US package shows of the sixties

I have been to many superb music shows featuring American fifties and sixties artists over the last 40 years or so (although those days are now sadly over as most of them have now retired or passed on). But back in the early sixties, when I first became obsessed with music, it was a different matter. There was little pop music broadcast on mainstream TV or radio. Awareness of new records only came about via Radio Luxembourg or, later, the pirate stations. What TV shows there were, such as Oh Boy! and Boy Meets Girls, mostly featured the bland UK pop acts of the day. American artists struggled to get a look in and we often didn’t even know what they looked like. So when a US music package tour came to town I did my best to see it.

I was too young to see Buddy Holly live or Jerry Lee’s disastrous 1958 tour, and only saw Eddie Cochran on TV. The first genuine package tour that I became aware of was by Bobby Darin, Duane Eddy and Clyde McPhatter but I didn’t get to see it. After that I tried to ensure that I did, and from 1962 to the mid sixties I caught quite a few that have gone down in music history. Living near Croydon as I did, they tended to be around that area or a little further away at the Granada cinema in Tooting, which hosted some of the best. Here are a few that I remember going to. Most had UK acts on the bill as well, but with a few exceptions, they were of no interest to me, so I won’t mention them unless really necessary.

10/2/62 Tooting Granada - Bobby Vee, Tony Orlando, Clarence Henry. This was the first US package show that I went to I think, although there may have been others that I don’t recall. Bobby was flying high from ‘Take Good Care Of My Baby’, Tony from ‘Bless You’ and the Frogman from ‘But I Do’.

8/4/62 Tooting Granada - Gene Vincent, Brenda Lee. I saw Gene several times during the sixties, including one or two when he was past his best, but I didn’t see Brenda Lee live again until Viva Las Vegas in 2017.

6/5/62 Tooting Granada - Johnny Burnette , Gary US Bonds, Gene McDaniels. His rockabilly years well behind him, Johnny enjoyed great pop success with ‘Dreamin’’, ‘You’re Sixteen’ and ‘Little Boy Sad’ but sadly died young in a boat accident. Gene contributed one superb track recorded during this tour – ‘Another Tear Falls’ – to the otherwise dreadful album ‘It’s Trad Dad’. Gary is still going strong of course.

29/9/62 Tooting Granada – Dion, Del Shannon. Buzz Cliffford. Dion is still great today and I’ve seen him several times in recent years. Del committed suicide in 1990. Both were big favourities of mine. Buzz was a one hit wonder with ‘Baby Sittin’ Boogie’.

27/10/62 Tooting Granada - Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Jet Harris, backed by Sounds Incorporated. This was a real highlight. Sam Cooke, my favourite singer then and now, was great and Little Richard was the most exciting live performer I ever saw. What’s more I got to go back stage and get their autographs.

21/3/63 ABC Croydon - Chris Montez, Tommy Roe, The Beatles. Chris and Tommy had enjoyed big hits with ‘Let’s Dance’ and ‘Sheila’ respectively. The Beatles, bottom of the bill, were having a huge hit with ‘Please Please Me’ and were very popular with the audience it seemed. I wonder whatever happened to them.

28/5/63 Fairfield Hall, Croydon - Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Heinz backed by the Outlaws. Jerry Lee, making his big comeback after his previous curtailed tour, was superb, as was Gene. Heinz was roundly booed by the predominantly rocker audience.

1/6/63 Tooting Granada - Roy Orbison, The Beatles. Those pesky Beatles again! I was there to see Roy Orbison.

1/10/63 Odeon Streatham - Bo Diddley, Everly Brothers, the Rolling Stones. Bo Diddley, along with The Duchess and Jerome was great, as were the Everly Brothers. Strangely though, many in the crowd seemed more interested in the support act, the Rolling Stones. Again, I wonder what happened to them.

8/10/63 Fairfield Hall, Croydon – ‘American Negro Blues Festival’ with Muddy Waters, Lonnie Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Joe Williams, Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim , Victoria Spivey, Matt Guitar Murphy and Otis Spann. The first of several superb blues shows to be held at the Fairfield Hall prompted by the blues boom in the UK.

October/November 1963 West Wickham – ‘Wickham Goes Pop’ festival with the Konrads. The Trubeats and other local groups. I only mention this because West Wickham is where I grew up and many of these local groups played at the weekly Justin Hall music gig. I only found out much later that David Bowie was a member of the Konrads and Peter Frampton was the leader of the Trubeats, later the Herd.

21/11/63 Fairfield Hall, Croydon - Duane Eddy, Gene Vincent, The Shirelles. Another chance to see Duane Eddy and Gene Vincent and the first time I saw the Shirelles.

10/5/64 ABC Croydon - Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Animals. Chuck was in the middle of his comeback and put on an excellent show. Carl Perkins was very good and the Animals weren’t bad either.

19/10/64 Fairfield Hall, Croydon – Lightnin’ Hopkins, Howlin’ Wolf, Sleepy John Estes, Hubert Sumlin, Sugar Pie Desanto, Sunnyland Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson, Willie Dixon. Another great folk blues show in the series that took place in Croydon in the sixties.

4/11/64 Fairfield Hall - Tommy Tucker, the Animals, Carl Perkins, Nashville Teens, Elkie Brooks.

29/1/65 Fairfield Hall - Chuck Berry, Long John Baldry, Moody Blues, Graham Bond Organisation.

11/10/65 Fairfield Hall - Big Mama Thornton, Roosevelt Sykes Buddy Guy, J B Lenoir, Dr Ross, Eddie Boyd, Mississippi Fred McDowell. Last of the great run of folk blues shows in Croydon as far as I know.

27/3/67 Fairfield Hall - Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Arthur Conley, Booker T and the MGs, the Mar-keys, Eddie Floyd. . This Stax concert was one of last great US package shows as stadium shows and open air festivals took over. Sam and Dave were the highlight of a brilliant show but Otis was excellent as well. I wrote a review for my paper the Croydon Advertiser (see The Vinyl Word, December 9, 2015).

Before the advent of MTV and Youtube these shows were just about the only way of seeing our music heroes performing live in the early sixties. They mostly stuck to their hits and in many cases only performed a couple of numbers. But what magical events they were. If only I had the photos to remind me!