Andre Palfrey-martin collection
Andre Martin….January continues in its usual way, cold and wet with traces of snow at times, in the warmth of the Happy Ballroom on Hastings Pier, we continue this week’s edition of what was happening in the town and what we all followed, it’s Saturday 23rd January 1965. The Gordon Rider Dance Orchestra continues to provide a “ well balanced programme of Music “ with the introduction of more rhythm and energy – possibly to keep the patrons warm, as we all know that the Ballroom was difficult to heat, and the wind always found all the gaps !! Tonight 8.00pm – 11.45pm for 5/- with Table Service and of course the use of the “Longest Bar in Town “
Along the St Leonards end of the seafront, The Witch Doctor, had a good selection to meet all musical tastes, Saturday Night saw from Liverpool – The Whackers, in support Wayne Dean & The Telstar’s – four hours of entertainment for just 6/-. This week’s Sunday club was a visit from The Peppermint Men!!. Continuing with the Jazz theme, Wednesday was the visit from Alan Elsden’s Jazz Band all for 2/6d. Friday evening it was a return from The Plus 4 with Erky Grant. The other nights and Sunday afternoon would be complete with Record Time – for only 1/6d per session. I forgot to mention that last week the Thursday night session was with the Radio Caroline Road Show and DJ Chris Sanford playing the best that 199Mtrs could present.
The weekend had started with our weekly visit to Kingsway London and the Ready Steady Go studio in the capable hands of Keith Fordyce and Cathy McGowan, on the show tonight – Tottenham’s own Dave Clark Five [Everybody Knows] an act that I would work with often over the coming years – Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders [Game of Love] and Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas. Plus regular dance and fashion spots, a packed 30 minutes that was followed by the MOD fraternity.
BBC Radio – Light Programme on Saturday Club – Cilla Black, Sounds Incorporated, Cliff Bennett, Del Shannon, Margo & The Marvelettes, Rocky Ford and The Tennessans, The Red Tilsey Group – with Brian Matthews keeping everything under control ? – Saturday afternoon with Saturday Swings included The Swinging Blue Jeans, Migil Five, Kenny Lynch, Patsy Ann Noble, Spenser David Group, Don Land & The Frantic Five, The Raindrops and Mrs Mills and her mates with Don Wardell spinning a few discs.
Sunday – Easybeat according to the Radio Times – The Searchers, Hollies, Morgan James Duo with Keith Fordyce. Family favourites on that lunchtime was a 3 way link up with London, Cologne and Tripoli – Ed although scheduled, these programmes may have been suspended because at 8.00am that Sunday morning – Sir Winston Churchill died and there were sudden changes to Radio programmes, I can remember that Radio Caroline played sombre classic music for most of the day until the close down at 6.00pm – and it follows that the BBC would have followed a similar format, Family Favourites might still have gone ahead because of the link-up.
Television: Saturday BBC – Juke Box Jury with David Jacobs and his panel –Virginia Wolfe, Wolfe Mankowitz, Del Shannon and Angela Douglas. ABC – Thank your Lucky Stars – Brian Matthews introduced Paul Anka, Hollies, Swinging Blue Jeans Del Shannon and of course Janice Nicholls. Likewise Sunday Television was changed at the last minute because of the announcement of the Death of Sir Winston Churchill – and we will see more of that next week.
For those of us around 50 years ago, this weekend news would have impacted in many ways, perhaps not for our generation quite so much, but more for that of our Parents and Grand Parents. Churchill visited Hastings and was a member of the Winkle Club – so he had connections with the town – but I don’t think that he ever visited the Happy Ballroom.
Until next week Andre Palfrey-Martin © 2015
