Music in Leicester
1960s
1960s
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Leicester's main small venue for pop and rock was the Il Rondo on Silver Street. The roll call of bands who played at the Il Rondo runs like a who's Who of early–mid sixties pop and rock. [The Yardbirds](/wiki/The_Yardbirds "The Yardbirds") and [The Animals](/wiki/The_Animals "The Animals") played there before passing into rock history along with less well remembered groups like the Graham Bond Organisation. It also played host to many visiting American blues musicians including [Howlin' Wolf](/wiki/Howlin%27_Wolf "Howlin' Wolf"), [Freddie King](/wiki/Freddie_King "Freddie King"), [Lowell Fulson](/wiki/Lowell_Fulson "Lowell Fulson"), [Otis Spann](/wiki/Otis_Spann "Otis Spann") and [John Lee Hooker](/wiki/John_Lee_Hooker "John Lee Hooker"). [The Beatles](/wiki/The_Beatles "The Beatles") also came to De Montfort Hall.

Colin Hyde (East Midlands Oral History Archive) carried out a range of interviews about growing up in Leicester in the 1950s and 1960s and began to map where all of the venues of the day were.talking history:the newsletter of the East Midlands Oral History Archive. Number 7: May 2003\. He identified a number of clubs, pubs, and coffee bars like the Chameleon, run by Pete Joseph, the El Casa, or the El Paso – cafes which stayed open after the pubs closed. Among others, people also remembered the Blue Beat club on Conduit Street, run by Alex Barrows who later started the House of Happiness on Campbell Street. Night clubs such as the Burlesque or the Nite Owl became more popular as the 1960s progressed, and they opened up the opportunity to dance all night. 

Also emerging during this period was the notable band [Family](/wiki/Family_%28band%29 "Family (band)"), fronted by Leicester man [Roger Chapman](/wiki/Roger_Chapman "Roger Chapman") which had some success nationally but mixed success internationally until they disbanded in 1973\.


How did the venues of the day contribute to the development of rock music?