How Backburn Changed My Life

A Memory of Blackburn.

I came up from London in 1959 to work as a pianist in the Jeff Oaks Band who was the the resident band at the Mecca Locarno, who after a while was moving on to another place. I was offered a job then in the trio for in those days, they had a revolving stage and after a short time formed my own trio to which I sometimes added other musicians and went under the name The Barton Three, and then the Ralph Barton Sound, and what a fantastic place it was. Brian Gee was the manager and the the band then was then the All Bennet Orchestra. Yes, those were the days, when we were packed 6 nights a week with dancers having a fabulous time on tea, coffee, and soft drinks as there was no drinking licence in those days. Then came the very special time in Blackburn as at the Hall I met and married Ann and we had two children, a son and a daughter. I spent several years in Blackburn, a lovely place with wonderful people, which has left me with so many many memories in my old age. However Mecca liked to move their bands around which was a good thing. I went from there to the Mecca at Burnley and then to the Sheffield Locarno but wherever I went after that I had such fond memories of Blackburn and the lovely people I met and played to every night.

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