Marquee Club - The 1960s: Rock Roots

The 1960s: Rock Roots

In 1964 the club moved a short distance to what became its most famous venue at 90 Wardour Street. Here, almost every major rock band of note played over the next 25 years on the tiny stage. Residencies during the late 1960s alone included Alexis Korner, Cyril Davies, Chris Barber, The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, The Who, King Crimson, Yes, Jethro Tull, The Jimi Hendrix Experience & Pink Floyd (who played on Sunday afternoons as part of the Spontaneous Underground club). To find out who was playing on any given night, you could just call in at the 'Ship' pub a few doors away. In 1964 Moody Blues manager/producer Alex Murray used a homemade studio in the garage at the back of the club to produce the classic 'Go Now' single which shot to #1 at Christmas 1964 and film the first ever UK pop video promo. The development of Marquee Studios was largely financed by profits from this record.

The Rolling Stones returned to the club 26 March 1971 after an eight year hiatus to film a television special.

Club owner Harold Pendleton launched the National Jazz Festival in 1961 in Richmond. This was the precursor to the Reading and Leeds Festivals.

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Famous quotes containing the words rock and/or roots:

    All the junk that goes with being human
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    Though of erect nature, man is far above the plants. For man’s superior part, his head, is turned toward the superior part of the world, and his inferior part is turned toward the inferior world; and therefore he is perfectly disposed as to the general situation of his body. Plants have the superior part turned towards the lower world, since their roots correspond to the mouth, and their inferior parts towards the upper world.
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