The incomparable Ron Wooding!

[Texas]

I agree a 100% regarding the City, it was a sizeable chunk of my life at the time too. I laughed out loud at that story of Noel, I must've been at the concert but I'd forgotten the incident. He wasn't the type to do something like that, that's why it's so funny.

He was probably the first to have a mohair suit, very expensive, and he let everybody know it. I remember Jeff Scholey calling it 'Noelhair'.

Barney, good kid, his proper name was Bernard Cummings. He had those slightly bulbous eyes, and somebody gave him the nickname Barney, after Barney Google with the 'Goo, Goo, Googly Eyes'. He had a mate called Tony, lived up the Manor somewhere, well to do. I don't remember Tony's second name but he had this steady girlfriend, they went out together for years and years. It must've been about 15 years all told and eventually they got married. One of the first things Jeff told me when he came down to Southampton, was, they'd got divorced. Life eh?

Fleets mentioned the trips organised by Ron Wooding. Invariably they went to the Nottingham Locarno. I went on one before I went in the Army. After I came out they were usually organised by Barney, and usually to London. Some baaaaaad stuff went on on those trips.

[fleetwood]

Jazz is creeping into the 'Ron Wooding' thread but that's OK as they kinda go together. *** Hillsbro PM'd me some info but is presently on a trip and going to look into more possibilities when he returns. Gerry mentioned a friend shouting out at a Lionel Hampton Concert at the 'City', i'm wondering if he his mixing up some facts as one can do from time to time (and not as though there is anything wrong with that). *** It was recorded in the Melody Maker circa 1950's, Johnny Dankworth shouted out from the balcony in the Royal Festival Hall in London at a Hampton concert, words to the effect 'when are we going to hear some jazz then?' or 'play some jazz'. *** I seem to think in later years he regretted the outburst!

[Gerry]

Well I don't know Fleetwood. The memory of the outburst at the Hampton concert has been with me a long time but you never know it has been a long time and maybe you're right it doesn't have anything to do with Ron. Still, whoever did yell out at the City concert may have been encouraged by the Dankworth story.

[fleetwood]

Gerry don't feel bad, I was on the 'Grimesthorpe' thread last year sometime, relaying an incident which I thought had happened to a boy when we were kids, the incident concerned could have had dire consequences indeed, a guy came on the thread and said 'that was'nt so and so, that was me'. I had the facts down right but to the wrong guy. *** I would'nt have minded really, but the guy that corrected me, him and me had been close friends right up to our army days and who I still exchange Christmas cards with and have seen periodically over the years!

[Gerry]

Thanks for that Fleetwood, I appreciate it. The amazing thing is that people our age can communicate instantly from around the world. Who'd have thought it?

[Texas]

I know who it was who shouted during the Hampton concert. lt was Wooding. ( Ok, I lied).

Remember the days when, if you were trying to impress some chick, and they said 'Do you know so and so'? And you replied ' Yeah', and the 'so and so' walked by and gave you a blank? Those were the days. I didn't know Ron Wooding, only of him, but I'll bet I got scraped off his 'creepers' once or twice. Loved those shoes.

[fleetwood]

Texas - You knew some cool dudes indeed and I love the names, Billy Fearn, Ron Revel, did they have their own PR man that changed their names from William Featherstonough and Ronald Rabinowitz (I jest). *** The only guy I knew that might have been on the periphery of the of the Wooding crowd would have been, Pete Swain (another cool name). Texas, it seems his name came up before and you were not all that impressed with him, assuming it was the same person, as I recall he lived on Upwell St. *** Lets make one thing clear though, we're not out to embarrass anyone, because i'm sure all these people are or were fine upstanding citizens!

[Gerry]

We used to stand on the left hand side of the dance floor, as you faced the band, one or two pillars down from where Ron and his entourage hung out. Like you Texas I didn't know Ron but knew of him. It was great to watch such talent. It should also be mentioned that there were some excellent female dancers too.

A few years ago (1982 I think) I went to a dance hall in the Chicago suburbs, The Pallisades. It must have been open since the forties and it was nice to watch some of the "old timers" jive and jitterbug to the big band music, very reminiscent of Ron & Curly.

Edited April 15, 2010 by Gerry

[Texas]

Anybody remember Ron Wooding's usual dance partner? I was thinking about it, and the name Bette Smith came from nowhere. I emphasise NOT

[Texas]

OK, I'll start again. I hit a funny key there. So, anybody remember Ron Wooding's usual dance partner? I was mulling this question over today and came up with Bette Smith. And like I was going to say, this is NOT the tenor player. I don't know if this will jangle any memories, but if she wasn't Wooding's partner, she was a good dancer.

Pete Swain, now there's a name to conjure with, even if it only makes it disapear. We've spoken about this guy before fleets, didn't dig him at all.

Anybody remember Zebs? He was a regular in the corner, along with the other exotics. Sounds like a character in 'West Side Story' come to think of it doesn't he? He was a good jiver, and a bit edgy with it. Not your usual, 'bottom left hand side', type of geezer.

Thinking about it though, what did you have to do to become a 'member' of that bottom left hand side'? Obviously, anybody could stand around down there, even Pete Swain, but somehow one had to be accepted. If you went down the City you could stand around any damn area you liked, but the bottom left hand side was special, like a private club. Here we go fleets, jazz I think, was the key And good tailoring of course.