Hippodrome Rocks!

With smash-hit Beatles musical, Let It Be arriving later this month, our Hippodrome Heritage volunteer Ivan Heard takes a look back at Rock ‘n’ Roll at the Hippodrome. 

Variety was changing in the 1950s as American and British music stars topped the bills. The increasing use of microphones and a sometimes over enthusiastic Hippodrome Orchestra pushed up the decibels. When Johnnie Ray came in May, 1955, there was a new phenomenon…a theatre full of screaming teenage fans!

Rock ‘n’ Roll first hit the Hippodrome stage on 24 September, 1956 with Tony Crombie and his Rock ‘n’ Roll Rockets. As the decibels soared higher, even the critics had to admit that “whatever the musical merits, rock ‘n’ roll cannot be ignored”.

A succession of chart-toppers came Lonnie Donegan, Marty Wilde, Adam Faith, Billy Fury, and Tommy Steele and the Steelmen. On 6 April, 1959, Cliff Richard and The Drifters appeared- they became The Shadows later that year. During their week here in Variety, Cliff ordered a new Fender Stratocaster guitar for Hank Marvin, the first one to be imported from America.

In 1963, The Beatles came here twice. Firstly at the bottom of the bill on Sunday 10 March, and then topping just 8 months later on Sunday 10 November. Famously, the Fab Four had to be smuggled into the Hippodrome disguised as policemen and they performed a 10-song set in front of 2,000 screaming fans, most of whom could not hear their idols because of the noise! It was one of the Hippodrome’s most exciting nights.

On Sunday, 27 September, 1964, the Rolling Stones played their only gig here. Birmingham Mail Theatre Critic Fred Norris was appalled at the behaviour of the audience in “the wildest scenes I’ve ever seen in a theatre”.

Rock kept storming back onto our stage. “The King” was in the building in June, 1980 in Elvis-The Musical and he returned in June, 1985, when Erdington-born Martin Shaw played him in Are You Lonesome Tonight?.

The most successful rock ‘n’ roll Musical was Buddy, honouring Buddy Holly, first staged here in November, 1991 and now regarded as the first of the popular ‘jukebox musicals’.

And still the Hippodrome rocks ‘n’ rolls. Let It Be arrives on 23 April, followed by Million Dollar Quartet In October, celebrating Elvis Presley, Johnnie Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis who was here in November, 1966 and April, 1972.

Rock on, Hipp!!!

Article written by Hippodrome Heritage Volunteer, Ivan Heard