About the Book
Celebrating Rock's 60th Birthday, from the formation of the Rolling Stones and the heyday of the British Invasion to the spawning of the Reading Festival, this book explores the music history of the London clubs that were the engine rooms for British rock n roll. The Rolling Stones, the Who, Rod Stewart, Pink Floyd, The Faces, David Bowie and The Yardbirds are amongst the many acts who performed on the London club circuit at venues such as The Ealing Club, The Crawdaddy Club, The Bull's Head, The Half Moon, The Ricky Tick, The Marquee, The 100 Club, and the infamous Eel Pie Island Hotel. We revisit the days when Eric Clapton was God and Rock ruled the world. Play it Loud! Why is 2022 'Rock's Diamond Year'? On March 17th 1962, Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies started the EALING BLUES CLUB. The first UK gig devoted to 'electric blues music'. Musicologists agree that this event was the catalyst that would define British Rock music. The Ealing Blues Club sparked a musical revolution that grew further at Twickenham's Eel Pie Island and Richmond's Crawdaddy Club, 3 venues that were vital in the careers of: The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds / Eric Clapton, The Who, Cream and many more. Elsewhere in 1962 there were rumblings of a cultural shift with The Beatles, Dusty Springfield, The Animals, Marshall Amplification and many others setting the tone for what became the UK's most significant cultural export... Rock & Pop Music. 60 years on from 1962 and 'ROCK'S DIAMOND YEAR' will celebrate the UK's unique contribution to what has become a global music form. The initiative is led by The Ealing Club Community Interest Company' set up to champion West London music heritage while inspiring new music opportunity for the future. www.rocksdiamondyear.com WRITERS Introduction by Ralph Brookfield The Ealing Club by Alistair Young The Eel Pie Island Club/Eel Pie Club, Twickenham by Gina Way The Crawdaddy Club, Richmond by David Sinclair The Ricky Tick Club, Windsor by Pete Clack The Half Moon Club, Putney by Nina Jackson The Marquee Club, Soho by Charlotte Banks The 100 Club by Richard Luck
About the Author :
David Sinclair was born on October 24, 1952. He was educated at Eltham College, London and at Warwick University, where he graduated in 1975 with an honours degree in Politics. He played drums in London Zoo and TV Smith's Explorers then worked as a BBC TV researcher on programmes including Wogan and The Rock'n'Roll Years. He became pop critic at The Times in London in 1985 and has contributed to Rolling Stone, Billboard, Q and Kerrang! He is the author of Tres Hombres: The Story of ZZ Top (1986); Rock On CD - The Essential Guide (1992, updated 1993); and Wannabe: How The Spice Girls Reinvented Pop Fame (2004). His parallel career as a singer, guitarist and songwriter continues with the release of his album, Hey, on Critical Discs/Proper, available from record shops and online at www.indiestore.com/davidsinclair Ralph Brookfield trained as a molecular physicist, worked as a freelance writer and software engineer, ran his own software business then became a director of technology in the digital television industry until 2012. Since then, he has pursued his passions of writing and music which he combines in his songwriting, playing regularly with his band in the Ealing area, the crucible of RnB music in the UK, where he also manages and promotes grassroots music.
He is married, has two grown-up children, and is a founder member of the infamous Hanwell Ukulele Group. Alistair Young is co-founder of the Ealing Club Community Interest
Company established in 2011 to highlight the music heritage of Ealing, Acton,
Hanwell and Southall and to inspire the musicians of the future.
Back in March 1962 the Red Room was the home of the Ealing
Blues Club and is the place where electric blues music was first regularly
played in the UK, providing a venue for a generation of musicians who became
famous around the world such as the Rolling Stones, The Who and Cream.
The Ealing Club also played a part in creating the sound of
rock. A Sunday night in 1963 saw the first public performance ever to use the
classic 'loud' Marshall JTM45 guitar amplifier, designed and built in nearby
Hanwell.
Gina Way is the co-owner and manager of the Eel Pie Club, the home of Richmond Rhythm & Blues, in Twickenham. She books the bands, looks after publicity, deals with memberships and accounts, and updates the website and Facebook. She also co-produces an annual 1940s show, Big Band Blitz, and organises other events such as balls and entertainment for clients. She has been interviewed by the BBC and has written for 'The British Beat Explosion: Rock n Roll Island' and other music-related publications. Writer on blues in the UK, reviewer for magazine 'Blues In Britain' and 'The Dub'
Review :
"...gives insight into the Big Bang of rock music and why it was centered around southwest London suburbs in the 60s. Highly recommended." - Mark Dezzani, DJ, Radio Caroline; “With its title as a reference to the 60th anniversary of British r’n’b in Ealing and other parts of suburban London, this nostalgic paperback is a nod to eager performers of the music and the vibrant places where it thrived.” – Russell Newmark, The Beat Magazine; “The amount of information included within these pages is nearly mindblowing, so this book is a must-read if you’re interested in music history. Even though you’ll stumble upon many famous artists and bands while reading Rock’s Diamond Year, you’ll notice how each author primarily focuses on the stories about clubs… I adore how the authors thought about that particular detail” – Djordje Miladinović, Thoughts Words Action; the goal of “Rock’s Diamond Year” is to serve as a guide to London’s swinging landmarks, and as such this book works perfectly." - Dmitry Epstein, DMME
