King Mojo Club
Sheffield
Track: My Girl - Otis Redding
The King Mojo Club, often known as the Mojo, was a nightclub in Sheffield, South Yorkshire that operated from 1964 to 1967.
Peter Stringfellow and his brothers had been running the Black Cat Club in the city, which proved a success. In 1964, they opened a new venture, the King Mojo Club, in a converted house on Pitsmoor Road to the north of the city centre. The house had recently served as Dey's School of Ballroom Dancing and benefited from a sprung dancefloor. The club never received a drinks license, but did have a coffee bar.
The club quickly became a centre of the northern soul scene, with popular American acts such as Wilson Pickett (backed by Reg Dwight's Bluesology), Stevie Wonder, Ike and Tina Turner,and Geno Washington playing. It also hosted Edwin Starr's first UK gig.
Stringfellow experimented with a records-only night on Tuesdays, then an original concept. He advertised the list of records which he would play in advance in the local newspaper.
The club hosted up and coming live acts, including Pink Floyd and The Who. The Small Faces played their first gig outside London at the Mojo,and The Kinks worked out the arrangement of "All Day and All of the Night" while at the club.
The Mojo Club was also known for its art. Its walls were decorated by Dave Manvell and Paul Norton in a pop art style, Stringfellow himself painting African warriors dancing. Colin Duffield designed innovative posters for the club, later using his skills to produce a wide range of posters for other local venues.
In 1967, Stringfellow decided to refocus the club on psychedelic music, renamed it the "Beautiful King Mojo", and redecorated it accordingly. He booked Jimi Hendrix, who played despite a complaint about drug use. The Mojo also received complaints about noise, and its license was revoked later in the year. It was converted into a bingo club and was demolished in the 1980s.As a stopgap before their new club "The Penthouse" opened, Pete and Geoff ran Mojo nights in the basement ballroom at the city hall.This was a much bigger venue than the old club with a proper stage.Pete played records an introduced live acts including Johhny Johnson and the Band wagon and Martha and The Vandellas. The Monday club night after Otis Reddings death in December 1967 he played Reddings songs virtually all the evening.
In 1964 the derelict house at 555 Pitsmoor Road, which had once been Day' Dance Hall, became the now famous Mojo Club run by "King of Clubs" Peter Stringfellow. The bomb-site next door became the clubs car park.
Pitsmoor Road
For 3 years the Mojo club hosted some of the most famous names in music including Jimi Hendrix, the Yardbirds, Sonny Boy Williamson and Rod Steward.
The new entertaining Licensing Act was to finally close the Mojo, which had been dogged by controversy throughout its short but spectacular life.
A subsequent appeal failed, with the Mojo finally closing its doors in December 1967.
The Mojo Club was finally demolished in 1982 to make way for new housing. The developers wanted to call the new development the Mojo Mews.
Local residents objected, saying the name 'Mojo Mews' would send the area downmarket, so it was named Firshill Mews.
The Mews is made up of two blocks, the larger facing the road and the smaller running back from were the orginal house was.
A subsequent appeal failed, with the Mojo finally closing its doors in December 1967.
The Mojo Club was finally demolished in 1982 to make way for new housing. The developers wanted to call the new development the Mojo Mews.
Local residents objected, saying the name 'Mojo Mews' would send the area downmarket, so it was named Firshill Mews.
The Mews is made up of two blocks, the larger facing the road and the smaller running back from were the orginal house was.
