The Blues & Gospel Train

[johnscottcree]

This is available on DVD "The American Folk-Blues Festival: the British tours 1963-1966"; Reelin' in the years productions. You can see the goat and the other end of the platform in a Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee video elsewhere on Youtube

[marcdarn]

If the full video of the Granada show still exists, it MUST be released on DVD etc. immediately...

[cowboytony47]

yes beautyful Gospel Blues my friend,I have really enjoyed my visit here,keep them Blues rolling and have a really super nice day,Love Blues :)

[mannsj]

Looks like the location for this was Wilbraham Road station which is (was) the next station out of Chorlton. If you go to the Disused Stations website and lookup the Wilbraham Road page you will find a promotional poster giving the full details of the event and its location etc

[ernieevesham]

One or two location slip-ups, the station is right in the middle of Chorlton, was named as Chorlton Cum Hardy. It was on the main line that ran from Central station Manchester to London Paddington, The line was run by the Cheshire Lines company, laterally by British Rail. The station was closed in the late sixties as part of Dr Beaching's review of railways. Sad to say I've live in Chorlton long enough to see it open!

[MrTobytwirl]

determination rag

[wjoconnor]

@chuyoloco. I'm white and Gaelic. I don't like bigots. I don't particularly care about one's race, colour, creed, sleeping partners, etc. Folks like you are pitiful.

[frg8888]

Wow!

[paulvernon100]

Lets get it right. Recorded in May 1964, and broadcast on Granada TV in August of that same year under the title "The Blues & Gospel Train". Chorlton-cum-Hardy is right. The tour itself was called "The Blues and Gospel Caravan". Directed by Phil Casson, produced by Johnny Hamp, who were also responsilbe for the earlier "I Hear The Blues", in December 1963 The best of it is available on Hip-O DVD'S

[adha4]

Amazing stuff, the likes of whom we will never see again, reflect on how music really was and how it should be !

Thanks for posting

[49131501]

muito bom

[HarryW1234]

blues officianados meet train-spotters.

oh youtube, how great thou art! ;o)

[nystan1]

Hey-you can see these SIster Rosetta and Muddy tunes on a dvd, Volume 4, American Blues Festival. Two Muddy tunes and one Sister Rosetta, in their entirety without the stupid jump cuts and idiotic voice over. You will also see a very early use of radio mics.

[heavymama]

for fuck sake i want to see more !!!!

[beeb1421]

this reminds me of coming out of the blues clubs in chicago after a long night of drinking and blues music.

Looking for a place to eat before going home and sleeping all day.

On the south side of chiago on any saturday night you can pick ANY blues club and be satisfied with what you get.

[BlackVelvetJesus]

Wow. BBC did a great job of ruining this footage with weak voiceover and inconsistent fact checking... and we only get a few seconds of Sister Rosetta on a CRAZY Gibson.

[davetaylorbluespiano]

Definitely Wilbraham Road station- at 0.44 see Muddy get off train from Manchester Central, clearly see footbridge/ booking office in the background, with funny little tower on roof (Alexandra Road South) and stairs on both sides, lead down to platforms. You can see this on other pics of 'Wilbraham Road' . Also 'Chorlton-Cum-Hardy' station, did not have stairs in that position.

[spectralmusic]

This gig was actually at Alexandra Road station at the junction of Alexandra Road South and Mauldeth Road West (next to the allotments on the hill). It's just around the corner from where I grew up, and is still the oldest-looking part of Cholton cum hardy. (A little town in Manchester, England, UK).

[CptPattern]

Where ??!! i can't imagine where this is - i went to St Bedes so if you can guide from there i'd be very grateful!! Thanks.

[spectralmusic]

Straight up Alexandra road (away from town) up to the end just before you come to Mauldeth Road West where the bridge and path is at the side of the allotments.

[CptPattern]

Thanks - i'm going to go up there and take some photos on my lambretta! Hopefully the train didn't show (don't let me down British Rail) and they'll all still be there!!

[spectralmusic]

Yes, sorry Wilbraham Road Station -it was renamed later.

[srfurley]

This line has very recently been added to the 'Disused Stations site on Sub Brit. This says that the location was Wilbraham Road, and there are several stills from the programme in the section on that station. There is also a ticket for the show, which says that it will be recorded at the disused Wilbraham Road Station.

Interesting, I'd never heard of this before. The BBC also seem to have got the date wrong with the 'Manchester 1963' title at the start of this clip.

[mooseontheloose]

Thanks. So which station are we talking about here? Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Chorley Road or Wilbraham. Seems to be some difference of opinion :o)

[ocserfal]

It seems that the station in question was the then disused and now demolished Wilbraham Road station in Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The station was tricked out with barrels and rustic accoutrements to create a "Deep South" setting. A ticket for the event, on 7th May 1964, signed by most of the performers, is seen by googling "Wilbraham Road Station." The performers were Muddy Waters, Sonny Terry , Brownie McGhee, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Rev. Gary Davies, Otis Spann and Cousin Joe Pleasants.

[jonesgerard]

@mooseontheloose The station used to be called Alexandra Park ,later renamed Wilbraham RD. It was also used to film a chewing gum ad , doublemint gum.

I remember they painted everything white.

[TheAlphagabriel]

Also, the BBC are way out with the date: it was filmed on 7 May 1964. A quick google for "wilbraham road station granada tv" will show you an original ticket, signed by the performers, from the recording.

[simvolismos]

Sis Rosetta's performance made a 'trouble in mind' for me.

THIS IS WHAT IS TO BE DEFINED as 'LIVE'. The liviest live I've seen lately!

Grand.

[PaulCh63]

The footage was shot at Chorlton-cum-Hardy station as the original station signs were shown on the fottage shown on BBC4 showing last year that accompanied the Dylan at Newport night

[tubelinechris]

You can get three of the tracks (uninterrupted!) as bonus tracks on the DVD "The American Folk-Blues Festival: the British Tours 1963-66". 2007 by Reelin' in the Years Productions. FAB

[60103Henry]

In the video they say that Muddy Waters played at Chorley Railway Station, but the location was actualy Wilbraham Road Station, in South Manchester. The station was named 'Chorltonvill' for the occasion. Wilbraham Road Station colsed in july 1958 and was on the ex-GC Fallowfield Line, which ran from Chorlton Junction to Fairfield. The Locomotive was unidentified but was a 2MT fitted with a cowcatcher and it looks like a lamp on top of the smokebox!

[NickRatnieks]

The Blues and Gospel Train. Apparently, this was the 9th May 1964 and it was filmed by Granada at Wilbraham Road station not Chorlton, on what was called the Fallowfield Loop line -shut to passengers in 1958 but open to freight until the 1980s. This station is now completely gone through demolition. Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Rev Gary Davis and Cousin Joe Pleasants were on the bill, with Otis Spann and Muddy Waters- there's a copy of the ticket posted on the net.

[jerryswallow]

すばらしい！

もちろん星☆☆☆☆☆です♪

お気に入りに入れさせてもらいました。

有り難う！

[mpolzkill]

Oh man, wouldn't it be nice to be in possession of the source materials? It seems everywhere & always, "the powers that be" are afflicted with logorrhea.

[blumphy]

This was at Chorlton train station in Manchester my mum was there.

[mooseontheloose]

Thanks for the info. Cool. I'll update the video details accordingly.

[spywednesday]

@blumphy

Apparently this is Wilbraham Road station, which was disused even at the time. The station was located near the junction of Alexandra Road and Wilbraham Road (accessed at Atholl Road).

[blumphy]

@spywednesday Thanks for that, I now realise I have cycled the old line a few times, it's called The Fallowfiled Loop.

Cheers