Velvett Fogg
11-09-2008, 09:28 AM
Cedar Club. Constitution Hill
Rebeccas Lower Severn Street
Barbarellas,
Polyannas (Edward No.8)-John Bright Street
Abigail's
Boogie's nightclub,
Boogie's Brasserie
Edward's No.7
Edward's No.8,
Paramount pub
Goldwyn's.
Eddie Fewtrell's, empire in Birmingham,
became one of the greatest in club history,
and one of the best of it's kind in the country.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/Unsigned%20City/ef1.jpg
Birmingham would definitely not be the place that it is today,
without Eddie Fewtrell, known as 'King of Clubs'.
Born one of ten children in the 1930s,
in the backstreets of Aston, much of Eddie's childhood
was spent keeping house and caring for his younger brothers.
An alcoholic father and an invalid mother prevented him
from attending school and leading a normal life -
a scenario a million light years away
from the vast nightclub empire that he was destined to build.
By the 1970s he had become the most powerful man
in Birmingham's Clubland.
With the support of his large family, in particular his seven brothers,
he went on to achieve even greater success.
Eddie's first club, the Bermuda Club, was in Navigation Street,
Eddie moved to pastures new, in the form of the Cedar Club, on Constitution Hill.
Over the next few years Eddie opened
Rebecca's, Abigail's, Boogie's nightclub,
Boogie's Brasserie, Edward's No.7, Edward's No.8,
the Paramount pub and Goldwyn's.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/Unsigned%20City/CityBroadStBarberellas-1.jpg
Barbarella's became the top showcase for
many up and coming UK pop groups.
In 1989, he sold his clubs to Ansells but he returned three years
later to open a new wave of clubs.
Professional success came at a high price;
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/Unsigned%20City/ef2.jpg
In his book 'King Of Clubs'
Eddie reveals how his millionaire lifestyle and the pursuit of wealth led to tragic consequences.
Sadly one tagic consequence was the death of
of one of Eddie's brothers Don Fewtrell
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/Unsigned%20City/df.jpg
THE brother of former nightclub king Eddie Fewtrell
has been found hanged at his Birmingham home.
Don Fewtrell, 76, who lived alone at his house in Handsworth Wood, had been "fighting a losing battle" to save his eyesight.
He was found dead by his daughter last night after his family became concerned about him.
Don, who shared in the building of Eddie's nightclub empire in Birmingham, had been suffering from diabetes and was almost totally blind.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/Unsigned%20City/CedarClub.jpg
The Cedar Club, on the corner at the left of the picture
Don managed the Cedar Club in Constitution Hill, which ran for 30 years and changed the face of nightlife in Birmingham for good.
He left Birmingham for a while to live in Australia
but returned to his roots in the late 1980s.
Millionaire Eddie, 74, who retired to Ross-on-Wye
where he breeds horses, said today:
"Don had been in the depths of depression about losing his sight and I think this was a cry for help.
"He had been on anti-depressants for some time because
he couldn't bear the thought of going blind.
"I kept trying to encourage him that all kinds of operations
could be done now and he may still have partial sight,
but the whole thing got him down.
"It's a real tragedy and I'm devastated to lose Don like this.
I feel if his diabetes had been diagnosed earlier something more could have been done."
Don and Eddie were two of ten children brought up by a strict Irish mother.
The Cedar Club featured many top names, from The Faces, Rod Stewart,Staus Quo, and 50's and 60's stars such as Duane Eddy, Cat Stevens
Even Jimi Hendrix made a cameo appearance there,
more on that in my post below.
The names that appeared at all of Eddie's clubs are endless.
Rebecca's, Abigail's and Barbarella's featured celebrities from David Bowie to Freddie Mercury and even boxing legends Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. appeared
The Cedar had probably one of the first DJ's in the city, called Ted.
He was an eccentric character, with a 'posh' voice.
One of the first resident bands was Carl Wayne And The Vikings
who had just returned to Birmingham from Germany.
In the mid 1960s in Birmingham, the Cedar Club
was the place to go and see the "happening" acts.
Other local bands who performed there regularly was
Danny King and The Mayfair Set and Mike Sheridan and The Nightriders.
Various members from these three groups would sometimes get together
on stage for spontaneous jam sessions.
Davy Jones & The Lower Third from London were performing at
The Cedar Club one evening late in 1965 and their singer
(who would later change his name to David Bowie)
mentioned to Trevor Burton from the Mayfair Set and Ace Kefford from The Vikings
that they should consider forming their own group. , The Move
Rebecca's was unique, has it had three or four floors,
and on each one was a band or DJ catering for
different music genres.
Rebeccas Lower Severn Street
Barbarellas,
Polyannas (Edward No.8)-John Bright Street
Abigail's
Boogie's nightclub,
Boogie's Brasserie
Edward's No.7
Edward's No.8,
Paramount pub
Goldwyn's.
Eddie Fewtrell's, empire in Birmingham,
became one of the greatest in club history,
and one of the best of it's kind in the country.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/Unsigned%20City/ef1.jpg
Birmingham would definitely not be the place that it is today,
without Eddie Fewtrell, known as 'King of Clubs'.
Born one of ten children in the 1930s,
in the backstreets of Aston, much of Eddie's childhood
was spent keeping house and caring for his younger brothers.
An alcoholic father and an invalid mother prevented him
from attending school and leading a normal life -
a scenario a million light years away
from the vast nightclub empire that he was destined to build.
By the 1970s he had become the most powerful man
in Birmingham's Clubland.
With the support of his large family, in particular his seven brothers,
he went on to achieve even greater success.
Eddie's first club, the Bermuda Club, was in Navigation Street,
Eddie moved to pastures new, in the form of the Cedar Club, on Constitution Hill.
Over the next few years Eddie opened
Rebecca's, Abigail's, Boogie's nightclub,
Boogie's Brasserie, Edward's No.7, Edward's No.8,
the Paramount pub and Goldwyn's.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/Unsigned%20City/CityBroadStBarberellas-1.jpg
Barbarella's became the top showcase for
many up and coming UK pop groups.
In 1989, he sold his clubs to Ansells but he returned three years
later to open a new wave of clubs.
Professional success came at a high price;
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/Unsigned%20City/ef2.jpg
In his book 'King Of Clubs'
Eddie reveals how his millionaire lifestyle and the pursuit of wealth led to tragic consequences.
Sadly one tagic consequence was the death of
of one of Eddie's brothers Don Fewtrell
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/Unsigned%20City/df.jpg
THE brother of former nightclub king Eddie Fewtrell
has been found hanged at his Birmingham home.
Don Fewtrell, 76, who lived alone at his house in Handsworth Wood, had been "fighting a losing battle" to save his eyesight.
He was found dead by his daughter last night after his family became concerned about him.
Don, who shared in the building of Eddie's nightclub empire in Birmingham, had been suffering from diabetes and was almost totally blind.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/Unsigned%20City/CedarClub.jpg
The Cedar Club, on the corner at the left of the picture
Don managed the Cedar Club in Constitution Hill, which ran for 30 years and changed the face of nightlife in Birmingham for good.
He left Birmingham for a while to live in Australia
but returned to his roots in the late 1980s.
Millionaire Eddie, 74, who retired to Ross-on-Wye
where he breeds horses, said today:
"Don had been in the depths of depression about losing his sight and I think this was a cry for help.
"He had been on anti-depressants for some time because
he couldn't bear the thought of going blind.
"I kept trying to encourage him that all kinds of operations
could be done now and he may still have partial sight,
but the whole thing got him down.
"It's a real tragedy and I'm devastated to lose Don like this.
I feel if his diabetes had been diagnosed earlier something more could have been done."
Don and Eddie were two of ten children brought up by a strict Irish mother.
The Cedar Club featured many top names, from The Faces, Rod Stewart,Staus Quo, and 50's and 60's stars such as Duane Eddy, Cat Stevens
Even Jimi Hendrix made a cameo appearance there,
more on that in my post below.
The names that appeared at all of Eddie's clubs are endless.
Rebecca's, Abigail's and Barbarella's featured celebrities from David Bowie to Freddie Mercury and even boxing legends Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. appeared
The Cedar had probably one of the first DJ's in the city, called Ted.
He was an eccentric character, with a 'posh' voice.
One of the first resident bands was Carl Wayne And The Vikings
who had just returned to Birmingham from Germany.
In the mid 1960s in Birmingham, the Cedar Club
was the place to go and see the "happening" acts.
Other local bands who performed there regularly was
Danny King and The Mayfair Set and Mike Sheridan and The Nightriders.
Various members from these three groups would sometimes get together
on stage for spontaneous jam sessions.
Davy Jones & The Lower Third from London were performing at
The Cedar Club one evening late in 1965 and their singer
(who would later change his name to David Bowie)
mentioned to Trevor Burton from the Mayfair Set and Ace Kefford from The Vikings
that they should consider forming their own group. , The Move
Rebecca's was unique, has it had three or four floors,
and on each one was a band or DJ catering for
different music genres.