Author Topic: Orchid ballroom Purley  (Read 9948 times)

Johned

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Re: Orchid ballroom Purley
« Reply #15 on: Jan 12, 2017, 01:23:53 PM »
It must be rewarding to think you were actually of service to people zoony in your time by being a medic.  Was not their training depot somewhere near Aldershot?

zoony

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Re: Orchid ballroom Purley
« Reply #16 on: Jan 12, 2017, 01:27:56 PM »
All this rambling about our army days Col takes us away from the Orchid ballroom Purley of which, I confess to have no knowledge. However I must say one of the highlights of my big band experiences was back in 1954 when in the army we were given some free tickets to Ted Heath's appearance at the De Montfort Hall, Leicester.  Supported by Dickie Valentine, Denis Lotis, Lita Roza and Eve Boswell it was a fantastic night.  I don't know how everyone was crowded in, today H & S would have a fit!  They were sitting in the aisles, standing at the back, any old where.  I could never understand how in such a short space of a few years, the big bands had all but gone to be replaced by spotty youths with little talent strumming guitars.  Thanks to folk like Syd Lawrence, the bands did not quite die completely (he did, poor old Syd) but Chris Dean brings them out and revives them occasionally.


Apparently Johned, the sudden demise of the big bands after the war was pretty much down to economics. Orchestras of that size are hugely expensive to keep on the road and they cost the venues a lot of money to hire compared to four or five young blokes with electric instruments. The rise of rock n roll came with the rise of the teenager and, as always, popular music grew away from the generation before.
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GrannyMac

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Re: Orchid ballroom Purley
« Reply #17 on: Jan 12, 2017, 03:06:59 PM »
My husband started his pro career singing in a dancehall in an orchestra in the late 60s.  It's what brought us to Yorkshire, as the band were contracted to Top Rank.  Sadly within a couple of years they were being replaced by DJs, much cheaper! 

He was fortunate in working with a couple of local big bands, as well as the Memphis Belle Orchestra who worked in theatres, mainly in the South, but also were in demand for occasions like VE celebrations.  His bread and butter work was in social clubs, but that could be a hard slog depending on the resident backing!  Some were fabulous musicians, others....


Big band/swing is still his preferred musical genre.
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Col

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Re: Orchid ballroom Purley
« Reply #18 on: Jan 13, 2017, 09:19:15 AM »
Your probably right Zoony I do ramble on a bit.Reccolections are great but my music taste has moved on. I'm into country and Bluegrass now with people like Rhonda Vincent, Mo Pitney,Angela Strehli Lou Ann Barton and Merle Haggard. These days you can Google who you want and listen and see them perform. And of course bring back Ted Heath online also. My how things have changed.

Col

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Re: Orchid ballroom Purley
« Reply #19 on: Jan 17, 2017, 02:42:35 PM »
Sorry Zoony got you mixed up with Johned.Back to the 50s,can anyone remember Ronnie Scott's at 100 Oxford St London? Yeah I know it's still there. We used to go there to see Humphrey Littleton (bad penny blues)
The place was crowded ,all jiving and the temperature going up.And these were the days before deodorants became available and popular. Nobody had cars and it was always a dash to get the last bus or train home

ronyork

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Re: Orchid ballroom Purley
« Reply #20 on: Jan 17, 2017, 04:49:36 PM »
Hammersmith palais. Tottenham Royal, Streatham Lacarno, Wimbledon Palace. All serviced by great bands. And of course the orchid Purley.

ChrisK

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Re: Orchid ballroom Purley
« Reply #21 on: Mar 24, 2018, 08:01:48 AM »
Visited Purley Orchid August 1968 met my wife. Great place Johnny  Howard were resident band at the time.

Alex22

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Re: Orchid ballroom Purley
« Reply #22 on: Mar 24, 2018, 10:19:55 AM »
The names of the dance halls mean little to me as up here we were all into The Liverpool Sound, but it's great to read about other people's memories. 

What an interesting thread  - the Army too ! ;D
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Scrumpy

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Re: Orchid ballroom Purley
« Reply #23 on: Mar 24, 2018, 12:54:49 PM »



The memories of The Orchid Ballroom will stay with me .. Wish I could still jive..
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minniemouse

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Re: Orchid ballroom Purley
« Reply #24 on: Mar 24, 2018, 03:19:27 PM »


The memories of The Orchid Ballroom will stay with me .. Wish I could still jive..
I really miss jiving.  I sometimes jive on my own with the chair for a partner.  ;D
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minniemouse

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Re: Orchid ballroom Purley
« Reply #25 on: Mar 24, 2018, 03:30:52 PM »
I was more into nightclubs.  I think they were more popular in Birmingham.
Smoking kills you, bacon kills you, smoking bacon cures it.

Col

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Re: Orchid ballroom Purley
« Reply #26 on: Nov 05, 2020, 07:42:17 PM »
Well, here we are 4 years on. Still living, about the only thing we can do in these conovirus times,
 Later after 3 years in the army,lived in Wimbledon. The meeting place was the Orinoco coffee bar Wimbledon Broadway. Fats Domino, blueberry hill.The memories are a bit fuzzy, Wimbledon town hall,Saturday dancing.

Alex22

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Re: Orchid ballroom Purley
« Reply #27 on: Nov 05, 2020, 09:49:55 PM »
Great reading this thread again after 4 years !  where did the time go and what happened to MinnieMouse  ?
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Michael Rolls

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Re: Orchid ballroom Purley
« Reply #28 on: Nov 05, 2020, 09:57:52 PM »
Great reading this thread again after 4 years !  where did the time go and what happened to MinnieMouse  ?
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brian phillips

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Re: Orchid ballroom Purley
« Reply #29 on: Jul 02, 2021, 08:57:08 AM »
My first visit there would have been  in the early  '50s  when The Orchid was packed full and  at its  greatest with professional  big bands  playing Fridays and Saturdays. Memorable music and  a great  atmosphere.    At that time  I dabbled on the trumpet  and my  claim to fame was on one of the   talent nights   playing  'My  Foolish  Heart'  on a trumpet kindly lent me by a band member.