The Bodega, Cross Street, Manchester
The Bodega Jazz Club was at 15 Cross Street off Corporation Street, Deansgate, Manchester 2 and opened in 1956.
It was a basement club opposite the Royal Exchange with an upstairs bar, The Red Barn. It was licensed and used to be a Jazz venue before becoming more main stream. You went down some stairs to get to it. It was a large room full of tables and chairs.
Don Richards (b. Donald Roberts) was director (ca. 1958 - ca. 1964) and manager of the club (ca. 1956 - ca. 1965).
According to his brother George Roberts he changed his name to Richards for some reason.
The groups that played here included The Zenith Six (Jazz Band), The Merseysippi Jazz Band, The Dutch Swinging College Band, The Mayfair Jazz Band from Gorton and Reddish, The Gallas Jazz Band and Pete Haslam's Collegians who had a residency every Wednesday.
Also, George Melly (1926 - 2007), Mick Mulligan (1928 - 2006), Alex Welsh (1929 - 1982), Kenny Ball (1930 - 2013), Acker Bilk (1929 - 2014), Chris Barber (1928 - 2021), Humphrey Lyttelton (1921 - 2008), Lonnie Donegan (1931 - 2002), Karl Denver (1931 - 1998) and Kenny Ball (1930 - 2013).
In the early 60's the weekend residency was held by Paul Beattie and the Beats. They played here most nights.
It was here in 1962 that John Mayall (b. 1933) met Alexis Korner (1928 - 1984) when his band Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated played at the Club. Mayall's band The Blues Syndicate (John Mayall's Blues Syndicate) was supporting him.
On Monday, September 17, 1962 saw the opening night of The Monday Big Beat at The Bodega Jazz Club.
They also had a DJ here in Dave Lee Travis (b. David Patrick Griffin, Friday, May 25, 1945, Buxton, Derbyshire, England).
He was also known as Dave (The Rave) Lee Travis.
The Bodega Jazz Club later became The Top of the Town, The Sounds and then The Granby Bar.
Info courtesy John H. Warburg February 2025
Comments
I remember George Melly's rendition of Frankie And Johnnie was priceless.
I remember having a ten minute conversation with Lonnie Donegan, who was playing in Chris Barbers band at the time.
Also a band that played at the Bodega, was a great Manchester group called 'The Saints Jazz Band'. whom I believe were
resident at the Exchange Hotel in M/C.
Unforgettable times for me: I am now 89 years old.
John
My pc has just done a large windows update and lo and behold, this piece appeared in my favourites about the Bodega.
My name is george Roberts and my brother was the manager and director, his name was Don Roberts but he had changed his name to Don Richards (dont ask), he was known to many as Ricky.
Myself and 3 brothers worked there on a Saturday night for many years, we worked alongside And and Evelyn, we were/are from Liverpool.
Paddy McKeenan rented the room off my brother and he hired and fired all the bands.
I would love to hear from anyone from that era as I had many happy times there, even though we did the odd throwing out, I am now 82.
I THINK I started there around 1958, but cant be sure. another little coincidence is that my brother Don was buried in the cemetery at Woodford, Wilmslow, Cheshire, next to Olivers restaurant, that my nephew Paul owned.
frenchman96
'Isle of Capri and many other nostalgic records of that era. During that decade, Manchester had many pub venues and some still come to mind. The Black Bull on the Salford boundry just off Deansgate, The Thatched House behind Kemsley Newspapers,The Sportsman, all long gone now. It was seventy years ago and peoples and place names don't come easy. Wonderful times. Would not have missed them for a gold clock. Real beer, brewed locally.