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Peter James Stringfellow (17 October 1940 – 7 June 2018) was an English businessman who owned several nightclubs.


Early life

Stringfellow was born in the City General Hospital, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on 17 October 1940, to Elsie Bowers and James William Stringfellow, a steelworker who served in the
Royal Scots Greys The Royal Scots Greys was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1707 until 1971, when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards) to form the Royal Scots Dragoon Guard ...
during World War II. He was the eldest of four brothers, Geoffrey, Paul and Terry. The family lived in Andover Street,
Pitsmoor Pitsmoor is a former village, now a suburb of Sheffield, England. The name derives from ''Or-pits'' as, anciently, the main local industry was the mining of ore.J. Edward Vickers, ''The Ancient Suburbs of Sheffield'', p.17 (1971) The village fal ...
, Sheffield, until 1948 when they had moved to Marshall Street, Pitsmoor. Peter Stringfellow attended Pye Bank Church of England Primary School. He failed his
11 plus The eleven-plus (11+) is a standardized examination administered to some students in England and Northern Ireland in their last year of primary education, which governs admission to grammar schools and other secondary schools which use academic ...
and so attended Burngreave Secondary School for one year. He then passed the exam for Sheffield Central Technical College and he left three years later at the age of 15 with a 4th grade Technical Diploma.


Career

When Stringfellow was 13 years old, he worked at a cinema on
The Wicker The Wicker is an arterial street in Sheffield, England noted for its history and viaduct that crosses it, the Grade II* listed ''Wicker Arches''. It runs in a north-east to south-westerly direction between Lady's Bridge and the Wicker Arches. ...
arterial street in Sheffield. His first job after leaving school was as an assistant tie salesman at Austin Reed. After some casual jobs he enrolled as an apprentice in the Merchant Navy, at the age of 16. His Merchant Navy career lasted two years. On his return to Sheffield, he worked briefly in various jobs. While at Dobson's Furnishings Company he was convicted of selling stolen carpets and served two weeks in
Armley Prison HM Prison Leeds is a Category B men's prison, located at Gloucester Terrace in the Armley area of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England, which opened in 1847. Leeds Prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and is still known locally as ...
, Leeds, in June 1962 and six weeks in
Ford Open Prison HM Prison Ford (informally known as Ford Open Prison) is a Category D men's prison, located at Ford, in West Sussex, England, near Arundel and Littlehampton. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Air Force and Navy use The ...
. After his conviction and imprisonment he was unable to find regular work. This led to his business career running clubs.


Nightclub management

In 1962, Stringfellow rented St Aidan's Church Hall in Sheffield every Friday night, operating the Black Cat Club. Several bands played in the club, such as the Pursuers, Dave Berry and the Cruisers, Johnny Tempest and the Cadillacs and from London,
Screaming Lord Sutch Screaming Lord Sutch (10 November 1940 – 16 June 1999), who had his name legally changed from David Edward Sutch, was an English musician and perennial parliamentary candidate. He was the founder of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party an ...
, the Savages, Count Lindsay and Gene Vincent. His fortunes changed when The Beatles played on 2 April 1963. The demand for concert tickets was so great that Stringfellow rented a larger venue, the Azena Ballroom in Sheffield. On that night he sent the Beatles a telegram congratulating them on their first album, '' Please Please Me''. In 1963 Stringfellow began another club, the Blue Moon, at St. John's Church Hall in Sheffield. The opening act was the Marauders who had a record in the British top 30. More bands followed such as the Kinks. Other bands that played at the club and who later became famous were
Freddie Starr and the Midnighters Freddie Starr (born Frederick Leslie Fowell; 9 January 1943 – 9 May 2019) was an English stand up comedian, impressionist, singer and actor. Starr was the lead singer of Merseybeat rock and roll group the Midniters during the early 1960s, a ...
, the Searchers,
Shane Fenton and the Fentones Shane Fenton and the Fentones were an English rock and roll group formed in 1960. Shane Fenton, the band's namesake, was actually the stage name of two different musicians; when the first Shane Fenton, real name Johnny Theakston, suddenly died, h ...
, Wayne Fontana, Long John Baldry and the Hoochie Coochie Men,
Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...
and the Soul Agents, Vance Arnold & The Avengers, Dean Marshall and the Deputies. In 1964, Stringfellow opened the highly successful Mojo Club, later renamed the
King Mojo Club The King Mojo Club, often known as the Mojo, was a nightclub in Pitsmoor, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England located at 555 Pitsmoor Road, that operated between 1964 and 1967. Peter Stringfellow and his brothers had been running the Black Cat ...
in Sheffield. During its three and half years of business, many bands played at the club, including The Who,
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
,
The Brian Auger Trinity Brian Auger and the Trinity was a British band led by keyboardist Brian Auger. His duet with Julie Driscoll, the Bob Dylan– penned "This Wheel's on Fire", was a number 5 hit on the 1968 UK Singles Chart. The song also reached number 13 in C ...
,
The Graham Bond Organisation The Graham Bond Organisation (GBO) were a British jazz/rhythm and blues group of the early 1960s consisting of Graham Bond (vocals, keyboards, alto-saxophone), Jack Bruce (bass), Ginger Baker (drums), Dick Heckstall-Smith (tenor/soprano saxopho ...
,
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are an English blues rock band led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall. While never producing a hit of their own, the band has been influential as an incubator for British rock and blues ...
, The Yardbirds,
Zoot Money's Big Roll Band Zoot Money's Big Roll Band is a British rhythm and blues and soul group, also influenced by jazz, formed in England by Zoot Money, in the early autumn of 1961. The band has had a number of personnel changes over the years and was still performing ...
, The Hollies,
The Merseybeats The Merseybeats (also related vocal duo The Merseys) are an English beat band that emerged from the Liverpool Merseybeat scene in the early 1960s, performing at the Cavern Club along with the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and other simila ...
, the Spencer Davis Group, The Pretty Things, Manfred Mann, The Small Faces, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Other American acts who played in the club included the first Tamla/Motown acts to play in the UK, Ben E. King, Sonny Boy Williamson, Tina Turner,
Inez and Charlie Foxx Inez Foxx (September 9, 1937 – August 25, 2022) and her elder brother Charlie Foxx (October 23, 1933 – September 18, 1998) were an American rhythm and blues and soul duo from Greensboro, North Carolina. Inez sang lead vocal, while Charli ...
,
John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...
, and Little Stevie Wonder. In 1968, he went into another business venture with Down Broadway, just under the Stylo's shoe shop in the centre of Sheffield. On 4 November 1968 Jethro Tull was the first act to play at Down Broadway and
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
was booked to play as the Star DJ. Progressive rock group
Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...
also played at the club. In 1969, Stringfellow acquired the first alcohol licence for another of his clubs called the Penthouse Sheffield. The club only lasted for a year due to trouble with overcrowding and objections from the local police. This prompted him to sell it and move to Leeds. In 1970, he opened Cinderella's in Leeds. This was Stringfellow's first super club, mixing recorded music and live bands. In 1972, Stringfellow acquired a space next door to Cinderella's to create another club called Rockafella's. This was the first and last of his super cabaret and super clubs. Comedy duo
Mike & Bernie Winters Mike and Bernie Winters were an English comedy double act, consisting of brothers Mike Winters, born Michael Weinstein (15 November 1926 – 24 August 2013) and Bernie Winters, born Bernard Weinstein (6 September 1930 – 4 May 1991). The act ...
and magician Paul Daniels performed at the club. The two clubs were combined in 1973 and given the name Cinderella Rockafella's, and Stringfellow dropped the cabaret and put in full-time DJs such as Chris Crossley and Peter Tyler. He and his brother, Paul Stringfellow, also served as DJs. In 1976, Stringfellow and his then business partner and brother, Geoffrey Stringfellow, sold the Cinderella Rockafella's to Mecca and moved to Manchester, where they opened the Millionaire Club. There were no live bands in the Millionaire Club. However, the Stringfellows hired named DJs including Peter Tyler and Brett Sinclair. In 1980, he sold the Millionaire Club to Granada Ltd and he then moved with his whole family to London. There he opened Stringfellows Covent Garden. It was an immediate success as a nightclub in London, where celebrities, international film stars, TV personalities, rock stars, models, paparazzi and national newspaper journalists partied for the next 15 years. In 1983, he took over the old cabaret club, Talk of the Town, which had closed. He reopened it with its original name Hippodrome and it became the "World's Greatest Disco". The Hippodrome introduced its first gay night at the venue under his management. He also started Hippodrome Records and one of his acts to sign was Dusty Springfield who released the single ''Sometimes Like Butterflies''. In 1986, he opened Stringfellow's New York, which was frequented by New York celebrities and managed with his daughter Karen. In 1989, he opened Stringfellow's Miami, and then Stringfellow's Los Angeles in 1990. He sustained huge financial losses due to the American economic recession in 1989. In 1996, Stringfellow's
autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
, ''King of Clubs'', was published by Little, Brown. It was serialised in the ''
Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' newspaper and became a best-seller.


Adult clubbing

In 1990, Stringfellow introduced table dancing to his New York club with a licensing deal with Michael J. Peters. This became Stringfellow's Presents Pure Platinum. In 1996, Cabaret of Angels, a table-side dancing club was opened for three nights a week at Stringfellow's Covent Garden. In 2006, Stringfellow opened his second adult entertainment club named Angels in Wardour Street, Soho. He was the first club owner to gain a fully nude licence from Westminster City Council. In 2009, he criticised the
Policing and Crime Act 2009 The Policing and Crime Act 2009 (c 26) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act makes provision about police reform, prostitution, sex offenders, sex establishments and certain other premises. It amends the law on aviation sec ...
, saying the licensing changes with regards to lap dancing were "unnecessary" and he would be appealing to the European Court of Human Rights if his current licences were not renewed. In 2012, he was granted the necessary
sexual entertainment venue In the United Kingdom, a sex establishment licence is a form of licence required for carrying on some types of sex-related businesses. Sex establishment licences are granted by local authorities, under the powers granted by the Local Government (M ...
(SEV) Licence for Stringfellow's Covent Garden and Angels Soho, and was able to successfully market Angels as providing rooms for the entertainment "in privacy" of young women in lingerie.


Television

Stringfellow first appeared on television as a warm-up act on '' Ready Steady Go!'' in 1964. He contributed to numerous programmes, both radio and television, in subsequent decades. Stringfellow appeared on ''
Noel’s House Party ''Noel's House Party'' is a BBC light entertainment series that was hosted by Noel Edmonds. Set in a large house in the fictional village of Crinkley Bottom, leading to much innuendo, it ran from 23 November 1991 to 26 March 2000 on BBC One, a ...
'' where he was gunged alongside on ''
Jimmy Savile Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile (; 31 October 1926 – 29 October 2011) was an English DJ, television and radio personality who hosted BBC shows including ''Top of the Pops'' and ''Jim'll Fix It''. During his lifetime, he was well known ...
'' He appeared on the celebrity edition of '' Come Dine with Me'', with the first broadcast on 17 September 2008. Stringfellow appeared in season 1, episode 2 on Trigger Happy TV. He also appeared in season 15 episode 1 of '' Top Gear'', which was broadcast on 27 June 2010, where he had to help Jeremy Clarkson when he was stuck in a rolled over Reliant Robin.


Personal life

He married Norma Williams in 1960. They had a daughter, Karen, who was involved with Stringfellow's businesses for many years and is now a boutique owner in Florida. After Stringfellow and Williams divorced, he married Coral Wright in 1967. They had one son together before divorcing: Scott, a former racecar driver. He had a 12-year relationship with Frizzby Fox, which ended in 1996, and then for two years until 1998 with Helen Benoist. Stringfellow married Bella Wright in 2009. They had a daughter, Rosabella, in 2013 and a son, Angelo, in 2015. Stringfellow had four grandchildren: Taylor, Jaime, Thomas and Isabelle. Stringfellow lived in Gerrards Cross, Cheadle Hulme and in
Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...
. He was a donor to the UK
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
, and supported a UKIP candidate in 2012. However he publicly disavowed the Conservative Party in 2018 over Brexit stating that the "price is too high" and said he would support the Liberal Democrats if the Conservatives' advocacy of leaving the European Union continued. Stringfellow was treated for lung cancer in 2008, but was healthy until he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in late 2017. He died on 7 June 2018 at the age of 77, at
King Edward VII's Hospital King Edward VII's Hospital (formal name: King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes) is a private hospital located on Beaumont Street in the Marylebone district of central London. Agnes Keyser, later known as Sister Agnes, established the hospit ...
in London.


References


External links

*
Stringfellows Covent Garden Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stringfellow, Peter 1940 births 2018 deaths 20th-century English businesspeople British Merchant Navy personnel Conservative Party (UK) people Deaths from lung cancer in England English expatriates in Spain Nightclub owners People from Burngreave UK Independence Party people Businesspeople from Sheffield