Wigan Casino

The Wigan Casino was a nightclub in Wigan, England. Operating between 1973 and 1981,[1] it became known as a primary venue for Northern soul music. It carried forward the legacy created by clubs such as the Twisted Wheel in Manchester, the Chateau Impney (Droitwich), the Catacombs (Wolverhampton) and the Golden Torch (Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent). It remains one of the most famous clubs in Northern England.[2] In 1978, the American music magazine Billboard voted Wigan Casino "The Best Disco in the World", ahead of New York's Studio 54.[3]

This England, a TV documentary about the Wigan Casino, was filmed in 1977. Russ Winstanley and Dave Nowell wrote a history of the club, Soul Survivors, The Wigan Casino Story, which was published in 1996. A stage play by Mick Martin about the Wigan Casino years, Once upon a time in Wigan, debuted in February 2003 at the Contact Theatre in Manchester and has since toured nationally.

History

Wigan Casino was the name of the last incarnation of a Wigan ballroom called the Empress. Local DJ Russ Winstanley and Wigan Casino manager Mike Walker approached lease owner Gerry Marshall to run all-nighters. Walker brought Winstanley, who had a DJ set at the local rugby club, to the Casino Club. At 2 am on Sunday 23 September 1973, Wigan Casino started its first-ever Northern soul all-nighter, with Winstanley as the DJ. After Winstanley and his helper Ian Fishwick, Kev Roberts was the third DJ at Casino all-nighters, who was quickly joined by Richard Searling[4] Soul performers that performed there include Jackie Wilson, Edwin Starr and Junior Walker.

Young people from all over the UK regularly attended Wigan Casino to hear the latest northern soul artists and to dance. There were long queues to get in. The second dance floor, Mr M's, stayed open until 6 am and played oldies songs from a variety of DJs including Dave Evison and Steve Whittle. All-nighters generally ended with three songs that became known as the '3 before 8': "Time Will Pass You By" by Tobi Legend, "Long After Tonight Is All Over" by Jimmy Radcliffe, and "I'm on My Way" by Dean Parrish.[5] Parrish is still active on the Northern soul circuit.

Wigan Casino's 500th all-nighter was held on Saturday 16 May 1981, from midnight to 8 am. Over the eight years it was open, it had over four million people through its doors.[6]

Wigan Council owned the building and wanted to extend the nearby Civic Centre, but short of funding, it never went ahead.[6] The club closed on 6 December 1981; that final night of Wigan Casino in its Northern soul state was DJ'd by Winstanley, and the '3 before 8' were played three times consecutively at the end of the night. The crowd refused to leave; according to Winstanley, to "break this spell of hysteria", he picked a 7" at random from his box and played that. This final Wigan Casino song became one of the most famous Northern soul songs of all time, Frank Wilson's "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)". Annual reunions are held in Wigan hosted by the original DJs.

The Casino is commemorated with a Blue plaque, which was installed in 2014, marking the place where the doors to the club once stood.[7]

The site is now occupied by the Grand Arcade shopping centre, which pays homage to the club with its Casino Café.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "BBC Manchester - Clubbing - Wigan Casino". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  3. "Wigan Casino voted greatest disco in the world". The Guardian. 15 June 2011.
  4. "Chris Hunt | Wigan Casino". Chrishunt.biz. 23 September 1973. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  5. "Casino". www.grand-arcade.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  6. "Another spin for the Casino". BBC Local. 9 August 2007.
  7. "What Does A Blue Plaque For Wigan Casino Mean, Anyway?". Clash. 9 September 2014.

Further reading
  • Shaw, Dave. Casino. Bee Cool Publishing, ISBN 0-9536626-2-4.

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