Barbara: Our dad, we called him “Old Joe”, was a Commissionaire. In the daytime he worked as a messenger at the Westminster Bank in Sheffield, and at night he’d put on his smart uniform and work the doors at the City Hall, Cutlers’ Hall, the Marples, the Gaumont, the Penny Farthing and different nightclubs. He met some of the biggest stars of the day.
He’d been in Burma during the war and seen some terrible things, so he liked to see young people enjoying themselves. The music wasn’t what he liked, he preferred Glenn Miller, and he took mum to see Shirley Bassey, but he enjoyed the excitement.
Carol: Because Dad worked the stage door, we got to see everyone. We used to go after school. We’d have been about thirteen or fourteen. There were two shows at the City Hall, so we’d go to the first one, straight from school, get the bus into town. We’d push through the crowd to the stage door, bang on the door, “Dad, it’s us!” and he’d let us in.
Barbara: The other girls twigged this and started knocking and shouting, “Dad, let us in!” When we were inside, Dad said, “Did you see who were holding the girls back?” It was Paul McCartney and they hadn’t noticed!
Dad would sit us on the seats on the stage and say, “You girls are going to sit there. You do not move. You do not shout. You do not scream.”
“Yes Dad, alright Dad.”
Then The Beatles would come on… and we screamed! You’d come out and your ears were ringing.
We met them twice. One time John Lennon said to Dad, “Your daughter, can I take her out?” Dad said, “No!”
We never got a photo with them because Dad used to say, “Come on girls, out, out the dressing room.” It was only the interval and other people were waiting.
I got their autographs all up my arm. I went in the bath like this [holds arm up]. I always got a kiss and said, “Will you sign my arm?” They were happy to do it.
Somebody threw a homemade Beatle toy onto the stage and Paul McCartney picked it up and gave it to me. I’ve given it to my daughter, she’s right into The Beatles.
When they finished the show, they used to have a decoy taxi that would drive off. The girls would run after that and then they’d whip The Beatles across the road into the Grand Hotel. I don’t know if there was a big clean-up, Dad was out of there as soon as it was finished!
He had five children, so he worked two jobs. He would walk to work from Ecclesfield, work at the bank and then go straight to the City Hall or Cutlers’ Hall. He liked the adrenaline and he liked seeing young people enjoying themselves.
We saw lots of groups through the 1960s. Everybody. But we were very different growing up. She (Carol) was a mod and used to stay out all night.
Carol: Barbara liked the concerts at the City Hall. I liked the nightclubs. Dad used to get me a free ticket. He loved us enjoying ourselves. I loved the Mojo. The Stringfellow brothers ran it. Geoff worked in the office and Peter was more public. They had all sorts of acts on. I was only thirteen or fourteen and I’d go all night dancing. There was no alcohol at the Mojo then.
I used to be going out with a lad and he used to pay for me to get in, but then he packed me in, and I thought, am I still going to be able to go to the Mojo? So I worked in the cloakroom for a little while. I loved it. It all closed due to drugs, but I never saw any.
Barbara: Talking about it brings it all back. Getting home and the next day at school saying, “Guess who I saw last night! The Beatles!!” At the time we didn’t realise what a big deal it was. It was just our Dad working at the City Hall and going to school the next day telling everybody we’d got Beatles autographs.
When we were kids we didn’t even like each other! We wouldn’t go to the same school. She was a mod! So when I had the chance I chose a different school.
Carol: But we’d still meet at the bus stop to go into town to the City Hall. We’d be friends then.
Barbara: We ring each other every day now.
Carol: Every day.
*You can see Old Joe in his Commissionaires uniform here:
Picturesheffield.com
ref: s03446
This is part of a growing archive of Sheffield Beatles memories. You can read more stories here: https://fanarchivebeatlessheffield.uk
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