1960 was the beginning of a new decade and a year of transition for gigs in High Wycombe.
In Britain the trad jazz and skiffle era continued to thrive but was beginning to be challenged by the rise of British rock ‘n’ roll. This is reflected in the artists that appeared during the year at High Wycombe Town Hall.
High Wycombe was not a part of the Granada tours circuit, which bought package tours featuring top names to neighbouring towns Slough (at the Adelphi) or Aylesbury; during 1961 this included artists such as Gene Vincent, Emile Ford, Frank Ifield, Adam Faith, Billy Fury and Joe Brown.
Before 1960 the Town Hall was mainly home of dance bands, such as Ken Madelin and his Band. Some events featured a “rhythm group” in the support slot. High Wycombe Jazz Club had also staged a small number of gigs at the Town Hall.
Teenagers Dances
In August 1960, weekly “Teenagers Dances” began on Wednesday evenings, promising “Non-Stop Rock and Roll to the Best Groups in the Country”.
On 17 August Johnny Kidd and the Pirates were the opening act.
At the bottom of the ad appears a “Notice to Parents: No bar, soft drinks only”. On the same page of the Bucks Free Press, another ad for Robb Storm(e) and the Whispers, playing at the Unity Hall, showed a similar notice – but this time “Notice to parents: Only hard liquor will be sold.”
In October Vince Taylor and the Playboys played.
Vince Taylor had an interesting background, having been born in England but spent much of his youth in the US where he fell in love with rock and roll.
He is best remembered for his 1959 song “Brand New Cadillac”, covered later by The Clash; the band cite the song as “one of the finest British rock’n’roll records”.
David Bowie met Vince Taylor and later said “Vince Taylor was the inspiration for Ziggy…He always stayed in my mind as an example of what can happen in rock n roll. I’m not sure if I held him up as an idol or as something not to become. There was something very tempting about him going completely off the edge.”
More on the Vince Taylor story can be seen here
A list of the Teenagers Dances in 1960 is shown below:
| Date | Artist | Support |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, August 17, 1960 | Johnny Kidd and the Pirates | The Five Strangers |
| Wednesday, August 24, 1960 | Terry Anton and the Rhythm Rockers | The Teenbeats with Jackie Lynton |
| Wednesday, August 31, 1960 | Mike West and the Silhouettes | The Counterbeats |
| Wednesday, September 07, 1960 | Smokie Dean and the Dean Aces | Terry Young and the Thunderbirds |
| Wednesday, September 21, 1960 | Jackie Lynton and the Teenbeats | Barry James and the Dominoes |
| Wednesday, September 28, 1960 | Keith Kelly, Danny Davis | Lyn Tracey, Tex Roberg, The Strangers, The Semi-Tones |
| Wednesday, October 05, 1960 | Danny Hunter and the Cadillacs with Kerith Henderson | The Rockerfellas and Brian Macey |
| Wednesday, October 12, 1960 | Vince Taylor and the Playboys | The Counterbeats |
| Wednesday, October 19, 1960 | Pete Cox and the Beatniks | Terry Frank and the Terriers |
| Friday, October 26, 1956 | Barry James and the Dominoes | The Seekers |
| Wednesday, November 02, 1960 | The Travellers | Jackie Lynton and the Teenbeats |
| Wednesday, November 16, 1960 | Danny Hunter & the Strangers | The Travellers |
| Wednesday, December 21, 1960 | Pete Cox and the Beatniks | Barry James and the Dominoes |
| Wednesday, December 28, 1960 | The Counterbeats | The Travellers |
There was also an early appearance of Caribbean influence at the Town Hall on Boxing Day with the West Indian Steel Band.
Jazz
Trad jazz continued to be popular, with the High Wycombe Jazz Club and others promoting at the Town Hall. During the year, Ken Colyer, Chris Barber, Terry Lightfoot and Acker Bilk played.
Two of these, Chris Barber and Acker Bilk, were jazz concerts, with seats and prices ranging from seven shillings and six pence to three shillings and six pence. The Bucks Free Press reporter did not think that this “sedate setting” contributed to the atmosphere for Chris Barber in March:
More favourable was the report on Ken Colyer’s appearance in October:
A list of the jazz gigs in 1960 is shown below:
| Date | Artist | Support |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, January 26, 1960 | Mick Mulligan and his Band with George Melly | High Wycombe Jazz Club Group |
| Tuesday, February 23, 1960 | Wally Fawkes and his Troglodytes | Bob Lord and the Jazz Dads |
| Thursday, March 17, 1960 | Chris Barber's Jazzband with Ottilie Patterson | |
| Tuesday, April 12, 1960 | Bob Wallis and his Storyville Jazzmen | The Jazz Dads |
| Tuesday, May 03, 1960 | Clyde Valley Stompers | Bob Lord and the Jazz Dads |
| Tuesday, June 07, 1960 | Acker Bilk's Paramount Jazz Band | The Jazz Dads |
| Friday, July 15, 1960 | Mick Mulligan and his Band | The Jazz Dads |
| Friday, September 30, 1960 | Bob Wallis and his Storyville Jazzmen | The Jazz Dads |
| Friday, October 21, 1960 | Ken Colyer's Jazzmen and the Skiffle Group | The Jazz Dads |
| Wednesday, November 09, 1960 | Acker Bilk's Paramount Jazz Band | High Wycombe Jazz Club Group |
| Tuesday, November 29, 1960 | Terry Lightfoot's New Orleans Jazzmen | The Jazz Dads |
| Wednesday, December 14, 1960 | Mick Mulligan and his Band with George Melly |