ONE of the town’s legendary rock musicians, Graham Rushworth, adds to the growing recollections of readers about Huddersfield’s early rock music venues.
“I was still at school, maybe 14 years old, about 1958, when me and my friend Jiggers (David Webb) went to Charlie Frost’s, which was the first rock and roll dance hall in town, just below the Empire Cinema.
“We were amazed at the atmosphere, with condensation dripping from the ceiling, and Little Richard’s Baby Face belting out.”
Unfortunately, his first experience of the venue was rather tainted by a lad who was waiting outside with a group of friends.
“He used to pick on someone he didn’t like the look of,” Graham said. This night, it was Graham.
“I was able to see him off but as we walked away and were passing The Rice Bowl Chinese restaurant, two of his gang caught up with us and gave us a kicking. Bloodied and scared we got the last number 60 bus to Crosland Moor and home.”
The kicking didn’t put him off music, of course, and he went on to became a fine rock and roll musician.
He sends the picture of Venn Street where it joined King Street, before the Kingsgate development. The Bin, he says, is on the far left and only partly showing above the red car.
The Bin and the Tahiti 2 were the same club.
