Marquee Club

Marquee Club, London - For Marquee Club, Hamburg use [l1196731].
The Marquee Club was the brainchild of Harold Pendleton, founder of the National Jazz Federation and friend of Chris Barber. The Club first opened in April 1958 at 165 Oxford Street, London, in the basement of the Academy Cinema, featuring live jazz & rhythm & blues groups - much in competition with nearby venues the [l308869], [l266416] and [l97075]. Its name was taken from the cinema's Marquee Ballroom which had hosted dance orchestras & swing bands. The 'circus decor' of this Marquee continued in the design when the venue was relocated to 90 Wardour Street in 1964.

The Oxford Street location was resident to many key figures & groups. The Rolling Stones, Alexis Korner, Cyril Davies And His Rhythm And Blues All Stars, Mann-Hugg (Manfred Mann's Earth Band), Tubby Hayes, Johnny Dankworth and many more. Due to a 2nd cinema being installed the Club was forced to move, finding a new home in Soho's Wardour Street on 13 March 1964 along with the resident band The Yardbirds who recorded their live debut album at the Club that night. The Venue also had a recording suite on the upper floor as Marquee Studios. A whole new generation of stars emerged from residency or sets at this venue, such as The Spencer Davis Group, The Who, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and more, along with three classic appearances by Jimi Hendrix. Marillion played 22 gigs at the Marquee. The Marquee Club closed on the night of 18 July 1988, with a set by Joe Satriani.

Between 1988 and 1995 the Club was located at 105-107 Charing Cross, London. Some seven years after its closure, an attempt to resuscitate the Club's legend was made by David A. Stewart - this existed at Islington Academy, 16 Parkfield Street and survived for just four months before closure in 2002. Another promoter, Plum Promotions, opened a further Marquee Club in 2004 at 1 Leicester Square but this also closed a year later.