Clifton Hall – The School of Rock
by Pete Clemons
The man responsible for the Fortunes, The Liberators, Pinkerton's Assorted Colours and Screaming Lord Sutch and associated with Radio London and the Coop Hall Venue in Nuneaton.
After promoting his own little shows in a Yorkshire village near Huddersfield, Reg Calvert was drafted into the army. While there he was confined to barracks for a period of time for running dances outside of the camp.
After demobilisation Reg opened a recording studio in Darlington. But it wasn't a successful move as he lost all his money in the venture. Reg, now married, moved to Southampton where he began to produce and sell popcorn. This time he found success and made enough money to open two shops. This also gave him the opportunity to start promoting shows again. This time at the Bannister Ballroom, Southampton.
And throughout those early years he knew he had to change style as the music altered. And this was particularly good judgment as the Lonnie Donegan style of skiffle and Bill Haley and his Comets arrived on the scene. So Reg Calvert started to promote rock n roll shows, but then he quickly hit on a difficulty. The best acts were not to be found in and around Southampton. And it was at this point he decided he needed to up sticks again and find somewhere in the Midlands.
He found Clifton Hall near Rugby and it was just right for what he wanted. It was big enough to house three top groups. The were Danny Storm and the Strollers, Buddy Britten and the Regents and Robby hood and his Merry Men. Additionally Clifton Hall was central enough for him to promote his shows. And from that base he was able to promote shows at places like Andover, Banbury, Cheltenham, Worcester, Evesham, Kidderminster, Burton, Atherstone and Nuneaton.
Clifton Hall gained the nickname 'The School of Rock' as it conjured up images of young pop singers practising all day for the shows to come. And that was exactly what it became. The hall had spacious gardens, recording rooms, a billiard room, a football pitch and a large and luxurious lounge that Reg would get his singers to work to make the shows he put on as perfect as possible. Songs had to be sung over again in order to get the vocal and any backing correct.
And Reg was a strict disciplinarian, his rules included no alcohol and no girls to be brought to Clifton Hall. But they also had plenty of freedom. There was no set time for bed for example. And if someone wanted to play drums in the middle of the night then there was no irate neighbours to come knocking on the door complaining. They were a world unto themselves.
And throughout the early to mid 1960s Reg Calvert's 'Teen Beat' shows were one of the most regular and popular Friday night features around. So popular that reg also insisted that his acts put on special early evening shows for a younger audience, prior to the main event later that night.
He even made recording stars of his early acts. Robby Hood cut a song called 'Whistle My love' which had been adapted from Walt Disney's song in the film 'Robin Hood'. Danny Storm recorded 'I'm Thinking of You' following up with 'Honest I Do'. While Buddy Britten released 'My Pride, My Joy, My Little Girl'. The majority of those compositions were self penned by the artists themselves. An unusual thing in those days.
Pete has written a couple of articles previously for the Coventry Telegraph which are also on this archive of his articles - here they are -
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