Wonderful memories from a rock 'n' roll life

8:57am Sunday 11th May 2008

The Palais feature also evoked memories for Jim Morris, from Farnworth, who emailed The Bolton News: Colin Shaw's great article brought back some wonderful memories of dance in the 1950s and onwards for me.

I went to all the places mentioned, including St Edmund's Youth Club on Sunday evenings.

Born and raised in Halliwell, in 1955, I was just 16 and getting dragged unwillingly on to the dance floor by girls at the youth clubs, starting with St Joseph's in Halliwell and shuffling around to Victor Sylvester's Mister Sandman etc.

Next stop was Bolton Palais and the rock and roll era was just getting into its swing. Billy Baker's club in Bradshawgate, the Aspin, the Palais and all the local Mecca ballrooms were the scenes of some great times.

I danced regularly as a member of the Red Devils, Bolton Palais's rock and roll team, and competed in the Mecca chain of ballrooms.

The Bolton Evening News published a picture around that period (1956/57) of the winners of a rock and roll competition for Lancashire finals or some such, at Bolton Palais. I was on it, together with Alan Mort (later the compere entertainer, Mort Allen, who passed away sadly a few years ago), Jack Begg and our female partners.

Several friends and fellow dancers died in the horrific fire in the Top Storey Club in Bank Street and it was never quite the same again after that.

I've always danced in some discipline or other, and even did three years of flamenco dance classes and workshops in Farnworth and Manchester.

My wife and I joined a local dance school in Farnworth only last year, but she suffers from knee problems and that went on hold.

I have always been a fan of Come Dancing and follow the current Strictly Come Dancing with great enthusiasm.

Dance will always hold a special place in my life and, in those times in the Fifties, I really did have "the time of my life".

Big thanks to Colin Shaw for bringing it all back and The Bolton News for publishing it.

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