I'm writing a book about the Stones' early UK concerts (62 - 66) and would be interested to hear from anyone who attended one of these shows. I've written to local newspapers around Britain and had over 300 responses, so I have enough material for the book, but there must be a few fans in here who saw them in that period and who would like to see their memories preserved in print.

Rolling Stones at the Stamford Hall, Altrincham 1963.

I was having a chat in a pub in Altrincham, Cheshire, UK with my older brother Frank, and a few pals last week-end and the Stones gig at the Stamford Hall, Altrincham in 1963 came up in the conversation. My brother Frank was a young lad at the time there, watching the Stones from the stage "wings". Our Dad (also called Frank) was an ex-professional boxer, known professionally as Frank Johnson (British & Empire Lightweight Champion in the 1950's) and he used to work as a doorman at the Stamford Hall.
My two brothers and I were young kids at the time and every now and then Dad would take one of us with him to watch some of the bands who played there. Whoever Dad took on any particular night would usually stand in the stage side wings and watch. Frank my brother was telling us all about the gig but he couldn't remember the exact date. An older chap in the pub with us "shiny shoes Tom" said he remembered that day because he met Mick Jagger and Bill Wyman. Earlier on that day he was in another pub called the Malt Shovels, down the road in Altrincham, having a quiet pint, when Mick Jagger and Bill Wyman walked in the side door an ordered a pint each at the short bar next to him. He knew their faces as they were at that time just breaking through in popularity after their first single “Come On”. Tom had a chat with them and they said they were in town for a gig later that evening. Apparently the other band members were in the Barrington hotel further down the road in Altrincham. Anyway my brother Frank said it was a fantastic gig on the night at the Stamford Hall despite the fact that you could hardly hear anything over the girls screaming.. ha!
We looked it up on the internet and it was apparently the 26th. November - my birthday! I was the unlucky one though, Dad took me the following week to the Stamford Hall, and I saw the Merseybeats! (no dis-respect to them but I am now a “big” Stones fan).

As I said earlier, Dad was known professionally as Frank Johnson - if anyone's interested just Google “Frank Johnson boxer” - they used to call him "the master craftsman" and "the golden boy"...

[www.manchesterbeat.com]

Dad also turned down the Beatles..!

In another funny story around that era, Dad turned out a bit like Decca, the famous record label, in the respect that he turned down the Beatles..!
I have attached a copy below from part of an e-mail that one of Dad's old former work mates (now in Australia), Charlie Fitzgerald, sent me a while back...

“G/day Steve

It seems a long time since I last wrote to you from Australia but as time passes so do our memories but this morning I put on my computer to read my Internet edition of the Manchester Evening News and I saw an article about the Beatles. It was a story about them appearing at the old Oasis Club and how it was their first "Big" show in Manchester in 1962. It brought back memories when I read that the Beatles oddest venue was at the Urmston Show in the August Bank Holiday 1963, they appeared in a Giant Marquee.
Now I don't know if anybody has told you but in the Rock n Roll era your dad would not have known the difference between Elvis Presley and Cliff Richards, in fact I think the only show business star he knew was Marlene Dietrich. He was offered the contract of providing the security (Bouncers) for the show. When we turned up for work at the Princess he offered us the job at the sum of three quid for the night, we all turned it down mainly because we had seen them on Granada's show "People and Places" a few weeks before. In your dads case he hadn't got a clue who the Beatles were, he didn't want us to do it as it was in a tent. This little story may not mean much to other people but to me it brought back a memory. In Adelaide the Beatles are legends because they appeared here in 1964 and were greeted by a bigger crowd than the FA cup final, not many people believe me when I tell them that we turned them down because we thought they were a bit crappy and our boss didn't want us working in a tent...

Charlie Fitzgerald ”

So no wonder we all turned out to be Rolling Stones fans in our family…ha!
Steve Williamson.
Timperley, Altrincham.

Star

Hi Steve

Great story. Are you happy for me to use this in my book?

Richard

Hi Richard,

Certainly be my guest! I am glad you enjoyed the story. Good luck with the book and be sure to let me know when it is finished.

"till the next time..."

Star

Great. Thanks. I will post back here when there's any news. In the meantime I've started a Twitter account if anyone wants to stay in touch that way @stonesinthe60s

If anyone attended any of the early UK shows and has memories they'd like to share I can be contacted on richardmhoughton@gmail.com

I've had some great stories, going back to people who saw them at Studio 51, the Ealing Club and the Red Lion in Sutton as well as the early ballroom gigs such as Steve's Altrincham story above.

And then there's the package tours supporting the Everly Brothers and John Leyton before promoters finally had to put the Stones at the top of the bill because the audiences weren't interested in seeing or hearing anyone else.

I've got some great stories from people who saw the shows but also some great off stage encounters. I'm planning to publish the book next year.

Hey, Richard!
Good luck with the book -
as a Stones fan, I'm looking forward to reading it.
PLus some already well-deserved thanks & praises, too;
for it's people like you, and projects like this, that keeps the legacy alive.

One question, though -
just out of curiosity, partly entitled by my intention-to-buy eventually, and certainly without wanting to sound like a spoil-sport, nor aiming at something or somebody specifically
(so rest assured, Starr - it's not YOU that triggered my question here )

...How do you check if all the stories you're getting are actually TRUE ?!

Fair question. I'm taking people's comments at face value on the basis that we are talking 50 years or more in some cases. Lots of the stories are from women or men who are in their 60s (or older) now and who may misremember details but have no reason to lie. I have got two different accounts of one gig where a guy remembers the Stones turning up in a van outside Crewe Town Hall hours ahead of schedule while the promoter says they turned up late. Of course they could have set up their equipment, sound checked and then gone to the pub for a drink, so both recollections could be true. The only story I've received that doesn't sound plausible is one from someone claiming to remember Hendrix supporting them. Nothing else I've read anywhere supports that version of events.

I've done an interview with a web site about my book here: [readersvoice.com]

Like everyone else I'm waiting eagerly for the imminent 2015 tour announcement. But I'm pleased to be able to say that I've now got a publisher for my book about the Stones' early UK concerts, with tales from The Red Lion pub in Sutton (before Bill and Charlie had joined the band) through to the 1969 Hyde Park show. Featuring over 400 brand new interviews with fans from that era, the book will be out at the end of this year. More details at [richard040560.wordpress.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-03-13 00:13 by herecomesrichard.

Quote
herecomesrichard
Like everyone else I'm waiting eagerly for the imminent 2015 tour announcement. But I'm pleased to be able to say that I've now got a publisher for my book about the Stones' early UK concerts, with tales from The Red Lion pub in Sutton (before Bill and Charlie had joined the band) through to the 1969 Hyde Park show. Featuring over 400 brand new interviews with fans from that era, the book will be out at the end of this year. More details at [richard040560.wordpress.com]

Great!
I'm interested in reading your book.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-03-13 00:26 by RipThisBone.