The Esquire Club

[greystones 10]

Does anyone know what happened to the Scott William Combo,who often opened for such as Baldry and good ole Vance Arnold and the Avengers?

 

Sorry I do not. I knew Kenny Slade the drummer, but have lost contact with him. He also played with Joe Cocker for a while and then was booted when Joe got famous. We were all ****** off about that.

[Darren 10]

Kenny Slade is alive an well and is a drinking partner of mine up Walkley, Any nice messages that you want me to pass on please pm me

[Darren 10]

I also work at The Leadmill in the offices which funnily enough are on the 1st floor of the old Esquire, all thats left is the metal posts that all the bands used to scratch their names on and the old rickety woodn stairs where you all used to queue to get in, I showed a husbad and wife couple who met at The Esquire around last week - They were quite emotional, I'd be happy to show anyone else around if they wished

[zaci 12]

Were you there the night the Walker Brothers appeared, and some one organized for the guys in audience to form a barrier around the stage, just to keep the girls off Scott Walker.

 

And when Joe Cocker played there, did you try and get to The Truro during the interval, before Joe made it.

Did you also go to the folk nights at the Highcliff at Greystones? and the Disco nights at the Blue Bell in Hackenthorpe,and Shades on Ecclesall Road.

I saw John O Hara and the Playboys there, not my scene at the time,but they put on a great show.

[greystones 10]

Hi, yes I used to go to the Highcliffe Arms every Friday, was it? Shades was also a spot I visited quite often especially when it first opened. I remember seeing John Martin at the Highcliffe he was something of a regular there along with Bert Jansck. The Highcliffe was always a pretty good evening.

[Elmambo 25]

Message as follows:

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

 

To whom it may concern.

 

I read an article on your news page asking did anyone remember the Esquire Club on Leadmill Road and the Club 60 down on West Bar.

 

Well here's a blast from the past for your older city (60's vintage readers), I was the manager of the Club 60 in a quantra deal done with Terry Thornton, which incidentally he never backed up in times of need, just took the money when times were good.

 

But that's not the story, the story really is on the number of up and coming groups that played at the Club 60 in the mid 60's, for what I might ad in those days was a very small fee. Some of the notable groups we had

were: Joe Cocker and the Grease Band, Dave Berry and the Cruisers, Jimmy Crawford and the Ravens (whatever happened to him ?, his real name was Ron Lyndsay, he was a champion school boy swimmer), Eric Burdon and the Animals, The Rockin Berries, Frankenstein and the Monsters, Screaming Lord Sutch, The Fortunes and many more. We nearly booked the Rolling Stones in their very early years, but Terry Thornton said they hadn't received very good reviews from down South, so we didn't bother (bugger).

 

The big problem with the Club 60 was you could only get about 350 people in, and in a three cellar complex that was mighty crowded when full. The club worked well for a while, but unfortunately when the River Don rose in the winter, the cellars were suseptible to seapage, and manys the day that we had crews mopping three inches of water out for a Saturday night openning, and the damp smell left behind was not pleasant. But the club enjoyed success for a couple of years, but then as with all small venues the crowds went to bigger and better clubs, and we really needed to spend a heap of money on it, which (I) did not have at the time.

 

The main rivals were the Esquire Club, which eventually covered three floors down on Leadmill Road, and Pete Stringfellow's Mojo Club, which also did very well at that time, and as they say the rest is history.

 

I actually went to to old Grand Hotel (now long since gone) to pick up Sonny Boy Williamson, who was quite fluid at the time for a performance at the Esquire Club in it's hayday. He was not quite sure where he was, but I remember his performance that night, and he never missed a beat on stage, as they say he was one of the old masters. The same thing happened with Lightning Hopkins when he came to the Esquire, but they were old pro's and the music was pure soul.

 

Well there you go, we had a lot of faithful followers in the old days, and I'm sure many of them may still have a fond memory or two of the old Club 60 down on Shail Road. Funny enough I can't remember the name of the pub whose cellars we used, perhaps you could research that for me.

 

PS: Dave Berry and the Cruisers are playing in Queensland this coming weekend, and I believe Frank White is still with him, they go back a long way.

 

Best Regards: Tony Land, an old Handsworth boy

 

 

 

Came across this old leaflet - should bring back a few memories. Is that Terry Thorntons wife in the foreground ??

 

 

[badgersbane 10]

Were you there the night the Walker Brothers appeared, and some one organized for the guys in audience to form a barrier around the stage, just to keep the girls off Scott Walker.

 

And when Joe Cocker played there, did you try and get to The Truro during the interval, before Joe made it.

Did you also go to the folk nights at the Highcliff at Greystones? and the Disco nights at the Blue Bell in Hackenthorpe,and Shades on Ecclesall Road.

I saw John O Hara and the Playboys there, not my scene at the time,but they put on a great show.

Never made it as far as the Truro-used to go to the Rodley on the corner of Leadmill & St. Mary's. I remember the Walker Bros. concert, but my enduring memory is seeing Jimmy Witherspoon, set me up as a Blues fan for life, though Baldry always gave a good show. Remember Terry T. setting up trips to the Cavern as well.I never made it as

[LeoB 10]

Hi All! I'm a writer from Holland, looking for someone that has witnessed Joe Cocker as Vance Arnold playing support act for The Hollies and The Stones in '63 in Sheffield! Anyone?

Leo Blokhuis

[gillyflower 10]

I remember all the good times at the Esquire and Club 60. All the blues legends and the up and coming acts before they were well known. Attended Terry's fancy dress parties at Christmas dressed as cat and was taken home by Dave Berry. Was there when Ray Stuart fell off balcony and bit through his tongue. Loads of mods there but don't recall any teds. Club 60 did used to niff a bit at times but what great nights. Wouldn't get away with it now with health and safety rules - ha-ha! Terry Thornton was locked up for sending nail bomb to his former girlfriend. The lady who ran Esquire with him went on to run a market stall in Bakewell I believe. Any more memories from anyone - remember all nighters at Mojo, and Twisted Wheel in Manchester?

[rubydazzler 11]

Hi All! I'm a writer from Holland, looking for someone that has witnessed Joe Cocker as Vance Arnold playing support act for The Hollies and The Stones in '63 in Sheffield! Anyone?

Leo Blokhuis

Saw Vance Arnold and the Avengers playing locally many times. The concert you mention, was it at the City Hall? I think I had a programme for that until a few years ago when we had a flood in the house and I lost my memory box

[mick marriso 10]

Never went myself. Missed out there but have 6 tracks recorded there live by Joe Cocker with his Avengers. His voice was superb then. Apparently the tape with these tracks on lay in someone's greenhouse until discovered in 1999. Tracks were copied to a CD from which a mate of mine copied to tape and posted me a copy.

 

Joe Cockers original stage name was Vance Arnold and the Avengers......He copied a lot of Ray Charles numbers and also plyed piano as well as drums. He played at the Green Gate Inn in the early days, He was born in Beigton and a friend of my brother.

[mikeG 16]

I thought he was born on Tasker Road, Crookes.