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The Dolphin Bar in Cleveleys, Lancashire, England was the place to go and be seen during the sixties and seventies. This is the place where I, among many others, got their first start on the stage. I had been playing other places before, but this was different, the entertainers were mostly professionals and came from out of town.
Big Jim Parkinson was the landlord, then came Bill Robinson. They kept the quality up and there was always a cabaret show, every lunch and every evening, seven days a week.
I remember "Day and Night". They were so funny with their exploding amplifier and skits. June Mack, a fine jazz female vocalist. Comperes Ted Castle and Brian Rossi. Organist Tommy Bates. Oh, and Dezi Arnold, another great comedian. Shirley Day and Sandra Jeans. Of course I have to mention the Jimmy Rose Duo. Jimmy Rose and I teamed up in 1966. Jimmy had already been playing there for several years. We did the summer season in 1966 and again in 1968.
The sound system was fantastic "at the time" consisting of several big Seeburg cabinets. At the back was the tiny Seahorse Bar, and on the top, The fabulous Queens Theatre, which featured rock bands like Dean Hunter and the Trackers, a band from Blackpool. I saw Sonny Boy Williams up there, a fantastic, elderly blues harp player from the southern United States. There was so much going on that you could go every day of the week and not get bored. The song on my album Fishermen of Fleetwood, "The Dolphin Bar" explains, I think, what it was like.
Well now you have an idea what it was like I will from time to time post some of my photo's here. If you have anything to contribute, please do. Thank you.
Big Jim Parkinson was the landlord, then came Bill Robinson. They kept the quality up and there was always a cabaret show, every lunch and every evening, seven days a week.
I remember "Day and Night". They were so funny with their exploding amplifier and skits. June Mack, a fine jazz female vocalist. Comperes Ted Castle and Brian Rossi. Organist Tommy Bates. Oh, and Dezi Arnold, another great comedian. Shirley Day and Sandra Jeans. Of course I have to mention the Jimmy Rose Duo. Jimmy Rose and I teamed up in 1966. Jimmy had already been playing there for several years. We did the summer season in 1966 and again in 1968.
The sound system was fantastic "at the time" consisting of several big Seeburg cabinets. At the back was the tiny Seahorse Bar, and on the top, The fabulous Queens Theatre, which featured rock bands like Dean Hunter and the Trackers, a band from Blackpool. I saw Sonny Boy Williams up there, a fantastic, elderly blues harp player from the southern United States. There was so much going on that you could go every day of the week and not get bored. The song on my album Fishermen of Fleetwood, "The Dolphin Bar" explains, I think, what it was like.
Well now you have an idea what it was like I will from time to time post some of my photo's here. If you have anything to contribute, please do. Thank you.
posted by Philip John Brooks at
4:25 PM
1 Comments:
This was the place to go and we were there many times in the late 60s & early 70s. How I remember Brian Rossi and his (what seemed like then) very rude jokes. A bianco & lemonade and chicken in the basket. What good memories.
Christine
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