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Places   (Help with places, streets and buildings in Wigan.)

Started by: JR (524)

Jarvo, I do remember Copper Kettle and Rainbow Cottage who were talented musicians. Yes, must have been a good feeling for you becoming involved in lugging gear and getting a lift as a youngster. My wife says she knew Rainbow Cottage very well – she was a popular girl in the day so I guess she knew more local celebrities too!
I unwittingly became roadie for Acker Bilk at Mill at the Pier. Long story for another time, but Acker asked me where the nearest pub was. I told him the Swan and Railway. When he came back to the dressing room the band left and I was chatting to them. They told me he always wanted to be alone before a gig and drink a bottle of wine because he had stage fright!!! Not my type of music but he was brilliant.
As for bands local to Wigan, there were many – some good and many terrible. Most just played charts stuff and not that well. I think the 2 locals bands that stood out as different were ‘Colonel Bagshot’s Incredible Bucket Band’ and ‘Ned Pringe’. The singer in Ned Pringe was really good – sang a bit like Joe Cocker and looked a bit like him too. They could play both rock and pop. I remember them playing a good rock set at the Swan and Railway. They also played at St Cuthbert’s Club in Pem, where I was DJ (when I was 16/17), but more pop than rock. He had Tom Jones off to a tee though. Rhino played at the club and after 20 minutes of rock the bouncer got hold of me and said “Are these lads on drugs because this music is crap, what’s it all about?!” He told me to get them to play charts stuff or he’d pull the plug. They tried their best but didn’t know the words to songs like ‘No Matter What’, so made them up! I got a bollocking for recommending them. Good job I didn’t ask Stoned Rose to play!!! Another band at the club was ‘Rue and the Rockets’ from somewhere on the borders and were a bit rock based but liked doing Shadows numbers and other 60s stuff. They mainly played in Dumfriesshire and around Berwick way. They told me they could get me some good DJ-ing stints in Scotland but I’d have to move there because they were long hours in private unlicensed clubs. I had good think about it, but declined in the end. I often wonder where it might have led to - but I've done OK for myself albeit not in the music industry. If my memory serves me right, I believe Rue started in the early sixties and are still performing today.

Replied: 4th Oct 2020 at 17:03

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