Time marches on and we find that we have now reached the weekend of Saturday 5th March 1966 – and for the first time for a while we see activity on Hastings Pier, and to be precise The Happy Ballroom and reactivated the Saturday Night Dances, this week the top of the bill are Hedge Hoppers Anonymous. They had a hit record in 1965 with “Its Good News Week” incidentally produced by one Jonathan King! But that is not all on the Pier, because Disc Jockey Promotion have started a Thursday Night event known as TEEN BEAT Coffee Club in the Pier Restaurant, this week the music is provided by Mud Mulligans Big Boss Band. 7.30pm – 10.30pm all for 2/6d. That has to be a move in the right direction of having the Dancing Sign flashing again after so many months across the front of the Ballroom.
Friday Evenings started with the one and only MOD show – Ready Steady Go from London, and on the show this week, David Bowies & The Buzz :”Can’t help thinking about me”, Manfred Mann, Small Faces : “Sha La La La Lee”, Spencer Davis: “Somebody Help Me”, Yardbirds: “Shape of Things to Come” with Keith and Cathy to pull it all together in their great way.
The Witch Doctor was gearing up to more entertainment in the coming week – On Saturday headlining were Essex band The Symbols who were regulars at the club and would later go onto have a couple of hit records on the President Label. On that night the support was from another well know group in the club – The Blue Stars and as ever Johnny Mann spinning the records. Sunday afternoon Dance sessions were as popular as ever 2.30pm – 5.00pm all for 1/6d. Tuesday night it was “Candlelight Spin” 7.30pm – 11.00pm for a whole 2/-. Thursday Night was as ever the night for The Muscles Maxted Show. Friday nights were back on the programme from next week 11th March with the Anteeks. Even so, they all keep respectable hours and the shows would have been over by 11.00pm. On the Radio The BBC Light Programme, followed its usual schedule, some of the hi-lights this week included – Saturday Club The Animals, Yardbirds,Dave Berry & The Cruisers, Jackie Lee, and Mister Murray – Brian Matthew was in control and adding some new records. Later in the evening 6.30pm on Jazz Club were the very popular Kenny Ball & His Jazz Men. Sunday it was Easy Beat, Two Way Family Favourites with London & Koln [it’s been a while now for a link up anywhere else in the world] Pick of the Pops and Movie Go Round.
Television on Saturday included –Juke Box Jury with David Jacobs this week’s panel included Eric Burdon, Maloo Pantera, Gene Pitney and Briony Newton. That evening it was time for the Eurovision Competition this year the broadcast came from Luxemburg, and we were represented by Kenneth McKeller “A Man without Love” – The final outcome was that we came 9th with 8 points (thanks to Austria and Ireland) the winning entry was from the Austrian entry “Merci Cherie” by Udo Jugens. The commentary was from David Jacobs in the studio. Sunday was a combination of the regular drama and entertainments plus films.
The pirates continued to supply much of the pop mix for us all, and even Radio Caroline was returning to fairly regular schedules after the beaching a few weeks earlier. So there we have the first weekend in March, from all accounts the weather was dry and grey. Until the next instalment, wrap up warm and lets all hope for some dry weather and less wind that at the moment. Until next weeks – the History of the Happy Ballroom – Hastings Pier et al………..
Andre Palfrey-Martin ©2016
Day: 9 March 2016
Tony Blackburn sacked by BBC over the Jimmy Saville inquiry and the future of Pick Of The Pops.
photo by Andrew Crowley. © The Telegraph
Chris Giles… Oh dear I love his Saturday show….I will miss it…
Pete Fairless… I don’t suppose he was an employee, so ‘sacked’ is probably not true.
Jim Breeds…. It’s interesting, is this. I watched the press conference this morning and realised that “A7” in the report was Blackburn by comparison with the details of his public statement that I had already read. Then they later openly referred to him by name. The crux of it is that he denies being interviewed by Bill Cotton and someone else in the 1970s, and the BBC are adamant that he was. I don’t know the truth any more than any other onlooker but I can’t see what he (Blackburn) would have to gain by lying when all he needed to say to the enquiry was, “yes, I was interviewed”, and the enquiry would have noted that and then moved on. Point is, if he is telling the truth, then the enquiry is at danger of appearing to continue to cover up that nothing was followed up by senior management at the time, and that the BBC is lying about it now. The BBC cannot allow that impression to be formed so they had to let him go. It’ll be interesting to see what comes out if he does press ahead with legal action.
Chris Giles… It was talked about on Jeremy Vine as well… And maybe he just cant remember giving a statement …crikey he is 73…. But I’m sure he would have said yes I did if he had a done…. And the way BBC have released this today, when they knew and had seen about this report days ago before the public knew why didn’t they sack him them….. No they’ve done it and now it looks like he was part of of the crowd abusing girls… When it’s not that at all…. I think they have treated him very shabbily… To cover their own backs…I hope he does press ahead with legal action….he has done nothing wrong.
Emma Rix…. dont blame him he has been a scapegoat for the bbc because they knew about that scumbag savilie
Alan Esdaile… All a bit odd, still could not understand anymore on the news tonight. Like Jim says all it appears down to is a Yes or No question. Now he is being made to look like he is hiding something and tainted with the same brush.
Allyson Breeds… I’m staying on the fence for this one, remember when Savile died, there were calls for him to have the equivalent of a state funeral, he almost did. His ‘gold’ coffin was taken on a ‘farewell tour’ of Leeds. When the accusations started about what he had done, many people defended him, after all he was a ‘national treasure’ I’m not saying Tony has done anything wrong, just I’m not jumping on any bandwagons yet.
Tony May… If only everyone was prepared to wait until the truth becomes clear like you Allyson.
Paul Sleet… I guess Blackburn knew about Savile while all the executives and producers were completely ignorant. Of course.
Pete Fairless… Who knows, we weren’t there. Without a transcript, I wouldn’t even want to guess.
Chris Giles… Well tomorrow’s not going to be the same without Tony’s “Pick of the Pops”
Jim Breeds… The programme still in the schedule but no named presenter. I wonder if someone else will do it.
Chris Giles… It won’t be the same… If someone else is presenting it… He did make a lot of recordings for it some weeks… I shall boycott it…
Alan Esdaile… I’ve just heard that Mark Goodier will host this weeks Pick Of The Pops. So rather boring then.
Tony Ham… No more triffic ten or faberlous five!
Alan Oliver… Just been listening to him this afternoon. He sounds like a 1980’s DJ. Not a good sound!!
Jim Breeds… Oh no.
Chris Giles… I won’t be listening… This isn’t good.
Virginia Davis… Will just have to focus on the music then.
Alan Esdaile… Can’t think of any dj that would replace Tony Blackburn’s spot on Pick Of The Pops. Never ever as good as Alan Freeman but got used to his style, music passion for Motown and cheesiness.
Mick O’Dowd… Brian Matthews is a goodie but he already does Sounds of The 60’s on Saturday mornings. Always thought his knowledge and voice were perfect. Johnnie Walker could also be a contender.
Chris Giles… Agree I like Brian Matthews and Jonnie Walker listen to them as well.
Jim Breeds… I was never a fan of Blackburn until he took on Pick of the Pops – he rescued it from the horror that were the Dale Winton years – it was dreadful then, imho, and Blackburn made it something worth listening to. So Mark Goodier for the next four weeks while they decide who will take over permanently. Can we start a “Say No To Noel Edmonds on Pick of The Pops” petition now?
Paul Tansley… If I was Blackburn I wouldn’t want to come back to POTPs after this…He doesn’t need the work so I would concerntrate on getting back his reputation which is more important.
Andre Martin… He is a known product TB and could easily go anwhere and take a lot of his followers along for the music and his particular style – Mr Magic I knew used to drive some people mad, but the music was the thing and he does understand that era so well. There are few broadcasters today who actually know their music and have a personality to put this over in an entertaining manner.
Jim Breeds… He’s holidaying in St. Lucia at the moment.