sixties pop music

Another month has just whizzed by and we are now at Saturday 27th August 1966, and it’s the Bank Holiday Weekend. In the Happy Ballroom on Hastings Pier, the summer has been going well for all and this weekend would be no exception. On Saturday night it was the resident Big Band – The Tony Strudwick Big Band, with Saturday is Party Night, all the fun and joy of the night for 5/-. The Sunday Club this week featured a group that were well known in Hastings – The Nashville Teens [ yes the same group that had hit the headlines a couple of years previous , after the daughter of a local solicitor ran off to London when the group had appeared at the opening of the Witch Doctor] Monday being a Bank Holiday had a Coffee Dance 10.30am-1.00pm all for 1/-. Tuesday it was the weekly visit from the masters of the gruntin’ and groanin’ –Dale Martin Wrestling, top of the bill this week – Mr TV Pallo v Linde Caulder. The week would be brought to a close with Dancing to The Tony Strudwick Show Band.
Friday night’s edition of Ready Steady Go would include The Mindbenders: Ashes to Ashes, Overlanders: Go where you wanna Go, Small Faces: All or Nothing and Sonny & Cher; Little Man. Keith and Cathy as ever in control with the antics of the crowd and artistes. The Witch Doctor was still following the summer season format, of records for most of the week and live music on Saturdays, this week it was the Loose Ends from Birmingham, on Sunday because this was a special weekend it was a visit from south London’s – the Herd now with a new line-up and featuring Peter Frampton. Over on the dear old Beeb – the Light programme 10.00 Saturday Club with Val Doonican,The Mindbenders, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers, The Overlanders and Hayes & Wadey In chair this week to spin records and chat was Ray Orchard as Brian Matthew was on holiday. The rest of the day followed the familiar selection of Saturday programmes, in the evening the Big Show came from Scarbrough with Peter Goodwright and Friends, later we had the henry Woods Proms, Dance Music from the NDO and to end the evening Simon Dee. On Sunday similar to most weeks, the shows followed the same format, with Mrs Mills, Easy Beat, Two Way Family Favourites. Movie Go-Round featured James Stewart in “The Rare Breed” Television – Saturday it was Cricket & Grandstand, Juke Box Jury with David Jacobs and his guests – Juliet Harmer, Englebert Humperdink, Dann Ellis & Sarah Ward. Later in the evening we were treated to “ The Beatles at Shea Stadium” the August 1965 US Television Special featuring also Sounds Incorporated. Also in the schedule “Till Death Do Us Part”, The Good Old days with Leonard Sachs and Match of the Day with Ken [they think it’s all over] Wolstenholme. The Midnight Movie on BBC2 was “Privates Progress”. Sunday nights viewing included The Edinburgh Tattoo, the film matinee – Road to Singapore with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby & Dorothy Lamour. Ted Ray and McDonald Hobley led the It’s a KO competition between Ilkey & Otley, we also had European Swimming Championships, Disney Time and a Ken Dodd Show [ not sure when that finished!] and The Sunday Prom. The cultural offering on BBC2 was Mozart from Salzburg – The Marriage of Figaro. Because this was a Bank Holiday, and many did not have to work on Monday, television had on offer cricket & Grandstand, Tim Gudgin filming “Life Savers” with the RAF Rescue Service. Town & Around, United [the football soap] Billy Smarts Circus, a Brian Rix Farce and a Sherlock Holmes drama. Radio with BBC Light Programme included – Happy Holiday Time with DDDBMT, David & Jonathan, Ray Macvay Showband introduced by Tony Hall. Monday spin with Sam Costa, Going Places with the Geof Love Orchestra. The Billy Cotton Band Show, the regular music programme Swing into Summer and Keith Fordyce introduced items from the Lennon & McCartney Song Book.
Out on the waters we still had the music from Radio Caroline South – Small Faces: All or Nothing, Beatles: Yellow Submarine, Ken Dodd; More than Love, Manfred Mann: Just like a woman, Chris Andrews: Stop that Girl. Radio London Big L 266 Meters –Big O: Too Soon to Know, Small Faces: All or Nothing, Cliff Bennett: Got to get you into my life, Lee Dorsey : Working in a Coal Mine, Zoot Money: Big Time Operator. That was in a nutshell what we are about 50 years ago here in Hastings & St Leonards, for many the summer was quickly drawing to a close, schools and colleges returning shortly and the thoughts of getting more permanent jobs. In many ways we were still very lucky as the 900th celebrations of The Battle of Hastings, would continue for many weeks. The weather had improved and perhaps this would last a little longer. Until next week and we enter into the Autumn you all take great care, if you’re going out and about this Bank Holiday Weekend enjoy yourselves.    Andre Palfrey-Martin ©2016