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There was a cripple who used to hang out in the Square, usually sitting at the end near the toilets. His name was Archie, he wasn't a Rocker though, he was into folk music. Just thought I'd throw this snippet into the mix!

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My adolescence started when I left school late 1959, without a certificate to my name. A lot of the time was spent in coffee bars; the 49, el Toreador, which had an upstairs called Sargasso and had fi

Same as you Loppy........school 50 to 60,.......but I well remember all the 50s music.....Mam and all her sisters playing it on 78s.......Johnie Ray,Beverley sisters,Frankie Lane,Dickie Valentine,Davi

I loved the late fifties - from about 1956 actually - as the music changed from silly/cute little songs from Val Doonican etc to mostly guitar accompanied songs from Tommy Steele, Buddy Holly, then th

:biggrin: I was lucky enough to see Gene Vincent at one of those star studded shows put on at the Odeon during the 60's.

He was brilliant, absolutely no different from when he appeared on 'Thank Your Lucky Stars'. He was all over dressed in black: black leather suit, black slicked back hair and black shoes; and he clung to the stem of the microphone as though it was his woman - a truly, memorable sight. :cool: "real cool man".

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:) Took a trip out to the 'Lakeside' yesterday to view the 'Saturday Night, Sunday Morning' exhibition: must say it was well worth a visit - on until 10th February.

Just one complaint: there were quite a few black and white photographs of the 50's where young men were described as 'Teddy Boys'; since when did 'Teddy Boys' wear short back and sides and white open necked shirts?

'Teddy Boys' were innovative in their dress: greased back hair with sideburns - a la Tony Curtis style - Edwardian style coats with silk / velvet collars, drainpipe trousers and black, thick soled, crepe shoes; a colourful sight to see on the urban landscape. :cool:"cool man, cool"

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  • 2 months later...

My brother was a teddy boy and hung out in the moo cow. He took me once or twice and relieved me of all my threepenny bits for the juke box. A friend of my dad's saw us coming out one Saturday afternoon and told my dad. Phew he went ballistic at my brother well I was under 10 and he didn't consider it a suitable place for his little girl to be taken. This was pre '54

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Mid evening returning home from swimming at Victoria Baths, waiting at the bus stop by the covered market for the 47 trollybus, watching the Teddyboys across the road outside the Palais with its globe that changed colour. They were reputed to carry cut throat razors under their velvet collars. Well i was only 10!

I dont know if i dreamt this but i recall the Palais starting Saturday morning sessions for the kids and having Bill Hayley and his Comets play. There were so many tried to attend they stopped the traffic on Parliment St. Please someone tell me i didn't make it up.

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  • 2 years later...
On 02/02/2013 at 0:52 PM, davidf said:

No I never went to those Rock n' Roll nights, I sort of moved on to the coffee bar scene and I wonder if anyone remembers a local Gene Vincent lookalike and wannabee who "clunked" around town in leathers and a leg iron ( even tho' he didn't neeed it). He was a dead ringer for Gene. I saw Gene live twice, first at the Palace Mansfield then a few years later at the Sherwood Rooms he was SO GREAT and this lookalike showed up to the Sherwood Rooms event so we sort of had STEREO GENE's !!!! I never had a full TED Suit either, but did have a copy of ELVIS's stripey jacket with velvet collar ( drains and crepes too of course) .

This would be a man who called himself Carl Danger. I and few friends backed him in a gig in a pub on Birkin avenue (Albany?) Hyson Green in 1960. He was a very good Gene Vincent lookalike and was quite handy playing piano. He liked singing Pistol Packing Momma.

I think he was a Scotsman and he lived in the Bobbersmill rd. area. In his back yard was an old Rudge motorbike with girder forks. I'd never driven a m/bike but I had a go at this one up and down Bobbers Mill road until I got the hang of it.

Carl once did a 24 hour piano playing marathon in the Commodore rooms.

I saw the real Gene Vincent at the Empire Theatre. 

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In our topic on Hippies  Peveril Peril mentioned that the fifties were his decade.  Got me thinking.  Some of our members are older than me!  So any Teddy boys, or girls here?

 

What did you think about the fifties in Nottingham and elsewhere.  Was life better / worse?

 

The fifties were the School decade for me.  Started 1950 and left 1960.  Elvis and Cliff Richard, Buddy Holly were some of the big music names.  So let's have few memories.  ;)

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I loved the late fifties - from about 1956 actually - as the music changed from silly/cute little songs from Val Doonican etc to mostly guitar accompanied songs from Tommy Steele, Buddy Holly, then the Everley Brothers and the rest... 

I suppose we tend to like those years when we were changing from little children to teenagers, and deciding who and what we wanted to identify with..

I lost interest in music a bit by the mid sixties as I got married and then had children in quick succession.  I was too occupied with singing Nursery Rhymes then!

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My adolescence started when I left school late 1959, without a certificate to my name. A lot of the time was spent in coffee bars; the 49, el Toreador, which had an upstairs called Sargasso and had fishing nets and glass floats hanging about. The 49 was on 3 floors. They were all packed out with teenagers weekend evenings. We went there some Saturdays lunchtime after the Gaumont show. The sound system in the 49 was 1 plywood box about the size of a weetabix box per floor but it was all a new experience. There were two brothers used to frequent there, Ron May and Billy May. They went on to work the oil rigs in 65 according to  The Post. 

Brenda Lee, Everleys, Elvis, all played thru that speaker.

I really love and treasure those halcyon days, good atmosphere good friends, mediocre coffee, and a mysterious, exciting and inviting future life beckoning.

 

We would visit the Flying Dutchman coffee bar in the lace market or that cafe at the top of Victoria Street in a basement where they regularly played Blue Moon by the ??Marcel's??

One week I'd be Elvis, another, Duane Eddy, and then James Dean. I really fancied my chances. Lol. Well I was 6ft, slim, 12 stone with a mass of black brylcreemed hair. These days I can say I'm 6ft.

I went to St Margaret's youth club a few times where there were a couple of youths who flashed flick knives about but it was all bravado, they weren't threatening. Besides, I knew them, they lived up Grassington road somewhere.

I'm on a roll now so I'd better stop.

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Same as you Loppy........school 50 to 60,.......but I well remember all the 50s music.....Mam and all her sisters playing it on 78s.......Johnie Ray,Beverley sisters,Frankie Lane,Dickie Valentine,David Whitfield,Lita Rosa,.........and from about 56.....Bill Haley,Elvis,Tommy Steele,Lonnie Donegan,.....up to 59 when of course it all changed with Cliff,Beatles,Billy Fury,then into the great 60s......love to do it all again.

                   As for Teddy boys they were all that little bit older,,,the ones I knew on Bestwood estate were great characters.......and I spent a lot of my early teens with em...........it was them that told me how to make babies and how not to......lol.........they used to throw parties when their parents were out.....and me and a couple of other 13 yr olds,were always allowed in.......I grew up very fast........i'd love to name names but best not......they always looked after me and in later years were great drinking companions........attended a few of their funerals in the last ten years.......terrific blokes loved em.........

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Never a Ted. I couldn't stand their funny haircuts lathered in Brylcreem, or more likely, Woolworth's All Day. 

I didn't like sideburns either. In fact, I didn't like anything whatsoever relating to Teddy Boys. 

However, a very small amount of their favoured music was listenable. Not Presley or any other greaseballs though !

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  • 4 years later...
  • 7 months later...

Remember the craze in st anns well , there were groups of lads running around , and one come up to me and said are you a mod or rocker ?

I said nah mister i am a mocker , i was only a nipper back then , imagine teddy boys beating up 8 years old ragamuffins such as i , tough as toffee the lot of em !!

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Sorry but teddy boys came a while before Mods & Rockers.

 

Tebby Boys came in with "Rock n' Roll" with a brillcream DA and long sideburns Jackets that came down to top of the knees,  with velvet collar, and drainpipe trouses, shoes winkle Pickers so long I'm sure that their feet did not go to the end of the shoe or brothel creepers, year approx  50s.

Mods and Rockers were later 70s Mods had very short hair, baggey trouses, and braces to hold up there trouses  plus they all drove scooters. Rockers used to wear leather Jackets and leather trouses big boots and they were on motor  bikes and I mean motor bikesf  from 250cc and above,

Dave are you getting the Race Riots mixed up with mods & rockers?

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My lesson started in the 50s my brother came home on leave and he told me of a new dance craze that he had seen,  "Rock n'Roll" well I was about 13/14 and he tried to teach  me this new craze,  well then in came flared skirts and paper nylon underskirts the larger the better, before stillotoes the had pointed toes  shoes with kitten heels big hairdo's the bigger  the  bettet Frence rolls. curl,s  on top of your head, Six Five speacial. Then heels went to 5lnc and jive came in. juke box jury ,babychams, larger n lime., my pony, barley wine, and of cause Coke a Cola.not forgetting the Mini Car. built by British Layland. Danset record players with records 45rpm  33rpm   Mary Quant, Videl  Sasson,  yes he brought in the bob but also the concave  and convex bobs. I loved the 60s you could be who you wannted to be and one more thing the Pill which saved a lot of lives no women had to have an abbortion if they did not want to.    And so much more, Glad i lived through the 60s would not have missed it for any thing 

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@mary1947  I remember tiered skirts, paper nylon underskirts and wide plastic belts which we pulled in very tightly to emphasise our small waists!  This would be in the late fifties.  I learnt to jive when I was about 12 or 13 around 1955/56 - my  girlfriend and I used to practise in her back garden, dancing to 78rpm records played on her Dansette.   I refined (probably not the right word!) my dancing skills when I later started going to the Locarno.    

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MargieH can you remember paper knickers? What was that all about?

 

Also that talc stuff that you put in your hair to save washing it when you were in a hurry.

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On 10/27/2021 at 10:36 PM, radfordred said:

Not sure him far left is dancing or letting one go? 

 

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One on left looks like he's treading grape !

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