Magical
memories of Derby's 1960s dance halls
A new book is
set to dive into the golden era of dance venues in Derby
It was the
era when the "teenage revolution" really took off.
The dance
halls of the 1960s saw young people really begin to assert their own identity
rather than being clones of their parents, when high employment meant
disposable income – money to spend on enjoying themselves.
And that was
nowhere more so than in Derby.
Roger Smith
already has a hit to his name – “When The Stars Came To Town: Pop Package Tours
at Derby’s Gaumont Cinema 1959-1966”, his 96-page book packed full of
nostalgia-inducing photographs, recollections and memorabilia which chronicle
more than 40 shows that visited Derby’s largest cinema during that period.
Now Roger is
writing a new book: “We Danced In Derby: Dance Halls, Discos, Clubs and Pubs In
The 1960s.” And he is asking Derbyshire Live readers for their memories – and
photographs – of the town’s dance venues of that magical decade.
In Derby, the
old venues – the Assembly Rooms (before it burned down in 1963), the Trocadero,
the Albert Ballroom, the Churchill Hall – were still providing music for
dancing with their own resident bands. But in December 1959, just two weeks
before the start of the new decade, in the old Grand Theatre building in
Babington Lane, Mecca opened the Locarno ballroom.
It was a
revelation. Mecca used its own stable of bands and the occasional local group –
but it was the resident DJ, spinning 45-rpm vinyl, that was favoured by
dance-crazy young people, as what would become known as the Swinging Sixties
got under way.
Then, in the
mid-60s, the burgeoning Mod movement came to the fore and the exclusive band of
stylish kids with their love of soul music soon influenced the mass market.
This new culture directly gave birth to Derby’s Clouds club, and the club scene
began to flourish with new venues popping up around town.
Says Roger:
“I want people to take their minds back to those magical, some might say
innocent, virus-free days and share their thoughts with me. And if they can
help me with photos or memorabilia that would be a bonus.
“There will
be an ‘I Was There’ feature linked to each venue which will share the memories
of anyone who was a regular. You may have met your husband or wife on the dance
floor, experienced a drama there, won a dance competition or have a humorous
anecdote.
“Did you
Waltz, Bop, Jive, Twist, do the Locomotion or the Block? Tell me about your
favourite music, band or DJ. And what did you wear? You may have even worked or
performed at one of these iconic venues, whether it be a dance hall, club or
pub.”
To jog memories,
the venues – and, of course, there will be many more – that will be featured in
the book include the Locarno, Assembly Rooms, Trocadero, King's Hall, Albert
Ballroom, Victor Silvester Dance Studio, Corporation Hotel, Ritz Ballroom,
Rialto, Black Cat Club, Stork Club, Discovery Discotheque, Clouds, Shotgun
Discotheque, Magic of Ju Ju, Havana Club, Polish Club, Club Italia, Carib Club,
and the Sherwood Hotel.
Rogers says:
“The book will document a piece of social history – the dances people did, the
music they danced to, even the clothes they wore in those Derby dance venues of
a truly remarkable, exciting decade.”
Anyone with
memories or photographs that they would like to appear in Roger’s new book
should contact him on roger@thetapmarketing.com
