Created June 26th 2008
Updated - July 2nd
Note - Only a few entries so far for the 1950's - so I've put it all on page.
BENCHMARKS - Birth of Rock n Roll
Dec 18th 1954 Bill Haley and the Comments debuted the UK NME singles charts with Shake Rattle and Roll at No
13 - being the first Rock n Roll disc to make the UK charts. it reached No 4 (No 7 in USA) and stayed in the charts 14 weeks. It was followed closely by Rock Around the Clock which spent two weeks on the chart initially in Jan 1955 reaching No 17 - returning more forcefully in Oct 1955 for 17 weeks reaching No 1 UK (USA No 1). The single took off as a result of the song being featured in the film Blackboard Jungle ( focussing on delinquency in an American schoolresulting in the first Rock n Roll riots in the UK with some of its Teddy Boy audience jiving in the aisles and ripping up the cinema seats. Elvis had began recording for the Sun Label
in Memphis and charting on the Country and R & B charts in the States during 1954 / 55. On the 5th May 1956 Elvis Presley entered the UK NME charts with the RCA Victor hit Heartbreak Hotel, reaching No2 (No 1 USA) and followed closely by Blue Suede Shoes. In January 1956 Lonnie Donagan had already entered the NME singles chart with Rock Island Line kick starting the UK Skiffle movement. Less than 15 years before Bill Haley's debut, Coventry city centre had been raised to the ground by Hitlers crew and a new city centre was rapidly emerging during the 1950's. Despite it all Coventry was still a thriving Car manufacturing city with a strong shop steward movement and many of the city's baby boomers would be toting guitars in the decades to come and creating a new strand to the city's long and interesting history. That of the post war Coventry music scene.
Broadgate Gnome have pointed out the importance of the M45 / M1 link between Coventry and London for access to gigs and visiting bands. The M45 / M1 were opened November 1959. The motorway cafes were also imporatant social meeting places and hang outs for travelling bands.
Some great 50's Coventry You Tube on Dean Nelson's site
Quote from Pete Waterman's book I Wish I was Me
"Every Tuesday I'd go there (to see his cousin Jean (16) in 1956 - she had a wind up Gramaphone) with my mum on
the No 7 bus and walk across the bombed city centre to listen to Jean play
these great records. Coventry was still makeshift with a wooden Woolworths and seven-odd bombed buildings in every street but there was still a sense of it being the first of the brand new cities, of everything starting again...and of course there was poverty but you just accepted it. We never had enough money to last the week, so my mum didn't put the electricity on until my dad got off the bus"
"It was such a great time to be growing up in. Immediately after the war, things were tough, but it was all so exciting. And everything was still forming; the world seemed to be coming together. There was a kind of openness about everything"
The Coventry Arts Umbrella Club
was important to the musical developments in Coventry, through Jazz in the 50's and early 60's, to hosting Coventry 's
first Folk club in the early 60's to being rehearsal room, hang out and venue for many a band in the late 60's and early 70's, including early days Two Tone musicians Neol Davies and John Bradbury at it's later HQ in Queen Victoria Rd. The Umbrella moved in the 70's to the Charterhouse and I believe it's still going in some form but more as a arts club now.
THe Umbrella club was opened in Little Park St. in 1955 by Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe who were appearing with the Goons in Coventry at the time.
Umbrella magazine also published an article by Phillip Larkin. There is a lot of material on the Hobo site and in Coventry archives relating to the Coventry Arts Umbrella Club
Here's a link to articles on the Umbrella in the 1950's on Hobo -
Coventry Arts Umbrella Phillip Larkin in Umbrella Magazine
More post on the Umbrella club on the Hobo site and photos and more material in the Coventry Archives.
Coventry Bands and Artists in the 1950's
VIN LLOYD AND HIS MOUNTIES
According to Pete Chambers (Page 120 - in his book - Godiva Rocks) they were Coventry's "first big pop group. A nine piece skiffle band who met at The Coventry Technical College and all came from Wyken. Auditioned on ITA for The Carroll Lewis show, supported the Kirchins on a tour of Scotland. see Godiva Rocks for more.
The CHALLENGERS 57 / 65 Leamington based Skiffle Group. Formed during the Skiffle boom. Lead Vocalist Woody Allen joined The Three John.
Sources Broadgate Gnome and Godiva Rocks P 50. Godiva Rocked to A Backbeat p39
1959 - The ZODIACS
Formed. Recorded 4 tracks at Midland Sound Recorders, According to Godiva Rocks the band's drummer was Nigel Lomas (older brother of Roger Lomas). To be featured along side the Exhibition's 30th Celebration of Two Tone prior to hte opening of the Coventry Music Exhibition in 2009. They will be celebrating 50 years (and still together!!). They appeared on New Faces in 1977 singing the Steve Jones and Rod Bainbridge song Last Night we Called it a Day. Two of them joined the Sabres and Nigel Lomas has been in a string of bands.
Sources - Broadgate Gnome but not much more info I'm afraid and P36 in Pete Chamber's Godiva Rocked to a Backbeat and p 44 in Godiva Rocks).
The VAMPIRES
Influential Rock n Roll Band in the area, one of the first formed in 1959 fronted by Vince Martin (later Holliday) and Johnny Washington (formerly Hounslow). Headlined at Nuneaton's Co-op Hall and their support band was The Beatles!! Despite that they never cut a disc and Vince went on to form form an Entertainment Agency - Big Three Enterprises - later JRD Entertainment booking Cilla Black, Shane Fenton, Lulu and local bands like the Sorrows.
Sources p 108 of Godiva Rocks & Godiva Rocked to a Backbeat books p45 by Pete Chambers
THE CHADS
A Birmingham band formed from the Sundowners in the late 50's but who played tons of gigs in Coventry. Mick Adkins was replaced in 1965 by Jeff Lynne before he went on to form Idle Race. (See Broadgate Gnome and Godiva Rocks)
REG DIXON - Coventry born comedy act and Dame. Sang a song Send me to Coventry (My Home Town). His self-penned theme tune Confidentiality (1949) was a No 2 Sheet music hit of the time and was also recorded by the Beverley Sissters, Max Bygraves, Danney Kaye, Geraldo and his orchestra. He also had a hit with Ordinary People. More on Reg Dixon can be found in Godiva Rocks p22.
CHRIS COWLING TRIO -
Not sure when they formed actually but in the late sixties Chris Cowling playing boogie piano 50's style with his trio at the Coventry Arts Umbrella. During the 60's Chris organised Jazz and music sessions at the Umbrella. I got the impression that they started out in the late 50's but I can't be sure. A little bit more about them on the Hobo site both under Coventry Arts Umbrella posts and a separate post about them in the Hobo Index.
DELIA DERBYSHIRE
Coventry born, she joined the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and although she didn't write it, she played and arranged the iconic Theme for Dr Who. She mixed with the most creative minds in the 60's, including Pink Floyd and John and Yoko and produced other works - eg Electrical Storm in 1969. Read more in Godiva Rides p22.
COVENTRY CHARTS
Although not actually from Coventry, Bert Weedon (famous author of the infuential Guitar tutor Play in a Day) lived in Allesley Village, Coventry in his 2nd home during the 1960's. My father serviced his vacuume cleaner and bought me my first guitar soon after at 15. Many Cov artists cite Bert Weedon as an early inspiration to pick up a guitar including Kevin Harrison. (See Pete Chamber's book Godiva Rocked to A Backbeat P35) See HOBO site Here
His first hit single was in 1959 with -
Guitar Boogie Shuffle in the charts for 9 weeks reaching No 10 in the NME charts. (Source Guiness Book of British
Hit singles).
Nashville Boogie in the charts for 2 weeks reaching No 29 (Source as above)
Apart from that Coventry's Chart history doesn't get started until 1960 with Frank Ifield.
If anybody has more information on Coventry Music in the 1950's, please let us know so we can add it in.
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