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Down Memory Lane Dear Mr Simpson Hi Alan. Nice to hear from ONE person at least, even though you may not be one of those I am seeking. Hi Alan, Hi I came across your website by pure chance and the photo of the entrance of Wakefield Mecca on your website brought memories flooding back! As a teenager I spent the best years of my life there - first on a Monday night when it was 2/6d to get in and 6d for your coat in the cloakroom! I then started going on a Saturday night when I was older but still thought Mondays were the best. Thursdays was another night out there for me too although it was quieter on a Thursday so only the die hards went then! There was a group of us that went religiously every Monday and Thursday. We all used to meet outside Dolcis Shoe Shop at 7pm sharp. All of us followed the latest mod fashions, in fact most of us were actually trendsetters and people copied us! I remember the DJ's, Frankie and Steve who allowed us to dance on the stage on the circular platforms either side of them. We thought we were the bee's knees! We used to snog our boyfriends in the Bali Hai Bar upstairs which sold only soft drinks and a great time was had by all. 10.00 , the lights dimmed and the glitter ball started slowly spinning for the smooch session when all the lads used to grab the nearest girl hoping to strike lucky and walk her to the bus stop! We all piled out at 10.30pm and headed to the top of Westgate for our last bus home and god help us if we missed it as our parents would be waiting up to make sure we got home safe. When I play all the old Tamla and Soul records now, it seems like only yesterday I was on the dance floor. We all got married and moved away and now have grown up children of our own who don't even know who Sam and Dave, Rufus Thomas, Eddie Floyd etc are.......as you say - they haven't lived!! I'm sorry I don't have any photos to share but hope my memories bring back happy ones for you too! Kind regards Hi Alan Hello, Hi Alan Here are some from Secret Leeds: I can remember some of the people who you have mentioned. Cliff Green was a thin chap with black hair which had a silver patch (some kind of colour imperfection) on one side at the back of his head. Thanks for reminding me of Tony Hardcastle's surname. I remember Wilf Preen as a little chap with a moustache and he was very quiet but always buzzing around and working hard. I think that Les had a surname similar to 'McVay'. Brian was a big, fair haired man who, I believe, left to become the manager of the Basildon Mecca. I don't know what Dennis Peace did after he left the Mecca. I think that he still lives at Bramhope. He is always in Otley and mixes with the cyclists at the Wharfe View Cafe (Dunny's) next to the bridge. Often, he is with Jimmy Savile. I also remember seeing them last year at the side of the road between Leathley and Beckwithshaw, watching the Tour of Britain cycle race (in which Jimmy once took part in 1951). I am sorry but I can't remember your father working at the Mecca. I stopped going there around 1967/68. I don't remember in what year it changed to the Spinning Disc or when it closed down as a dance hall. Ian
My dad was a DJ at the Mecca fom 1963 to 1967. The DJ's at the time were 'Little' Dave Gautrey (my dad), Tony Marshall, Pete Cooper and Cliff Green (who had returned to the MECCA after an earlier stint working there with Jimmy Saville). The manager at the time was Wilf Preen, who had replaced Dennis Peace. His assistant manager was Peter Madeley. Peter did a lot of work at Elland Road, doing PA announcements and raffles etc, and it was he who introduced a lot of the famous Leeds Utd players to the MECCA, giving them free admission due to the amount of females they attracted to the dancehall. Peter took over as manager of the MECCA around 1967. As for the bouncers: the 'east European chap with dark hair' was probably Laurie Barraney (excuse the spelling!) who was the box office manager. Some of the other bouncers at the time were Tony Hardcastle (with the eye scar), Danny Gilboy, Dave Dowd and 'Big' Norman. Also mentioned was the 'Bill Barron Combo'. Bill Barron had previously worked at the MECCA in Edinburgh, where one of the bouncers was none other than 007 Sean Connery!!! I think that the Mecca Group was taken over by the Rank Group. I have searched but can't find the origin of 'Locarno' relating to dance halls, albeit there were many Mecca Locarnos all over the country. Nearly every reference links back to Locarno in Switzerland. I used to go to the 'Old Mecca' in the arcade from 1961 until about 1967. I mentioned in another post that Jimmy Savile was the manager and Dennis Peace was his assistant. Dennis later became the manager when Jimmy left. I also remember the 'bouncers', I can remember three. One was an east European chap with dark hair. He was a good looking chap with a good physique and was very quiet but friendly when spoken to. Another one was stocky with fair hair, called Scotty. The third one was a very tall and big man, also with fair hair. He had had an eye injury and there was some disfigurement around one of his eye sockets. He was called Tony but I can't remember his surname. He was a very friendly man and his day job was as a salesman in a furniture shop, possibly Maples. I think that he got an award from the Police at some stage for catching a thief or helping the Police, or similar. Between 1961 and 1965 I was a regular. I worked in an office in Leeds and even used to go every lunch time (6d. entry charge) when it was open from 12n until 2pm. I also remember the place being open on Saturday afternoons. In those days the upstairs licensed club was called the Tudor Club and there was a membership system for people over 18 years of age. I was never a member because I was initially too young and then never bothered to join. The other 'bar' area was down a few steps on the side opposite the stage. This area was like a lounge and in those days was purely a 'coffee bar' with no alcohol. I think that in the early 60's the band was called the Delaney band but this later changed to the Bill Barron Combo, they were awful. At this time you have to remember that most of the dance halls in the country and those in Leeds such as the Capitol, the Astoria and the Majestic had always been 'ballrooms' with live bands, some of them were quite large. Discotheques and dancing to records had not yet been invented as most of the music was 'big band music'. It was only when rock 'n' roll and skiffle developed in the 50's that small groups (such as three guitarists and a drummer) became more and more popular and 'pop' music started to take over. My point is that the 'Old Mecca' must have been one of the first places that played nearly all its music by using records and used a disc jockey. I remember the disc jockeys, apart from Jimmy, being Brian, Cliff and Les. Going back to the resident band - the Old Mecca used to have two periods when the band would perform. These periods were from around 8.25pm until 8.55pm and from 9.25pm until 9.55pm. It was funny because when the resident band came on, everyone left the dance floor and went to the Tudor Club or into the coffee bar and hardly anyone danced to the band. It was hilarious because at 8.55pm the band would finish playing and everyone would scramble back on to the dance floor and try to get a partner as soon as possible. The reason for this was that at 9pm it was 'Nine o'clock smooch time' when the lights were turned low, a large mirrored ball, suspended from the roof, started to spin with a spotlight on it creating 'stars' and slow romantic records and ballads were played. This went on until about 9.20pm when the music would liven up again until 9.25pm when the resident band would play again. The whole thing was repeated and the dance floor became sparse again until 'Ten o'clock smooch time'. In those days the Old Mecca closed at 11pm. I can't remember when it was but the Old Mecca changed its name to The Spinning Disc. It was probably when the Merrion Centre was built and the 'New Mecca' opened. Another funny thing was that whenever you went to the Mecca, all of the regulars always used to stand in their own specific place except when the lads were roving around looking for someone to dance with. The girls always danced in the same place on the dance floor (usually around their handbags). The Leeds United lot always stood near the wall opposite the entrance, the late Mick Shoebottom (Leeds RLFC) and his mates always stood just to the left of the stage. A few of the local 'gangsters' always stood near to the place where ladies' handbags could be deposited ('Handbag Corner') which was to the right of the stage. I also remember there being a cloakroom downstairs and upstairs there was a balcony which went all of the way around the building. I think that Jimmy Savile had a flat just off the balcony through one of the emergency exits. At night time, after the County Arcade shops had closed, there were a series of large, tall, metal fences/gates erected which sealed off the parts of the arcade above and below where the Old Mecca was situated. There was another large fence/gate at the entrance from the street (which is now under cover and now forms part of the Victoria Quarter - Queen Victoria Street?). Entry to the Mecca was via a gate at this entrance which was supervised by staff/bouncers. I often wonder how many Loiners met their future husbands/wives at the Old Mecca. They were very happy days. Ian.
Hello, Mon & Tuesday nights were disco nights. The D.J's were Hunter Smith & Rick Vaughan. Hunter still has a record shop in Leeds (Jumbo Records), I understand Rick, who was a rep is now living in New Zealand. The manager of the Mecca Merrion Centre was Jack Allison who later moved to the Mecca at Wakefield, the assistant manager was Barry Stickney, who moved to the Cats Whiskers at Meanwood. The 2 resident bands were The Dave Bailey Renaisance and the Dennis Langfield Sound.
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