The Burgundy Cobbler – Whitley Bay circa 1978/79

In the late seventies I was producing bands and running a record company in Wallsend (UK). At night I played in the Mick Whitaker Band. We played the Burgundy Cobbler in Whitley Bay on Tues and Wed nights. I lived in Manor Court Next door, a block of bedsits owned by the Sid McCulloch who also owned the Cobbler. So the Cobbler became my living room. A whole gang of musicians and muso type people hung out there and for a few years there was a great “Cobbler Community”.

Now here are some sounds from the recording session that spawned this line-up. It is a studio session but it is all live with no overdubs. Typical of the stuff we were playing at the cobbler. Sorry it’s in REALmedia but if I get the time I’ll dig the tracks out again and MP3 them.

Long May You Run -|- I want To Be Loved

Onstage at the Cobbler Left to right (above) Carl Gustaffson, Mick Whitaker, Arny Watson, Phil Caffrey

Onstage at the Cobbler Left to right (above) Keith Gustaffson, Steve Thompson, Carl Gustaffson, Arny Watson

The View of South Parade from my Attic Room in Manor Court

Thompson And Whitaker in the Cobbler Cupboard Dressing Room

Of Course you can’t spend your entire life just having fun so I got married (just kidding) With such proximity it was bound to happen – I married one of the Cobbler barmaids – Molly (that’s my Gran in the Picture)