The Quality Street Gang operated in

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, England, in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Although considered by some senior officers in the Greater Manchester Police to be the instigators of much of Manchester's major crime, many others believed that the gang was nothing more than a social friendship between a group of men, most of whom came from

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Name

The group was reportedly named after a 1960s TV advertisement for Quality Street confectionery which showed an eclectic and smartly dressed group of people. Once when the "gang" walked into a pub someone supposedly shouted "Hey it's the Quality Street Gang" and the name stuck. Another story says the name came about because most of the gang members were overweight.

History

The gang is supposed to have existed from the 1960s through to till the 1980s. There is an urban legend that says some of them met the

Kray twins Ronald Kray (24 October 193317 March 1995) and Reginald Kray (24 October 19331 October 2000) were identical twin brothers, gangsters and convicted criminals. They were the foremost perpetrators of organised crime in the East End of London, Engl ...

at persuading them to return to London, which they did the next day. However, senior members of Greater Manchester Police have said that in the entire time the gang was supposed to exist not a single member was ever arrested or convicted of any crime, making some doubt the Quality Street Gang were ever a group of organised criminals.

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football hooligan Colin Blaney claims that members of the Quality Street Gang had links to a criminal element within the gang associated with the club known as the Inter City Jibbers, and carried out armed robberies together in Holland. His book includes a photograph alleged to show a Quality Street Gang member at the wedding of Inter City Jibbers member John "The Grid" McKee, whom Blaney alleges was also heavily involved in the Dutch underworld. In 1986, John Stalker, the Deputy Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, was suspended over accusations that he had attended social events at which members of the gang were present. Stalker was later cleared.

References in contemporary culture

Alex Murphy referred to Salford's successful rugby league team of the 1960s and 1970s as the Quality Street Gang. The Thin Lizzy song " The Boys Are Back in Town" is believed to be a reference to the Quality Street Gang, as also was their song " Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed". Jimmy the Weed was the nickname for Jimmy Donnelly, who was for many years associated with the gang.

Philomena Lynott Philomena Lynott (22 October 1930 – 12 June 2019) was an Irish author and entrepreneur. She was the mother of Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott. Her autobiography, ''My Boy'', documents their relationship. She was the proprietor of the Clifton ...

, the mother of

Phil Lynott Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish singer, bassist, and songwriter. His most commercially successful group was Thin Lizzy, of which he was a founding member, the principal songwriter, lead vocalist and ba ...

, the singer/songwriter of the band, ran the Clifton Grange Hotel in Whalley Range at the time and it was there that some of the alleged gang members met, along with showbusiness people and sports stars such as

George Best George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United. A highly skilful dribbler, Best is regarded as one of the greatest pla ...

. The band became friendly with these people.

Name

History

References in contemporary culture

References

Further reading