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Birmingham Nightclubs of the Past - Memories

  • Thread starter Thread starter mazbeth
  • Start date Start date
Hello Ethan,

Having checked out your site re. The Rum Runner, I hope you do not mind me correcting you on the 'founding members'. Paul and Michael were not the founding members, but the sons of Ray Berrow, who was, along with brother Don, their sister Tissy and another brother who's name escapes me for the moment, the original owners of the Rum. Paul Berrow started at the club washing glasses, as did his younger brother, Michael, at a later date. Ray and Don Berrow were all bookmakers.
Ray's sons, Paul and Michael, reopened the club, and then managed Duran Duran.

Ann
 
Ann B said:
Hello Ethan,

Having checked out your site re. The Rum Runner, I hope you do not mind me correcting you on the 'founding members'. Paul and Michael were not the founding members, but the sons of Ray Berrow, who was, along with brother Don, their sister Tissy and another brother who's name escapes me for the moment, the original owners of the Rum. Paul Berrow started at the club washing glasses, as did his younger brother, Michael, at a later date. Ray and Don Berrow were all bookmakers.
Ray's sons, Paul and Michael, reopened the club, and then managed Duran Duran.

Ann
Click to expand...
Thanks Ann, your post is greatly appeciated,
It is very difficult 40 years down the line,
to obtain all the facts.
The information we have is
off the internet, and of course my own personal re-collections.

Our forum however,
doesn't say they founded the club,
but does say this:-
Paul and Michael Berrow,
relaunched the club with an eclectic power playlist
borrowed from Studio 54 in New York.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the extra inforomation
and I will edit my forum accordingly,
and thanks for you help and time.
Perhaps you would like to join us there,
and be active on our board.
 
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MrKRICDhvg"]YouTube - Georgie Fame - Moodys Mood For Love[/ame]



Just been having an afternoon of reminiscing after finding some old records out. This one is my all time favorite, I was IN Love with the Guy. I sat on his knee once on stage at the Elbow Rooms. After the Plaza in rookery rd Saturday we would all pile into the cars and go down to Warder St in London to the Flamingo and watch him play. It reminds me of the whisky too. Bobby have a blast from the past on me
 
Last edited:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-7QSMyz5rg"]YouTube - Booker T & the MG's - green onions - mod classic 60s[/ame]

Got me going now, here's another one
 
Oh I just looked at Patty's two posts from You Tube.. Georgie Fame and Booker T (I do remember them)... brought back some memories for me

I was at silver bades Ice rink (i about 11/2 years old so approx 1966/67/68) and Hermans Hermits were playing in the club above (I think called Castaways), anyway , Herman came on the Ice and had a skate around, my next door neighbour (who took me and my friend ) had a skate with him and she asked him for tea at her house.. he never turned up though ( and there was loads of us waiting to see him) , she later married someone who was the double of Herman !
 
Patty,

I also used to go to Elbow room, but bit later than you. however my friend June Foster was a regular there and she same age as you. I will have too try and get some pics of her posted on forum , she was stunning and still is.. (in case she reads this !!)
 
Patty said:
YouTube - Booker T & the MG's - green onions - mod classic 60s

Got me going now, here's another one
Click to expand...
I too saw Georgie fame at the elbow room Some months later a friend and I hitched a lift to London (when it was safe to do so ) to be picked up by a guy in a jag It wasnt til we were halfway down the M1 we realised it was Georgie himself We were stunned into silence the rest of the journey All I can remember was the reams of green sheild stamps he had on the back seat
 
Mazbeth Vaguely remember going to The Dome night club with my late wife in the 60's/70's somewhere on a corner in Bristol St, to see Frankie Laine a favourite singer of ours, Frank Carson and the Bachelors were also on the bill. Eric
 
I always seemed to end up in Millionaires, or occasionally Boogies, or Edwards No 8.
Bring back the 80's!!!!!!!!
 
cookie273uk said:
Mazbeth Vaguely remember going to The Dome night club with my late wife in the 60's/70's somewhere on a corner in Bristol St, to see Frankie Laine a favourite singer of ours, Frank Carson and the Bachelors were also on the bill. Eric
Click to expand...

Hi Eric

It was near the corner of Bristol Street at Holloway Circus, and was later known as the 'Night Out' Happy memories.

Kind regards

Dave
 
hi eric
yes you are right , it was the night out before coming the dome
i have only just picked up on this thread and straight away i said to my self
i wil put the answer in but you just pipped me , nice one i used to go there myself
i thnk us older generation short lived the place it was always big names appearing
but then due to the lack of us being done it because the prices did creep up they thought lets try the younger generation and it proved to be a money spinner with the kids then after a year the troublsome kids started to come in andit closed again for a while then surf city opened up along the rd then came millionaires then they changed there name to somthink else then the council moved in next door the block ajoining
the goverment fraud sqaud moved in there as well then they moved to larger premises . any way eric nice one best wishes astonian,;;
 
I used to go to loccarno when it 1st opened with the colin hulme band and the 2nd band was a guy called steve something he played piano but it was a dance hall then as was the old west end I worked there,loved the spring dance floor met freddy and the dreamers and went out with him for quite a while, there was Sammy Rams in green lane not a nice place, then in navigation st there was the Bermuda owned by the Fewtrells that went on to become the Capri run by bertie barton my late brother in law, who then won the dolls club off sam ram in a game of cards at the Rainbow, He and his partner then went on and opened Chaplins which became the Elbow room,which I think Prescott bought. Then there was famous Rum Runner worked ther too!! Also Cedar club worked there too .Then my late partner and I ran the Bali Lika on constitution hill which was originally the crazy horse, further up soho rd was the ridgeway Georgian which had lots of famous acts, up from there was Monte carlo which had a casino. Further up from there was The Revue Bar. Back into town was the grotto just off hurst st, the pink elephant worked there too oh boy was I ever a town girl me and my mate Jackie Swain we were the bees knees, there was the shamrock club back of the loccarno ,Harp in Waldorf rd and overlooking Victoria square above lyons was the Fluer de lyes which I became manageress of and thats just what I can recall off the top of my head oh there was a small club in selly oak back of a Cafe run by Ken he was Italian and went on to open a new place which I think was on bennetts hill. daddy long legs digbeth which was club 13 oh so many which no dout will come to mind.
Jean
 
Hi Jean,

I went to The Rum Runner from when it opened. And then I worked there, behind the bar at weekends from about '68 to '70, I think it was. When I was there, Micky Walker (ex Redcaps) was on the door with Brian, and Brian's girlfriend Gina was in charge of the bar, and Tony was manager.

Ann
 
hi I remember the steering wheel my sister worked thed the guy that owned it was sid taylor a racing driver
 
omg the italian suits loved em do you remember the two sisters that worked there that got killed in car smash not far from club?
 
that was the revue bar had an actual theartre upstairs and was quite proper for the sort of entertainment they had was frequented by successful buisness men and used for entertaining clients
 
Hi, I am glad you mentioned the Colin Hulme band because we were trying to remember the bands name at the Locarno. I too went there when it opened and danced there every sat. night. When the band finished their session, the stage turned round and the trio came on playing. They always did this turn around to the song Moon River. the big band had a blond girl singer, can anyone remember her name. I suppose no one has any photos of them all.
I went to the jazz night at the West End Dance Hall nearly every Sunday. That was a great dance floor and they had all the leading jazz bands of the day.
Such happy times.
 
Re: Gary Owen

You are so right the gary in the old days was great was always in there and there were a lot of characters my mate and I were always in the side room with the publicans and one of mt favourite people martin muldoon and my mate maggie there till the last at the bar.....I hear that its reopened and theres a reunion there......hows Desi doing these days ?
Jean
 
wendyP said:
Hi, I am glad you mentioned the Colin Hulme band because we were trying to remember the bands name at the Locarno. I too went there when it opened and danced there every sat. night. When the band finished their session, the stage turned round and the trio came on playing. They always did this turn around to the song Moon River. the big band had a blond girl singer, can anyone remember her name. I suppose no one has any photos of them all.
I went to the jazz night at the West End Dance Hall nearly every Sunday. That was a great dance floor and they had all the leading jazz bands of the day.
Such happy times.
Click to expand...
yes her name was muriel she got engaged to bomber fewtrell she was a nice girl my mate and me always sat at the left table of the band.
 
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