Eel Pie Island Club, Twickenham, London
Here are details of the Eel Pie Island Club which featured in the early British blues Scene, including the artists and bands that performed there and some details on ‘whatever happened to …’, plus readers memories of attending the club. Please note this page is currently being developed and will be updated soon.
Eel Pie Island is a small island on the River Thames in Twickenham, Middlesex and in the 1960s, a dilapidated hotel on the Island had a club that was a major venue for jazz and blues in the 1960s. The hotel had been a tourist attraction in the 19th century and, renown for its sprung ballroom floor, was hosting tea dances during the 1920’s and 1930’s. However, by the mid-fifties it had fallen into disrepair and its owner was not sure what to do with it.
History of the Eel Pie Island Club
It was trumpeter Brian Rutland of The Grove Jazz Band who first had the idea of starting a Jazz Club at The Eel Pie Island Hotel in 1956. Soon after, Arthur Chisnall, who owned an antiques shop in Kingston, became involved in organising weekly dances there. Arthur brought fame to the Eel Pie Island Jazz Club as a result of his social work in giving young people a voice, and bringing in name jazz acts like Ken Colyer, Chris Barber, Kenny Ball and George Melly.
In 1961, Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies founded the first home-grown Rhythm and Blues outfit, Blues Incorporated, and founded their own jazz club in 1962 – the Ealing Club. Early visitors to the Ealing Club included future Rolling Stones Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones and Charlie Watts. Within a year, these young men were unknowingly altering the course of popular music just down the road – at The Crawdaddy Club in Richmond and on Eel Pie Island.
Eel Pie Island in the 1960s attracted ‘Beatniks’ and ‘arty’ people. Teenagers were discovering black American blues and new musicians of the era were incorporating this sound with popular Rock n Roll. Many of the new Rhythm and Blues bands (including The Rolling Stones) were formed at art schools, although Rod Stewart rose to fame after being discovered busking on Twickenham Station by Long John Baldry. Apart from the fascinating graffiti and footprints on the ceiling of the bar, the Hotel had a sprung dance floor which bounced the audience up and down in time with the music as people danced.
In 1967, the Hotel was forced to close as the owner was unable to meet the cost of repairs demanded by the police. In 1969, the Club briefly opened as Colonel Barefoot’s Rock Garden with bands such as Black Sabbath, The Edgar Broughton Band, Stray, Atomic Rooster, Genesis and Hawkwind.
In 1971, the Hotel burnt down ‘under suspicious circumstances’.
Source: Eelpieislandmusic.com
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The Eel Pie Club (not to be confused with the Eel Pie Island Club), the home of Richmond and Twickenham Rhythm & Blues, was founded in April 2000 at the suggestion of musician, R&B slide guitarist, Tom Nolan. Following the success of 1998 and 1999 Richmond Rhythm & Blues concerts in Twickenham which featured The Yardbirds, The Downliners Sect and Stan Webb’s Chicken Shack, Tom approached the organisers, Gina Way and Warren Walters, to run the Club while he organised the technical side of things. Tom also led his own band, Tom Nolan & The Bluescasters and the first Rolling Stones Tribute Band, The Strolling Bones. The aim of the Eel Pie Club is to preserve and continue the heritage of Rhythm & Blues in the area where it all began in the 1960s. Nine years later, in 2009, the Club received the accolade of being voted ‘Best Place to Hear Blues in England’ by the Saturday Guardian.
Source: Eel Pie Club website
Artists and Bands
Famous Rhythm and Blues Bands who played at the Eel Pie Island Hotel were The Rolling Stones, Long John Baldry’s Hoochie Coochie Men (including Rod Stewart), John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (featuring Eric Clapton), Pink Floyd, David Bowie, The Tridents (featuring Jeff Beck), The Who, The Yardbirds, The Downliners Sect, The Artwoods (featuring Jon Lord), Screaming Lord Sutch and The Others.
Memorabilia
Memories
If you have memories of the Eel Pie Island Club and would like to share them here, please email alan@earlyblues.com .
Reunions
Further Reading and Reference
Internet references:
more soon …