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Birmingham Nightclubs of the Past - Memories

  • Thread starter Thread starter mazbeth
  • Start date Start date
We used to go to the Tower in Edgebaston, jnown then as the "Gay Tower" the "Gay" was removed later I believe.

The resident bands were Harvest and Johny Johnson?? or something like that and of course it featured the revolving stage.

I met a rather nice girl from Wordsley who was then a student nurse at Corbett Hospital, Stourbridge. We got married in 1976.:)
 
Bill Parker, when I worked on the door at the Gay Tower it was Bobby Johnson and his big band, and the Tubby Dunn Trio.
 
the lacarno was brilliant, great place to meet girls, and the greatest fights ever, never did much dancing though, 1960-64.
great days
 
As I have not gone back through all the postings I don't know whether this has been mentioned before, but I used to go to The Metro in Livery Street on a friday evening, that was jazz night. I first went when I was 17 and was worried to death in case any one found out I was Under age!!!!
Linda
 
Can anyone tell me where the Rum Runner (aka The Maverick in BBC TV "Gangsters" ) actually was on Broad St in relation to the street as it is now. I'm researching Gangsters locations with a view to creating a then and now website.

Thanks
 
Hi again,

I checked on google earth, as I didn't know where The Walkabout Bar was. And yes, that was where The Rum Runner was.

Ann
 
mstephens,

And here is a photo taken inside The Rum Runner about 1966. You can just see the large 'rum barrels', that were set into the wall of The Rum to make seating booths.

Ann
 
Having read through most of these 50-60 pages i haven't noticed a reply to an earlier
question... my memory is ..on Gallagways corner above the camera/chemist shop was
Fluer de le night club...rumoured to be partly owned by Johnny Prescott...how true i'm not certain... However I remember the club back in 1966..held my 18th b/day
there...everyonefrom work invited.both sexes...An a stripper came on...!!!then invited onto stage,introduced compare.." One of our regulars b/day..how old today?" Oh 18
Says I bleary eyed....oops!...an thats my first post on this forum..BYEeeee!!!!
 
Hi, I'm interested in nightclubs/pubs from the 70's - I'm new to the forum and have browsed through a few pages and read a few threads regarding this so please excuse if I'm revisiting old ground - I remember most of the clubs in particular Sloopy's in corporation St, Rebecca's, Barbarellas, the Cedar, Polyannas, Top Rank (sorry) and lots more. If anyone has any info/memories or even better, pics - esp Sloopy's, I'd be grateful to hear from you.

Anyone remember Bogarts in New St with the Bierkeller in the basement? Many a good night spent in there and upsatirs sometimes with good bands - I met John Peel in there one night. You had to queue up in New St to get in fri/sat nights. A better bierkeller than the one in Needless Alley I thought.

Many thanks
 
mazbeth said:
Anyone got any memories and information about nighclubs in Brum, from any time last century?

Some names of ones that I remember and went to...

Samanthas (was over Silver Blades ice skating rink in Hurst? St)

Pollyannas (Newhall? St.)

The Locarno (definitely Hurst St. with the Bali Hai one at the back)
I remember this band..
John Kerton fronted the successful U.K. function band Red Sun who were the resident band at the Birmingham Locarno for eight years. https://www.brumbeat.net/andicaps.htm

Just found this out
The Tower Ballroom closes its doors at the end of 2005 after more than 50 years https://www.saga.co.uk/1057fm/pages/lisEvent.asp?id=5373
went there once...

Snobs (didn't like that one much)

There was one in the same road where Bingley Hall was (can't remember what it was called..brain's not working too good lately.‚.. :D) saw Herbie Hancock there...and Deaf School, and AC/DC :o (not my choice...just a crowd I was with at the time)

Any more? ...or any memories?.‚.. :)
Click to expand...
samantha's was also known as THE PURPLE HEART
 
Walked from The Tower many a night to the Radleys Sheldon...
Broke, missed ( that was missed...honest !!!)
or couldn't afford the night service, No14 to Tile Cross or
58 to The Wheatsheaf..rarely caught them..
Friday nights were Grab a Grannie night...Ha..Ha..now I'm the Grandad....
Say No More.....
Paul....
 
What do you mean 'Friday's were grab a granny night. I was only 16 when I went on a Friday. That was the only night I ever went it was ticket's only. Wonderful bands and fun.
 
Ah but there was some nice grannies at the Tower and may is say a lot of what we used to call them wall flowers:D:D:DMau-reece
 
There were indeed Mossy, but the wallflowers were not helped by the fella's who propped the bar up all night.:P
 
Maggs when you saw some of them wall flowers,it was better propping the bar up:D:D:DMau-reece
 
Oh Mossy you naughty boy!!! I could say the same about some of the fella's. I would see one giving me the 'eye' and say to my mate If he comes over I ain't dancing with him. So it goes both way's.
 
When 2 guys were heading our way and one was nice looking and the other one ugly, I always used to say to my mate Janet "I dont like yours"
 
Yes Patty, so did we. Wasn't it a game to good a pair of good looker's. Perhaps they thought the same about us eh?
 
Patty said:
When 2 guys were heading our way and one was nice looking and the other one ugly, I always used to say to my mate Janet "I dont like yours"
Click to expand...
Or!!! here goes....whilst propping the bar upppp's hic :)
"bl***y 'eck... got the paper bag....no two its a double bagger...;);)

Who me cat---among'st pigeons Nooooo :rolleyes:
 
Patty said:
When 2 guys were heading our way and one was nice looking and the other one ugly, I always used to say to my mate Janet "I dont like yours"
Click to expand...

That's strange,I always seemed to win the 'get the ugliest woman' prize,funny thing was, I never entered it ! .....Mal.
 
Hi I worked at the fluer de lyes in late 60s dont remember it ever being a strip club....The main manager there was Joel yelling who was part of the Morrell staff who owned the rainbow and the ambassaders club in edgbaston, private members club.
I think the one prescott was involved in was the Elbow room in its early days.
Dont ever hear anyone mention the Castsaways in digbeth was owned by the Prykes who were also bookies was run by son Robbie...wonder if hes still about he was a right charactor...anyone know?
 
Jean i went to the castaways when the hot pants had just come into fashion, I dont remember J Prescott at the Fleur de Lyes but i think there was another boxer about at the time that used to go. I think he had blonde hair nice looking, cant just think of his name, I can see his face, I think he used ?to go down the Alambra, do you remember that place
 
I remember the Fluer only too well..it was the first club I ever went in..age 16..1964
upstairs into the main room/bar, bar in far r/hand corner ,door at the side leading to
toilets..opposite corner to bar small stage area..three piece combo. usually with a male or female singer...bluesy type music ..Sinatra ect...and on occassions a stripper....Its always stood out in my mind, simply because it was the picture painted
in the minds eye of the typical american Rat Pack type clubs.

As for the Castaways, Bradford st...yep! it was owned by the Pryke family...
Robbie the son....Robbie Pryke senior knew him well ....always wore a pin stripe suit,
Bowler hat, carried a brolly....and you never seenhim without a button hole....even when he went back to as he started pushing a barrow round the markets..always wore them...

In Robbie's later years he lived just up from the White Heart Tile Cross..drank in
the Heart and later the Prince Hal on Boswoth Drive C/Wood, the Con club , labour club and the Catholic club, with his old mate
Teddy the Pie... boy were they a real colourful pair....spent may an evenig chatting
about Robbies days in the market..how he lost his money...And as for Ted, he ran a
Pawn shop down by the Blues ground... made his money selling pies during the war years....Yep! Characters where they all gone ?
Bye Paul...
 
Just had a thought ..Prescott wasn't involved with the Fluer..it was another B'ham boxer..whoose name eludes me at the moment...appologies ..Paul
 
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