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My Rock and Roll years |
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 Lancing resident Dick Craney takes us back to the "swinging 60's" Are you old enough to remember the 60's? Do you remember the music of the time? To name a few there was Jimi Hendrix, Cream, The Kinks, The Jackson 5, The Hollies, Amen Corner, Millie, Tom Jones, The Who, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes .........Lancing resident Dick Craney remembers them, he saw them all, in Worthing, at very close quarters! You see Dick was a "bouncer" (or as they were called then, steward) at rock venues in Worthing. Well, perhaps rock venues makes it sound a bit grand but they did appear at either the Pier Pavilion or the Assembly Hall in Worthing. I met Dick recently to have a chat about his rock n' roll years. Dick move into the Lancing area in the early 1960's and through a mutual family friend got an evening job as a bouncer. "The shows were run by an interesting character called Fred Bannister", Dick told me. "Fred ran lots of shows around the south using halls such as the two in Worthing". So there would be Dick, an excited audience of up to a thousand and on stage, well, the very best apart from two. "We never had the Stones or the Beatles", Dick said. Ticket prices varied from 7s 6d to 12s 6d (37p - 62p). "I got paid about a fiver, not bad pay". Dick's rock n' roll years also coincided
with one of the Youth events of the past - Mods and Rockers. To those
of you w Dick told me of Worthing police (with dogs) attending certain of Fred's promotions to keep public order! Seeing Dick now in his older years sitting with his pet Lurcher dog Frizbee, in front of the fire it all seems a long time ago - but it did happen!
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ho are of tender years, certain of the young used to either favour
the Mods (riders of scooters, lovers of soul music and fashion) or
Rockers (riders of motor bikes, lovers of rock music and wearers of all
things leather). Both groups disliked the other and hey presto fights and
violent disorder ensued. There were very famous (or should I say notorious)
fights on Bank Holidays at sea side towns such as Southend, Clacton,
Brighton and Margate.