Friday 25th February 1977 – Jam sign for Polydor for £6,000
With at least one Ron Watt’s promoted Nag’s Head gig behind them, it’s confirmed that The Jam have signed for Polydor Records for what seems a measly £6,000. The initial deal was for four years with a debut single, In the City, eventually release on 29 April 1977 and a debut album of the same name to be released on 20 May 1977.
The Jam would reward Ron Watts’ faith in the band during their early gigging days at both The Nag’s Head and London’s 100 Club, by returning to play the Nag’s in May and June 1977, while their appearance at High Wycombe Town Hall in July 1977 came after Watts convinced local officials that it was safe to host ‘rock concerts’ again at the town centre venue following years of underuse for that genre of entertainment.
Having outgrown the High Wycombe venues, they went on to play relatively locally at Friars, Aylesbury on four occasions (November 1977, June 1978, November 1979 and August 1980).