Rowntrees owned four popular clubs,
- Top of the Town
- Sound
- Seen/Takis and
- Spring Gardens
with all but the last featuring groups two or three nights a week. Top of the Town was my favourite venue - the clientele a little more "souly" than "poppy".
I remember working there with Jimmy "What becomes of the brokenhearted" Ruffin, very much down on his luck and coming over to us as a bighead. We had to clear the stage for him and then found out his band - Campus, a Manchester based backing band - had arrived with no gear. Out it all had to come!
Paul Mlynarz
Phoenix City Smash
Phoenix City Smash outside The Spin Inn record shop, managed by DJ Gary Laine and next to Top of the Town (hey that's webmaster Paul, crouched on the left)
I particularly remember Top of the Town on Cross Street which used to have a record shop called Spin Inn at street level. The DJ in the late 60s and early 70s was called Gary Laine, I seem to remember and he managed the shop too.
My friends were Glenys Withington, Kath Walker, David Holt and Mike Curtis.
Happy days!
Melanie McNeeney
I remember so fondly Top of the Town on Cross Street. I also remember the DJ, Gary Laine, where is he now, does anyone know. My friends at the time there were Brenda Smith, Leslie Cooper, danced many a night away there. Happy days.
Catherine Barrow (nee Dillon)
I remember many enjoyable nights spent in my youth at Rowntrees Spring Gardens, after travelling down from Rossendale and I bought most of my early soul records for deejaying at the Spin Inn.Fond memories indeed.
The rest I got from FL Moore in Leighton Buzzard, who had a mail order business at the time.
Those were the days. The strange thing is I am still playing some of these records which I played as 'new releases' then, to this day.
Keith Gunton
I have just read Paul Swarbrick's account of when he was working on Whitworth St in Manchester and how he used to go to Takis at lunchtime and enjoy the music. I was really pleased to read that as I was the DJ during those lunchtime sessions.
My DJ name was Pete Roscoe and as well as the lunchtime sessions I also did Top of the Town,and Rowntrees in the evenings. Does anyone recall the Miss Supertakis beauty contest that we had, I arranged that together with Mr Paul Partakis who was the Manager and part of the family that owned the group of clubs
Peter
Just to say after having lunch at Sam's Chophouse with a friend who works at 15 Cross Street. I asked him if i could take a nostalgic walk around. Such memories - we stood where the bar was as I remember it, needless to say it's now an internal car park.
But never mind, I still felt in good spirits. The dance floor is now offices - none of the wall plan remains.
I can add it to my yearly sojourn to the Oasis which as you already know is a car park.
What have they done to Manchester?
Alan Fildes
28/2/09
I spent every Friday and Saturday night dancing to Tamala Mowtown at Takis.
As you walked down the stairs to enter the club There was a minor bird in a cage on the wall. It would whistle at the girls coming down the steps in the dark.
I remember being there the night Otis Reding died and the DJ Paul Pender anounced it. Everyone was so shocked.
I remember the dinnertime sesions. As I worked on Lever street i would nip in for the lunch break.
Takis and Tamala Mowtown were the best times of my life.
Anne Bostock
11/4/09
I remember Gary Laine when he was DJ at the Can Can in early 1967. He then did a stint at Sound but came back to the Can Can for a while. I went to Takis in late 67 and it was always really busy. Great times, great music.
Liz Williams
2/8/09
I think Top of the Town was one of the best clubs in Manchester when they became mainly discoteques after 1966.
All the guys wore brown or green mohair suits, with Jaytex or Sherman shirts with Slazender v-neck jumpers or slipovers. The girls often in mohair suits too with short feathered hair like Julie Driscoll.
The music was great not just soul but lots of Bluebeat, Carolina by the Folks Bros, Ethiopians etc. The DJ Gary Laine was great too.
There was an upstairs a kind of long room with a bar at the end, was this the Red Barn of the former Bodega?
Warren Taylor
9/8/09
My brother was a dj at Roundtrees Spring Gardens for a few years, his name Malcolm Just. He went on to be a doorman at Rountrees Hanging Ditch, plus other clubs.
9/8/09
Top of the Town was THE best club in Manchester, I used to go every Saturday with my friend Lorna, travelling on the train from Bury - and getting the last possible one back which was probably about 10:30 in 1968!! Well, we were only about 15......
The soul music played there set me on a lifelong love for Motown - I have lived down south for many years but have happy memories of this club.
Also can remember DLT at Mr Smiths I think it was, and used to go to the Twisted Wheel, and Rowntrees Spring Gardens. I have never seen any pics of Top of the Town - do any exist?
Kathy
27/5/10
Love this site. I used to go to Rowtrees Sound 1967/8/9/70. Wwe all went every Saturday night then after it closed, we went to a mini club on Spring Gardens forget what it was called now but you had to knock on the door to get in and they only sold Doubble Diamond - used to make you sick after a skinfull lol.
My favorite songs from then were Chairman of the Board.
John Walker
8/7/10
Started going to Top of the Town in 1970 with my friend Margaret. I too still play the records I bought from The Spin Inn on my lunch time. This for me was the start of a lifetime passion for Northern Soul!
When I hear The Elgins 'Heaven must have sent you' I'm there on that dance floor again wearing my Ossie Clark dress!
I was there on the night it closed, broke my heart.
Lorna Simpson
5/9/10
I also used to get the late train home.........Kathy.........was Bridge your second name , did you live on Bolton Road. My first taste of soul music, had to borrow a birth certificate as id.
Jess Fisher
25/10/10
Rowntrees Sound, makes me laugh when i think back. I took a girl and had a meal there ( trying to impress lol) In them days I used to wear the starched detachable collars, the waitress while serving tillted the plate and gravy went all down my collar.
(wasn't funny at the time though lol)
Chad
11/2/11
I used to go to Rowntrees Sound with my friend Kay Hyde,we were 15 then and used to get the last train home around 11.30.pm.. to Hollinwood then walk the rest of the way home.Never felt threatened on walks home in those days.
I also used to go to The Magic Village an underground club that was open all night,they used to throw us out at 7.a.m. then the long bus ride home to Oldham on a Sunday morning.
Can anyone else remember going to the Village? They used to sell underground papers like Rolling Stone in that club. Saw lots of great bands there..
Jean Jesson
9/4/11
I came from Ashton-under-Lyne and was really lucky, I was only about 15 at the time but used to pal about with lads who were 18-19. One of them had a Ford 1600e with a phillips record player under the dash, where they played all the the Motown hits and Otis Redding plus all the Stax stuff. They used to get me in to the Twisted Wheel, and I used to go to Rowntrees Sound, Spring Gardens on a Friday. Used to go to Manchester Boys Club for their Northern Soul nights and to the Birdcage in Ashton-under-lyne. Great Lads, Great days.Great music.Rowntrees was class.
JohnJesson
9/4/11
68 - 69 - 70 - the best time! Does anyone remember Frank Healy, Dennis Wilson & Jimmy Grimes? Also Time and Place and Nice and Easy - brilliant memories!
Jim Neild
27/4/11
Attended the Wheel from 63 with the Eccles/Salford crew - most passed on now. Anybody remember me?
Mike Leonard
27/4/11
When the Twisted Wheel closed, we spent some of our time in our (local) in town The City Arms. One night my old mate Johnny Richards came in blue mohair suit,and white stiff collar shirt, we all had to change, we got hair cuts, new modern clothes, we went to the Top of the Town.
We were amazed lots of attractive grown up girls, it was a great place, slightly different music, met new people, fitted in with our new lifestyle, it was more for the weekend rather than mid week but a good night out. Happy days.
Peter Byrne
26/5/11
Went to Sound and Spring Gardens circa 1969/70. I remember at Spring Gardens they used to play Albatross as the last record of the night the other favourite at the time was Heard It Through The Grape Vine.
Me and my mates Fozzi, Phil, Col and Geoff all the Bees Knees in our £2 Everprest suits (they only did sand and light blue) Ben Sherman check shirts and brown brouges. Come out of Spring Gardens and into the Wimpey Bar before catching the allnight bus home. Great times.
Dave Greer
11/7/11
I worked at Top of the Town 1970/71. There was two bouncers I knew Jimmy and Mike, they did Spring Gardens and Sound as well. I went out for a short time with a barmaid who worked at TOTT,she was called Brenda and lived in Middleton.
Does anyone know of whereabouts,I would love to know,what happened to her since then. I remember her coming to my house Xmas Eve 1969,good party had lots of beer because most of the guests myself included worked at Wilsons Brewery.
Paul Hopkinson
26/9/11
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