TWO legends of music and art will unveil their first-hand stories of life with Jagger and Richards and Paul McCartney at a Harrogate art gallery on July 30.
The show, Spirit Of 66, may be the closest fans of the Rolling Stones and The Beatles will ever come to knowing what it was like to be in the world's greatest rock groups at the height of the Swinging Sixties.
Featuring an exclusive talk with music biographer Chris Salewicz and Pop artist Dudley Edwards, the event will take place at RedHouse Originals gallery, in Cheltenham Mount, 50 years to the day since England’s ultimate sporting triumph, Geoff Hurst hattrick et al, in the World Cup Final against West Germany at Wembley.
As well as the literary panel, Spirit Of 66 will present a new exhibition on Swinging Sixties photos and a gig by pysch rock band The Chessmen. “1966 was such a year of excitement and this new event aims to recreate that with some VIP guests,” says gallery owner Richard McTague.
Music biographer Chris Salewicz
Curated by RedHouse and Graham Chalmers, of independent music promoters Charm, the programme will open with the 4.30pm exhibition of classic 1966 music photographs by Gered Mankowitz, who shot the cover of The Rolling Stones’ Between The Buttons album and a million other things, plus 1966 World Cup Final memorabilia, memories and exciting new contemporary art inspired by 1966.
This will be followed at 5.30pm by "The Beatles vs The Stones – First-hand accounts by the people who knew them best”, presenting Chris Salewizc In Conversation with Dudley Edwards, face to face with the distinguished music critic from NME’s golden age.
Salewicz was senior features writer for the New Musical Express from 1975 to 1981 and has produced 15 music biographies, such as Mike & Keith – Parallel Lines; Paul McCartney – The Definitive Biography; Redemption Song: The Ballad Of Joe Strummer and Bob Marley: The Untold Story.
Salewicz, a friend of Mick and Keith, will be interviewed by journalist Graham Chalmers alongside special guest Pop artist Dudley Edwards, co-founder of legendary 1960s collective BEV, alias Binder, Edwards & Vaughan, who were famed for their groundbreaking psychedelic artworks across Swinging London.
Leeds band The Chessmen
During the mid-1960s, Edwards lived with both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, witnessing the writing and recording of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album and notably designing McCartney's famous "Magic Piano", which he uses on tour to this day.
The event will conclude with the psychedelic gig from 8.30pm to 10pm by the bright young Leeds band The Chessmen. "They'll be bringing their hallmark brand of 'Sixties-licked psychedelic garage madness' to the salubrious surroundings of Harrogate's most historic venue: The Club, whose past members included Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and JR Tolkien," says co-organiser Graham Chalmers.
A strictly limited number of tickets are on sale now at harrogatetheatre.co.uk; £5 for the exhibition and talk; £5 for the gig; £8 for the full event.
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