Opportunity Knocks was a British television and radio talent show originally hosted by Hughie Green in the 1960's.
The show gave unknown performers and artists the opportunity to perform on television and be judged by the public winning acts on Opportunity Knocks were decided not by a panel of experts but by the viewing public. In the ITV version this took the form of a postal vote, the winner of which was announced the following week.
Lord Woodbine helped form one of the 1st Steel Band Groups in the UK. The All-Steel Caribbean Band, who were resident performers in his own New Colony Club.
The All-Steel band also played evening sessions in the basement of the Jaca-randa, a coffee-bar venture run by a Mr Allan Williams.
Interestingly Lord Woodbine also booked the Beatles when they were starting out.
During their early years, Woodbine took the young Beatles (then the Silver Beetles) under his wing. Their close relationship gave the band the nickname “Woodbine’s Boys.” It was Woodbine who introduced a young John Lennon to the Black Liverpudlian songwriters that inspired him to learn the blues. John and Paul had a voracious appetite for blues and Caribbean music.
In this rare video we get the rare "opportunity" to watch the All Steel Caribbean bands performance in the Mainstream TV show "Oportunity Knocks in the 60's!
A big thank you goes out to Kirsty Harris for reaching out to Carnevale Network and uploading this Video.
The All Steel Carribean Band was Kirsty's late father in laws group (Sonny Marks along with a few others).
They performed on Opportunity Knocks in July 1965 and this is 1 only 2 recordings that have survived pre 1970's.
Kirsty researched and found this recording as a X-mas present.
The 2nd song is her late father in law singing and we believe that the All Steel Caribbean Band is STILL going today :)
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Can you believe? Couple years ago there was interest in locating anything about this group because the writer was looking for the connection between the Beatles and Lord Woodbine and no one wanted to come forward to talk. Now that the book as been published and no mention was made of their time in Liverpool .... now we are seeing and hearing this? I guess we could expect to see that famous picture of the Beatles with Lord Woodbine in the group. Poor guy was so disappointed when he stumbled upon the advert using the picture but blocking him out of it.
Now, I am seeing the faces of the very same people the man was asking me to name. Another piece of our history buried in a foreign land.
Comments
Ian,
Can you believe? Couple years ago there was interest in locating anything about this group because the writer was looking for the connection between the Beatles and Lord Woodbine and no one wanted to come forward to talk. Now that the book as been published and no mention was made of their time in Liverpool .... now we are seeing and hearing this? I guess we could expect to see that famous picture of the Beatles with Lord Woodbine in the group. Poor guy was so disappointed when he stumbled upon the advert using the picture but blocking him out of it.
Now, I am seeing the faces of the very same people the man was asking me to name.
Another piece of our history buried in a foreign land.
Brenda H.
Thanks very much for the history.