There was a period in Bradford’s recent history when The Rolling Stones played at a students’ rag ball at Windsor Baths, The Kinks played the Top Twenty Club in Idle and Tom Jones and Jerry Lee Lewis booked in for a week of shows at Laisterdyke’s erstwhile Lyceum Rainbow Club.

In the 1960s, the subterranean Students’ Club (under Prince’s Way, opposite the Odeon), hosted the likes of ‘Gorgeous’ George Melly, Kenny Ball and Acker Bilk, and places such as The Mecca ballroom on Manningham Lane, the Tudor Ballroom, Dudley Hill, and The Gaity on Tyrrel Street, flourished.

One man in the middle of all this was Garth Cawood, then a member of The Dingoes, now a booking agent and a member of The Elderberrys, veteran rock ‘n’ rollers made up of members of The Dingoes and the Mel Clarke Four.

Garth said: “People book us for 60th and 70th birthday parties. We’re not an act as such; it’s for a specific audience who want to remember those days.”

Next Friday, The Elderberrys will be sharing a stage at the Octagon in Keighley with members of former local legends The Cresters, whose guitarist Richard Harding played for US recording stars Tammy Wynette and George Hamilton.

For many years, way back then, stand-up comedian Johnny Casson was The Cresters’ drummer. He won’t be skiffling the skins later this month, though. Richard Harding will be accompanied by a bass player and a drummer.

Garth Cawood’s career in popular music and entertainment started early. His stepfather Ernest Page and mother Dulcie Burton were Yorkshire professional dance champions in the early 1950s. They held sway at The Tudor Ballroom at Dudley Hill. Young Garth put on the records.

After leaving Wibsey Secondary Modern at the age of 14, he spent a couple of years in the photography department at the T&A; but he was more cut out for the limelight than the dark room and took to the stages of the clubs of Bradford, of which there were many more than 50 years ago.

He compered shows for The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, became friends with Tom Jones and was in turn befriended by singer Jess Conrad.

“He took me to St Tropez where I worked in Brigitte Bardot’s club. I made records.” he added.

Back in Bradford he did a lot of work at The Talk of Yorkshire, up Leeds Road, formerly the Lyceum. He remembers queues round the block and show nights six days a week.

“Now there’s only working men’s clubs left for performers to do their apprenticeships – to learn the business.”

The show is on at the Octagon, Sandbeds, near Keighley, on Friday, May 16. For details, call (01274) 562252.