Coventry Dance Halls, Studios and Schools

Yes there was a dance studio thereabouts, perhaps it was a part of a club that was next door or almost next door to the Elastic Inn. When the City Mill and the Elastic closed at 2pm the club opened so all the hardened drinkers went there....Norman.

108 Cox Street, in the 1962 Telephone Directory And at Rex Chambers, Corporation Street, in 1946

Keith Jones, that's it Tricia, the dance studio was all mirrors. We used to pay 7/6 a time. I suppose I did learn something but not in the style of 'Come Dancing' I must have had great hopes at the time.

Dreamtime, nah, bet you was saucy, just fancied Keith. I'm out of here.

Cheeky monkey and so you should be. Actually Kaga, I was a shy young thing in those days (what am I saying, I still am) I don't think we saw anything of Mr. Jones, not whilst I was there anyway.

No Dreamtime, I didn't fancy him either.

The Green Onion was MOD Saturday night club held in a drinking club and dance school on the green opposite the railway station. I played the records in those days and ran clubs in Rugby and Coventry and dee jayed at The Gaff, Banbury, The Whisky in Brum, etc. When I opened the Green Onion a small gang of Coventry hard cases came and tried to extract "protection money" from me. Next week there was a group of Brummy lads from The Whisky were waiting to say hello when they came to collect their money - they didn't get much and were never seen again The music was all REAL soul and Tamla and all the Cov Mods from outside Burtons were there. [Don't believe Pete Waterman about Cov and "Northern Soul" he was still a baby in 1965] The Green Onion ran for one winter 1965 - 66 and then I buggered off to the south coast and it closed

Hi, my name is Mike Lovegrove and 62-63 I worked at the Locarno, I did maintenance in the day time and was a DJ, on Saturday mornings for the juniors. The boss at the time was a dapper little chap called Whales. And before I worked there and after I spent hours of my life being there. Coventry was a great place in the 1960's and I had a great time being a teenager, I also spent a lot of time at the Orchid ballroom in Hillfields, I left the Midlands in 1978 for Cornwall and now live in Penzance but I think back fondly of the great times I had in Coventry . I went back to Coventry last in 1993, I didn't like it much and haven't been back since.

My father (Edward Tucker) had a shop just infront of the Locarno and I remember one Saturday afternoon when Coventry City football club was having a home game, when a large group of supporters (no idea for which team) were chasing a young lad, who was running for his life, ran clean through the side windows of the Locarno entrance!

Hello Micky. Welcome to our Coventry forum. My parents lived in Bodmin for a while & I was once offered a finance job with an engineering business in Hale, but chose to stay here in Coventry. Hope that you enjoy your time with us. ps I was caught on camera once where the picture was included in a motoring gazette of Cornwall. I was staring into the window of a curiosity shop on Penzance harbour front.

Keith Jones Dance Studios. Does anybody remember going there, I seem to remember it was open to all comers some nights, pay at the door. Somebody mentioned the Orchid ballroom - was that at the bottom of Primrose Hill Street? My wife tells me she sang with the band there, for a while, before I met her - late 1950`s - maybe early 60`s, Heather Davidson

I was just seventeen when I went for a few weeks with a friend to the Keith Jones Dance Studio. I remember the walls were all mirrors but can't recall meeting the man himself though. Yes, it was in Cox Street and if my memory serves me correctly we paid 7/6 at the door to go in. If he was in there I would not have known anyway. I never did make it to the Ginger Rogers grade.

I went to Keith Jones when I was 16 it was the other side of the side of the Alexandra cinema that was 1950, and from there it was to COURTAULDS DANCE on LOCKHURST LANE, where the lads and girls came from all over Coventry to dance. I also went to the MAJESTIC later ORCHID ROOMS, that was in the late 50s and I do remember the singer.