We posted a couple of shots of rock & roll legend Chuck Berry playing Sheffield City Hall here a few years ago. Taken by Manchester based photographer Brian Smith, he sometimes travelled over the Pennines to see bands and package tours here and in Leeds as well and often got permission to take a few pictures by writing in advance to the City Hall manager. A new book of his photographs is finally out includes some of the bands he saw there and are a great reminder of the city’s musical heritage (Sheffield’s Richard Hawley was one of the first to place an order!).
Brian remembers once he and his friend lacked official permission to take shots at one show, but came over anyway and reckoned that if they could reach the dressing room without being spotted they would be OK. However they saw two of the City Hall staff heading their way as Brian remembers. “My friend worked at a clothes shop, and still had his tape measure in his pocket. He took this out and started measuring up one of the doorways and I began writing down meaningless figures as he called them out. The staff came up and he said: “Excuse me, could you hold the tape for me a moment?” and we carried on, then thanked them for their help and sauntered off toward the dressing room!”
Like anyone who has been inside the City Hall dressing rooms will tell you, they never fail to impress with the plush furnishing and wood panelling, a long way from some of the dives these pioneering blues musicians played at.
It’s very nice of Brian to let us show a couple more photographs (and we appreciate the credit for the Sheffield Music Archive in his book too). The shots here show Brian and Gene Vincent at Sheffield in May 1963; a great shot of Chuck Berry on stage; Duane Eddy in the dressing room; The Shirelles with guitarist Joel Richardson backstage in 1963.
Boom Boom Boom Boom – American Rhythm & Blues In England 1962 – 1966; The photographs of Brian Smith is published by local firm Easy On The Eye Books and printed in Sheffield. More details along with a full list of all the acts included:
https://easyontheeyebooks.co.uk/new/boom-boom-boom-boom/
It is available to order through all good bookshops by quoting ISBN : 978-0-9561439-4-5. There is also an official Easy On The Eye Books online shop and they are offering a discount to people who order there.
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