Back in the Sixties, Bradford’s Rainbow Lyceum was the place to be seen.

Many of the big acts of the day appeared there, including Tom Jones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Lulu and Dusty Springfield.

A regular on the bill was Bradford singer David Higgins. Sadly, David died in May 2004, aged 67, and his widow, Sylvia, wonders if any readers remember him from Bradford’s musical golden years.

David had initially performed around the pubs and clubs of West Yorkshire with his band, Dave Gold and the Blue Diamonds. When the band split up, David went solo and Sylvia says one of the clubs he used to sing at was the Rainbow Lyceum in Laisterdyke.

“He and the group used to sing a variety of songs of the day,” recalls Sylvia. “He did the opening and warm-up for acts such as Joe Brown, Dusty Springfield, Lulu and Acker Bilk, and various other big stars of the time. David was well-known around the local circuit around this time and had a lot of fans.

“Later, in the Eighties and early Nineties, he still used to enjoy entertaining people, singing mostly ballads by this time.

“It would be really nice to know if the older generation of Bradford still remember him and the group. David was quite a character and always had a few jokes to crack along the way.”

Sylvia has kindly lent us a photograph of David in his heyday. Unfortunately she doesn’t have one of the Blue Diamonds, but if any readers remember the band and have photos of them, we’d love to hear from them.

l The glory days of the Rainbow Lyceum, which later became the Talk Of Yorkshire until it closed in the 1970s, were remembered at a tribute night, held recently. The event paid tribute to a concert in 1966 which launched a special week of shows by Tom Jones and Jerry Lee Lewis.

“It went down in music history in Bradford,” said Garth Cawood, whose band, the Dingos, were residents at the Lyceum. Jerry Lee Lewis, backed by Tarp Tarrant on drums, played a week of double engagements, appearing at the Lyceum and Guiseley’s Paradise Club.

“Lots of people in Bradford remember the Lyceum and the Talk Of Yorkshire; the place was jammed seven nights a week. It held about 800 people and there were always queues to get in,” says Garth.

“Television personalities and actors who were in Bradford on tour used to go there. It was like a ‘who’s who’ of big names at the time. Stars like Engelbert Humperdink, Dave Berry and the Cruisers, Johnnie Ray, Vera Lynn and Mike and Bernie Winters appeared there. It was a much-loved variety club.”