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The Night Out Theatre Restaurant
Up the Fire Escape and Through the Kitchens pp 137-200 The recollections of Patti Sommers & Tony Jover The Night Out Theatre Restaurant in Horsefair, Birmingham, was one of the country's premier cabaret venues throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. The venue was custom built, with interior design by Todd Kingman. A 1400-seat auditorium, with all seats dining, was similar in style to the 'Moulin Rouge' but more glitzy. The kitchen served an average of 1000 meals per night, six nights a week, and was split into two in later years, with 'Kitchen 2' dealing exclusively with the a-la-carte part of the extensive menu. The venue was owned and operated by Trust House Forte (THF), Forte Group later 'Entam Leisure' (part of the Forte Group), then 'First Leisure', which also controlled London's 'Talk of the Town' Talk of the Town (nightclub) and 'The Golden Garter' in Manchester. The Night Out first opened in April 1975 with a house band under Eddie Gray with lead singer Patti Sommers. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Birmingham, England
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West Midlands metropolitan county, and approximately 4.3 million in the wider metropolitan area. It is the largest UK metropolitan area outside of London. Birmingham is known as the second city of the United Kingdom. Located in the West Midlands region of England, approximately from London, Birmingham is considered to be the social, cultural, financial and commercial centre of the Midlands. Distinctively, Birmingham only has small rivers flowing through it, mainly the River Tame and its tributaries River Rea and River Cole – one of the closest main rivers is the Severn, approximately west of the city centre. Historically a market town in Warwickshire in the medieval period, Birmingham grew during the 18th century during the Midla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tony Christie
Anthony Fitzgerald (born 25 April 1943), known professionally as Tony Christie, is an English musician, singer and actor. He is best known for his recording of "(Is This the Way To) Amarillo "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. It is about a man traveling to Amarillo, Texas, to find his girlfriend Marie. Written by two Americans with a strong country-western lyrical theme, the so ...", a double UK chart success. Career 1960s to 1970s Discovered and managed by Harvey Lisberg, he had three hits in 1971, beginning with "Las Vegas (Tony Christie song), Las Vegas" which reached number 21 in the UK, and went on to have two Top Twenty chart-topper, hits in the UK Singles Chart with "I Did What I Did for Maria", which reached number two, and "Is This the Way to Amarillo", which peaked at number 18, all in 1971. Subsequently, he had a minor hit with "Avenues and Alleyways" which reached number 37, and was the theme to the tel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Odyssey (band)
Odyssey is originally a New York City, United States-based singing group, best known for its 1977 hit " Native New Yorker", and a series of other mainly dance and soul hits in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Now based in the United Kingdom, the band is led and fronted by Steven Collazo and continues to perform and record. Career The group began as the Connecticut-born "Lopez Sisters" group, featuring Steven Collazo's mother, Lillian Lopez (Lillian Lopez Collazo Jackson; November 16, 1935 – September 4, 2012), Louise Lopez (February 22, 1933 – January 28, 2015), and Carmen Lopez (July 12, 1934 - April 22, 2016), the latter having left the group before Odyssey, as the act would come to be known after her departure, was conceived. Filipino bassist and singer Tony Reynolds joined the group soon after "Native New Yorker" reached no. 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, no. 5 in the UK Singles Chart. A string of albums and singles followed and the group managed another R&B chart hit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gene Pitney
Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 hit singles, including 11 in the top ten. Among his most famous hits are "Town Without Pity", "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance", "Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa", " I'm Gonna Be Strong", " It Hurts to Be in Love", and "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart". He also wrote the early-1960s hits "Rubber Ball" recorded by Bobby Vee, "Hello Mary Lou" by Ricky Nelson, and " He's a Rebel" by the Crystals. In 2002, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Early years Pitney was born in Hartford, Connecticut, United States, the son of Anna A. (Orlowski) and Harold F. Pitney. The third of five children of a lathe operator, Pitney lived with his family in Rockville, Connecticut, during his formative years. He grew up in Rockville, now part of Vernon, Conne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Labbi Siffre
Claudius Afolabi Siffre (born 25 June 1945) is a British singer, songwriter and poet. Siffre released six albums between 1970 and 1975, and four between 1988 and 1998. His best known compositions include " It Must Be Love" which reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart in 1971 (a song later covered by the ska band Madness), "Crying Laughing Loving Lying", and "(Something Inside) So Strong"—an anti-apartheid song inspired by a television documentary in which white soldiers in South Africa were filmed shooting at black civilians in the street—which hit number 4 on the UK charts. The latter song won Siffre the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, and it has been used in Amnesty International campaigns. His music has been sampled extensively by US rappers such as Eminem, and Jay-Z. Siffre has published essays, the stage and television play ''Deathwrite'' and three volumes of poetry: ''Nigger'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harry Secombe
Sir Harold Donald Secombe (8 September 1921 – 11 April 2001) was a Welsh comedian, actor, singer and television presenter. Secombe was a member of the British radio comedy programme ''The Goon Show'' (1951–1960), playing many characters, most notably Neddie Seagoon. An accomplished tenor, he also appeared in musicals and films – notably as Bumble in '' Oliver!'' (1968) – and, in his later years, was a presenter of television shows incorporating hymns and other devotional songs. Early life Secombe was born in St Thomas, Swansea, the third of four children of Nellie Jane Gladys (née Davies), a shop manageress, and Frederick Ernest Secombe, a commercial traveller and office worker for a Swansea wholesale grocery business. From the age of 11 he attended Dynevor School, a state grammar school in central Swansea. His family were regular churchgoers, belonging to the congregation of St Thomas Church. A member of the choir, from the age of 12 Secombe would perform a sketc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Nolans
The Nolans are an Anglo-Irish girl group who formed in Blackpool in 1974 as the Nolan Sisters, before changing their name in 1980. Often referred to as Ireland's ''First Family of Music'', they were the first Irish performing family to achieve international success, preceding the likes of the Corrs. Between 1979 and 1982, the group had seven international hits, including " I'm In the Mood for Dancing", "Gotta Pull Myself Together", "Who's Gonna Rock You", "Attention to Me" and "Chemistry". They are one of the world's biggest selling girl groups. They were particularly successful in Japan, becoming the first European act to win the Tokyo Music Festival with "Sexy Music" in 1981, and won a Japanese Grammy (Tokubetsu Kikaku Shō) in 1992. History 1962–1974: Early career Tommy (26 September 1925–1998) and Maureen Nolan (15 December 1926–30 December 2007) met at Clerys Ballroom in Dublin and raised their family in Raheny, Dublin. Tommy had a radio show on RTÉ. Due to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cleo Laine
Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth (born Clementine Dinah Bullock; 28 October 1927)Cleo Laine birth registry in Uxbridge via Free UK Genealogy CIO, a charity registered in England and Wales, Number 1167484, under the auspices of the General Register Office of England and Wales Accessed 22 November 2022. is an English and pop singer and an actress, known for her and for her vocal range. Though her natural range is that of a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnny Dankworth
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Variant forms of Johnny include Johnnie, Johnney, Johnni and Johni. The masculine Johnny can be rendered into Scottish Gaelic as . Notable people and characters named Johnny or Johnnie include: People Johnny * Johnny Adams (born 1932), American singer * Johnny Aba (born 1956), Papua New Guinean professional boxer * Johnny Abarrientos (born 1970), Filipino professional basketball player * Johnny Abbes García (1924–1967), chief of the government intelligence office of the Dominican Republic * Johnny Abel (1947–1995), Canadian politician * Johnny Abrego (born 1962), former Major League baseball player * Johnny Ace (1929–1954), American rhythm and blues singer * John Laurinaitis, (born 1962) also known as Johnny Ace, American wrestler and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Grumbleweeds
The Grumbleweeds are an award winning British comedy band, performing music and comedy. They were mostly popular on radio and television in the 1980s, including ''The Grumbleweeds Radio Show'' which ran from 1979 to 1988 on BBC Radio 2Graham Walker Dies, The Scottish Daily Record Retrieved 4 June 2013 and a later television incarnation (also known initially as "The Grumbleweeds Radio Show"). History The band formed in 1962 in and practised at Stainbeck Youth Club, under the name T ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sacha Distel
Alexandre "Sacha" Distel (29 January 1933 – 22 July 2004) was a French singer, guitarist, songwriter and actor who had hits with a cover version of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" in 1970, which reached No 10 in the UK Charts, "Scoubidou", and " The Good Life". He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur in 1997. He had also scored a hit as a songwriter when Tony Bennett recorded Sacha's song for The Good Life in 1963. It peaked at #18 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and Top 10 on the Easy Listening chart. Career Distel was the son of Russian-French emigre Léonide Distel who was born in Odessa (Russian Empire) and French-Jewish pianist Andrée Ventura (1902–1965), born in Constantinople. His uncle was bandleader Ray Ventura. After Ventura settled in Paris with his orchestra Les Collégiens, Distel gave up piano and switched to guitar. During his career, Distel worked with Kenny Clarke, Jimmy Gourley, Lionel Hampton, Slide Hampton, Bobby Jaspar, Barney Kessel, J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The New Vaudeville Band
The New Vaudeville Band was a group created by songwriter Geoff Stephens in 1966 to record his novelty composition "Winchester Cathedral", a song inspired by the dance bands of the 1920s and a Rudy Vallee megaphone-style vocal. To his surprise, the song became a transatlantic hit that autumn, reaching the Top 10 in the United Kingdom and rising to No. 1 in the United States. The New Vaudeville Band initially was a studio group composed of session players, but Stephens quickly assembled a permanent group to continue recording and to play live shows. The group has been periodically revived since, without Stephens' participation. The New Vaudeville Band placed several singles in the US and UK Top 40 through 1967. The group was nominated for two Grammy Awards, one for Record of the Year and they won in the Contemporary (R&R) Recording category for the 9th Annual Grammy Awards. History Foundation (1966) The original version of the New Vaudeville Band was an assemblage of studio musi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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