappear or sawn in half that had me fooled, bearing in mind I was on stage too and only some 3 feet away.
Hard to remember names, Ule Dean – an operatic singer appeared regulary as indeed did Joan Paul who was a regular singer on ATV’s Lunch Box television program. I later joined up with Joan Paul and her husband (Dave the drummer) to tour many a midland club.
Oh Yeas. My uncle - he was the entertainment officer for the British Leyland Social club somewhere in Bromford Bridge. He virtually lived at AVC and knew many acts. He was also a very good friend of Bill ? the head man . he is in his 80’s now but still has a pin sharp brain. But is in Spain at the moment staying with his son. When he is back I will visit him and get some more information.
Yes I still play today and often think about AVC as it gave me great experience.
Mel