The decade that rocked

Beatles at The Odeon , September 9, 1963 PNL-160502-140018001

Sussex's part in the musical heritage of 1960s Britain is reflected in a new book about The Beatles. Richard Houghton who compiled it is looking for fans of other iconic pop acts from the era to help him put together a series of '˜people's histories'.

Richard Houghton has written books about The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and is now compiling fan memories for a book about The Who.

“Sussex saw a wave of the biggest acts in the country playing in venues around the county, with the biggest of all being The Beatles,” said Richard.

The Beatles played at the Hippodrome in Brighton in June, 1963, just as Beatlemania was starting to take off.

They were on the same bill as Roy Orbison and Richard has managed to track down several people who saw them. Jack Strutt was at that show. Twenty years old at the time, he remembers: “The Hippodrome audience went beserk. I don’t recall hearing too much of their music because of the screaming girls.”

A 15-year-old Jeremy Knight attended The Beatles’ return to the Hippodrome in July, 1964, by which time interest in The Beatles was overwhelming. Jeremy had a front row seat thanks to his sister Belinda, whose school friends ‘had slept out in front of the Hippodrome for at least one night to be at the head of the queue for tickets’.

The excitement wasn’t contained to being so close to the stage, as Jeremy remembers: “A couple of her friends spotted The Beatles arriving by car and had chased it up the road. One of them was thrilled to have been knocked down by it. She wasn’t hurt but she felt that she had actually sort of touched them.”

Fred Avery was 23 when he saw the Hippodrome show. “By the time The Beatles appeared, the noise level increased to such a pitch that none of the music they were playing could be heard. Several of the adults and parents got up and walked out of the auditorium with hands over their ears. The ringing in my ears went on for half-an-hour after leaving the theatre.”

File photo dated 12/9/1964 of (left to right) Mick Jagger, Bill Wyman, Brian Jones, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones. Sir Mick turns 70 next month. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Sunday June 23, 2013. See PA story SHOWBIZ Stones. Photo credit should read: PA Wire SUS-140619-101536001

The Rolling Stones also played the Hippodrome in Brighton, appearing there three times in 1964. Another Stones’ show was witnessed by Rick Hodge at the Whitehall in East Grinstead, who recalls: “They kicked off with Walking The Dog and the place erupted.