Memories of Sheffield City Hall

[Lozz 10]

I remember going to a Motown Review in the early seventies- The Supremes, Edwin Starr and The Four Tops, plus the Motown "orchestra". Happy memories:)

[roy sellars 10]

Mission impossaible, Anyone over the age of 75 or know any one, that use to go dancing

at the city hall in the 50s know a girl blond called SHEILA i forgot her second name.I danced there for 5 year only met the one, So it may be possible,

[PopT 10]

Let's not forget the fantastic jazz that was played there by some of the world's best musicians.

 

Does anyone remember,

The Modern Jazz Quartet

Stan Kenton Orchestra

Sydney Bechet

Big Bill Broonzy

Jack Teagarden

Humphrey Lyttleton

Chris Barber

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee

Lionel Hampton

Ted Heath

Vic Lewis

Johnny Dankworth

The Kirchin Brothers

Diz Disley Trio

Dave Brubeck Quartet

Count Basie

The list goes on, does anyone remember those fabulous concerts.

 

I was inspired to buy a saxaphone but was hopeless playing but my daughter took it up and became quite good.

 

I still have most of the programmes from those memorable concerts.

 

PopT

[soft ayperth 11]

Let's not forget the fantastic jazz that was played there by some of the world's best musicians.

 

Does anyone remember,

The Modern Jazz Quartet

Stan Kenton Orchestra

Sydney Bechet

Big Bill Broonzy

Jack Teagarden

Humphrey Lyttleton

Chris Barber

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee

Lionel Hampton

Ted Heath

Vic Lewis

Johnny Dankworth

The Kirchin Brothers

Diz Disley Trio

Dave Brubeck Quartet

Count Basie

The list goes on, does anyone remember those fabulous concerts.

 

I was inspired to buy a saxaphone but was hopeless playing but my daughter took it up and became quite good.

 

I still have most of the programmes from those memorable concerts.

 

PopT

 

Yes. I saw Barber, Dankworth, Lewis & Kenton. Great music.

[spider legs 10]

I went to see nana mouskuri with a friend from work , we also went to see the spinners , that would have been sometime in the sixties

[Elmambo 25]

Let's not forget the fantastic jazz that was played there by some of the world's best musicians.

 

Does anyone remember,

The Modern Jazz Quartet

Stan Kenton Orchestra

Sydney Bechet

Big Bill Broonzy

Jack Teagarden

Humphrey Lyttleton

Chris Barber

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee

Lionel Hampton

Ted Heath

Vic Lewis

Johnny Dankworth

The Kirchin Brothers

Diz Disley Trio

Dave Brubeck Quartet

Count Basie

The list goes on, does anyone remember those fabulous concerts.

 

I was inspired to buy a saxaphone but was hopeless playing but my daughter took it up and became quite good.

 

I still have most of the programmes from those memorable concerts.

 

PopT

 

Sister Rosetta Tharp

Everly Bros

Eddie Conden

Nancy Whiskey

Freddie Bell & the Bell Boys

[le-joker 10]

Aged 16 in 1962 I was a big fan Helen Shapiro, I bought her records and watched on the telly. Then, wow, she`s coming to The city Hall in April next year. Sat in the stalls with my mate whilst this support band played. They made such a lot of noise banging and thumping, we couldn`t wait `till they had gone off and we could see Helen.

Yeah, and almost 50 years later, I could kick myself because we all now know just who the support band was. Don`t we ?

[shaunfl 10]

Inessex.

No it wasn't 1962. I think it was 1963/1964. The stones were not on that bill. Top of the bill was Chuck Berry and second were The Animals. I can't remember who else was on.

 

According to my wife's memory she first saw the Stones in 1963 at the City Hall and the headline act was Bill Haley and the Comets.

[Bushbaby 11]

This week has finally seen the publication of the life of

Sheffield City Hall.

The book was unveiled at the venue's 80th birthday at the weekend and is the

culmination of nearly two year's work.

The reviews have been superb so far and it has helped stir up happy memories

for couples that met there in the fifties, screamed at the Beatles in the

1960s or have spent a lifetime attending the venue's renowned classical

music season.

'Sheffield City Hall - 1932-2012' book contains loads of rare and

stunning photos and includes a foreword by Human League star Philip Oakey.

It costs just £12.95 and can be purchased from

Sheffield City Hall box office; The Star Shop and all good local bookshops.

More info:

 

RE-LIVE THE HISTORY OF SHEFFIELD CITY HALL WITH THE 80TH BIRTHDAY BOOK From

1932 to 2012

 

Find out how the City Hall was built, how it survived the war, where the

famous Lions from the Oval Hall stage went, how Sir John Barbirolli

influenced classical music in Sheffield, where the Beatles had their after

party, stories from the popular dances in the Ballroom, how Rock ‘n’ Roll

took over the venue as well as the rise of comedy…..

 

The Sheffield City Hall birthday book takes you through the history of the

venue and its patrons with all its highs and lows, exclusively produced for

the 80th Birthday in September 2012. Many of us have fond memories of the

City Hall and it seems only right to put together a book of the stories,

dramas and events since opening in 1932.

 

As one of the country’s finest civic buildings, the City Hall has played a

unique part in the day to day existence of the city and the country since

the day it opened. Written by local author Neil Anderson, the birthday book

celebrates this with extracts from local people, stories from the archives

and interviews from previous customers and employees.

 

The book provides a unique window on the building since its opening,

touching on momentous occasions. Have a look at pictures before the City

Hall was built, shops and homes were demolished to make way for the

building, which, as you can imagine, didn’t go down that well. There was a

lengthy debate on the name of the hall as well as its purpose.

 

Sheffield City Hall will be remembered by many for staging some of the most

iconic gigs. A few artists featured in the book include The Beatles, Bob

Dylan and Led Zepplin who created the biggest queue for tickets. But the

venue also helped shape the burgeoning careers of some of the city’s own

legends: Joe Cocker (first performing as Vance Arnold & The Avengers), Dave

Berry and Karen Young were amongst the local stars that started to appear.

The book takes you through the stories with pictures, memorabilia and

personal accounts of the events.

 

The Ballroom Dances are pivotal to many Sheffielders, one of which is the

author whose parents were amongst the thousands that found romance on the

busy ballroom dance floor in the 1950s. Read how many met their wives and

husbands and how they used to go for a tipple beforehand at the nearby

Albert Public House.

 

Discover how the celebrated conductor Sir John Barbirolli finally got his

wish when the hall’s controversial lions were unceremoniously thrown into

storage in 1962 how the building’s resident ghost still, we understand,

resides where else but with the gods in the roof.

 

The City Hall promoted concerts for peace as the world teetered on the brink

of Armageddon during the War and has never been without controversy as in

1934 15,000 protested against its staging of a convention by Nazi

sympathiser, Sir Oswald Mosley and his black shirted-fascists. Read about

the miners strike, how clubs took over the Ballroom unsettling the dances,

how the City Hall moved its ticketing function in house, and how it required

a much needed refurbishment by Sheffield International Venues who still

manage the venue to this day.

 

Chapters

• Life Before Sheffield City Hall

• Hall on Hold - Life in 1920s Sheffield

• What’s in a Name? The Opening of Sheffield City Hall

• The Turbulent Thirties and the Countdown to War

• Blitz Survivor

• Kings of the Jungle

• Rock ‘n’ Roll Enters the Building

• Tripping the Light Fantastic - The Golden Age of the City Hall

Ballroom

• Beatlemania Leads the UK - Rock ‘n’ Roll Fight Back

• A Traumatic 40th and Surviving the Seventies

• The Hallé and the Philharmonic

• Revamped and Revitalised

• Clubland Falls in Love with The Ballroom

• 21st Century Rebirth for Sheffield City Hall

[sheffsueme 10]

I think the year was 1963, I was 17 yrs old and working as a waiter in the downstairs ballroom.

 

Upstairs there was a concert starring Helen Shapiro with a supporting cast amongst whom was a 4 piece bad from Liverpool.

 

Their record went to No 1 that day. They were staying in a nearby hotel. Barkers pool was a sea of screaming females.

 

A man came down and asked our manager if a couple of us could help in getting the band thru the crowd from the hotel into the side door of the city hall.

 

A lad called Vic and me volounteered and we went across to the hotel, entered a room and there met the four piece band from Liverpool. Vic and I took hold of our man and escorted him across the road and into the City Hall, some old commisionaires saw to the others.

 

It was a battle to ge them in and a bit scary. I never knew women could be so exited.

 

Later the man we escorted bought Vic and me a bottle of Double Diamond each.

 

And that, ladies and gentelmen of the Forum, is the night I met ;

 

 

Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas

 

A week earlier and it would have been the Beatles, but, life is like that.

 

 

--------------------------------------------

 

 

Billy was a handsome lad.

 

I was one of the hundreds of screaming teenagers in the massive crowd between the City Hall & the Grand Hotel. Helen threw autographed photos

of herself out of a window very high up at The Grand, and I was lucky

enough to catch one, I still have it in my beaten up autograph book.

 

Another time I was lucky enough to see from afar that other group from Liverpool as they unloaded their van at the side entrance of the City Hall. Some of my school friends were there and shouted over to the rest of us

who were waiting outside The Gaumont, I was hoping to get the autograph

of The Searchers. I didn't get anyone's autograph that day and I missed

meeting The Beatles by yards

 

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[EdnaKrabappe 14]

Try and remember some of the acts i've seen there over the years:

First one was definitely AHA. We got so giddy and jumped on the chairs and broke one! We were only 14!Sorry City Hall!

Then i've seen

Then Jericho. Mark got so giddy and threw himself into the audience - again the audience being 14 year old girls, not such a good choice to crowd surf into.

Style Council

Spandau Ballet

Brother Beyond

Everything but the girl

Robert Palmer

Level 42

Squeeze

Beautiful South a couple of times I think?

Erasure

Rumer

 

Jasper Carrott/Punt and Dennis

French and Saunders

Steve Coogan on two occasions

Frank Skinner on a few occasions

Victoria Wood on a few occasions

Russell Brand

 

Rocky Horror Show

 

Sure I've seen more but it's early. To say how many gigs I've been to it's actually not that many at the city hall.

 

Been to many a Brighton Beach and Hot Pants over the years.

Edited October 13, 2012 by EdnaKrabappe

[denlin 12]

Starting in 1966 aged 15 to present day. The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Cream. Amen Corner, Athur Brown, Pink Floyd, the Move (3 times, twice at city hall once at Silver Blades) that was all in 1960s plus Mothers of invention in Manchester

Edited October 13, 2012 by denlin