With the West End and Broadway smash-hit Million Dollar Quartet set to rock Birmingham in October, our Hippodrome Heritage volunteer Ivan Heard takes a look back at some of the faces faces from rock ‘n’ roll history who have graced the Hippodrome stage over the last 60 years…

Million Dollar Quartet recalls a legendary one-off jam session on 4 December, 1956.

Elvis Presley had dropped by Sun Studios in Memphis to see record producer Sam Phillips.

At the time, singer/songwriter Carl Perkins was cutting some new tracks, with Jerry Lee Lewis backing on piano; singer Johnny Cash was also in the studio. The four American rock n’ rollers began a jam session and Phillips left the tapes running. A legend was born.

Of the four “greats”, only Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis have appeared “live” at the Hippodrome.

Johnny Cash was on stage here on one occasion, performing two shows at 5.30 and 8.30 on Sunday, 3 November, 1968.

Jerry Lee Lewis, now aged 81, has made two Hippodrome appearances – on 6 November, 1966 and 27 April, 1972, performing two shows on each date. Lewis’s career and personal life were dramatic. His first British tour, starting at London’s Finsbury Park Empire theatre in 1959, had to be cancelled after three shows because of public outrage at his third marriage to Myra, his 13-year old second cousin. His act was always at the cutting edge and risque but it earned him a fortune. Personal tragedies included the death by accidents of two sons, divorce by Myra and bigamous marriages.

Much of this was captured by a musical called “Great Balls of Fire”, which opened at the Hippodrome on 19 August, 1999, running for six weeks. It filled what might have been an embarassing gap in the theatre’s programme in its Centenary year and starred Billy Geraghty as Jerry Lee Lewis. The Birmingham Mail’s highly respected Theatre Critic, Fred Norris, was full of praise, describing Geraghty’s performance as” sensational – it’s an explosion!” Fred also praised the musical for “having the guts to put over a strong storyline and the guts to present its hero as he is – the kind of man who can happily marry his 13-year old second cousin – that’s quite apart from the booze, the drugs and even suspicion of murder”.

Lewis’s sister Gail was in the audience for the musical’s first night, seeing herself portrayed by actress Kim Bretton. Even HM The Queen experienced the spirit of Jerry Lee, when a dynamic excerpt from the show was staged in the Royal Variety Performance at the Hippodrome on 29 November, 1999.

“Elvis has been in the building” several times in the person of different singers depicting him in his early, middle and mature years – such was the greatness and song output of ” The King”.

“Elvis-The Musical” was first staged at the Hippodrome in June, 1980, with rock n’ roller Vince Eager (mature Elvis), Bo Willis (middle Elvis) and David Ballard (young Elvis).  In February, 1984, the first two singers returned, joined by J.J. McLean as the young Elvis.

Bo Willis returned in another version in November, 1992, together with Ian Salisbury (young Elvis) and Clayton Mark (mature Elvis). The show was last staged here in April, 1997, when the young Elvis was played by Andy Romano, together with Michael Dimitri and Fergus Moriarty.

A “different” Elvis appeared in June, 1985 in ” Are You Lonesome Tonight?”, starring Erdington-born actor Martin Shaw, recently on television in the title role of “Judge John Deed”. The show, written by Alan Bleasdale, was very well received and told the story of the Elvis’ final hours.

The last of the Quartet, Carl Perkins, has never appeared at the Hippodrome.

The part of Sam Phillips is played by Jason Donovan- incredibly, making his Hippodrome debut! It might have been his second visit had it not been for technical issues encountered in a revival of the musical “Billy” in the summer of 1995. The original show had starred Michael Crawford and Elaine Paige, making her West End debut, and it was based on the book “Billy Liar” by Keith Waterhouse.

Jason was scheduled to star in the revival, which was planned to premiere here on 7 August- except that it didn’t! The sets could not be built in time and the show opened instead at Bristol Hippodrome. So, no Jason!

However, it’s an ill wind- to fill the gap in the Hippodrome’s programme, Director Peter Tod and impresario Bill Kenwright worked round the clock to bring in a replacement. This was “Blood Brothers”- the first time it had been staged outside London. It proved to be a triumph – but that’s another story!

Ivan Heard- Hippodrome Heritage Volunteer