” Albert was always good to me. When MDW called it a day he offered me an ice cream van/ a job in Eight acres or a residency with the Two Red shoes band with Graeme Nairn until I joined the civil service. It was the Italian way not to let you leave with nothing. Rob Lawson was given a job in the agency booking the bands for the venues.” Alexander “Ziggy” Slater who toured with My Dear Watson before they disbanded in the ’70s].
To mark the events of the opening of the Two Red Shoes 28 July 1960 and 100th birthday anniversary of AA Bonici: A night of celebration to commemorate the legacy of promoter Albert Bonici and his popular venue, The Two Red Shoes Ballroom, was set to take place on July 18th, 2020 until a global pandemic headed our way. A committee of several local musicians who were set to present “Bonici, The Bands – The Two Red Shoes Story” decided to postpone the event until July 24, 2021.
Other recent related articles:
Elgin articles search: https://www.northern-scot.co.uk/search/?q=bonici https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/tag/albert-bonici/
https://www.northern-scot.co.uk/news/death-of-former-elgin-singer-204426/ https://en.everybodywiki.com/Jeanie_Lambe
Based on the notes from SCOTBEAT and various sources, besides photos and digitised recordings of some of the featured musicians, the online presentation is a success besides raising awareness of the Scottish jazz and beat music scene of the 1960s-70s. With quotes and memorabilia from fans who remember those heady days, this blog was created to champion a legacy that deserves to be more than a footnote in music history.
AA Bonici who was a true impresario, manager-promoter and event organiser, who brought much of best in popular entertainment to the north of Scotland and created an Elgin Jazz Festival in the 1950’s. In 1962, through his London contact, Jack Fallon, he negotiated the first tour of the Beatles in the UK with Ringo Starr on drums. Later in the year, he also co-promoted with Brian Epstein to bring The Beatles back for further performances in 1963-64. Albert was well admired and respected by those he worked with and those who benefited from his commitment to providing great music in Germany and the UK though most of his activities were in the north of Scotland. Here are a few audio recordings from “local” musicians who were fortunate enough to play with many of the big names during the beat era. They can be seen live in the special presentation at Elgin Town Hall on the evening of 24 July 2021.
Ian Fraser: https://www.facebook.com/107776990833019/videos/301614094532897/
Where various web-pages are employed, the link is given within the blog. However, the contents of SCOTBEAT are largely based on personal interviews, correspondence, original photographs, promotional materials, and newspaper clippings contained in the Bonici Archives. My research began in 2007 and SCOTBEAT was launched in 2014 with permission of the heirs of Albert Bonici’s holdings. Please credit https://scotbeat.wordpress.com when re-posting notes and “Bonici Archives” with blog notation for scanned photographs. To publish or use materials for a book or television presentation, contact me for high resolution scans. Hope you enjoy this musical journey circa 1950s-70s from the north of Scotland.
SCOTBEAT and http://bonici.wordpress.com includes photos and documents from the Bonici Archives with permission from the Bonici family [PC Holding Co]. You may contact me at dillsdavid@yahoo.co.uk for consent in using images for media projects. Am currently updating http://djdills.wordpress.com with original new collages. #collageart #beatmusic #popmusic #1960smusic
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