King’s Heath gets Kinda Kinky

Fans of The Kinks are being invited to come and get Kinky in King’s Heath on Sunday 7 July and celebrate a legendary performance by the group  at the former Ritz Ballroom, that was gutted by fire earlier this year.

Brothers Ray and Dave Davies brought The Kinks to the Ritz in June 1966 and included in their line-up for the first time was John Dalton after regular bass guitarist Pete Quaife broke his leg in a car accident. Appearing only two days after being recruited, John had virtually no time to practice. Three years later he would re-join as a permanent member.

The Kinks’ appearance at The Ritz came just after they released “Sunny Afternoon” which became their third No. 1 hit in the UK singles charts. The group went on to have a total of seventeen Top Twenty singles including “Dedicated Follower of Fashion”, “Waterloo Sunset” and “Lola” and five Top Ten albums starting with “Kinda KInks”

Fletchers Bar on York Road directly opposite the former ballroom on York Road, King’s Heath will host the “All Things Kinky” event from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Top and emerging local musicians including Ben Calvert, Mr Apollo, Robert Lane, James Connolly and Harriet Harkcom will give their own unique interpretation of their favourite Kinks’ songs.

Advance tickets are now on sale and cost just £2.50 from the Kitchen Garden Cafe on York Road or www.wegottickets.com. Any remaining tickets will be available on the day for £3 but space is limited for this historic event so it is advisable to book in advance.

Local residents Bob Prew and Ken Whittaker who are organising the event said: “We are hoping for a “Sunny Afternoon” but come rain or shine we intend to make this a great event. We want as many Kinks fans as possible to come to King’s Heath on 7 July to help us celebrate our amazing musical heritage. The Kinks are one of the most important British groups of all time and they continue to have a major influence on today’s music scene. This session has been specially designed for everyone who likes to be Kinky “All Day And All Of The Night” and there will be a special prize for the Best dressed 1960s “Dedicated Follower Of Fashion” who turns up!”

Ritz Ballroom

The first Birmingham Civic Society Musical Heritage plate was unveiled by the Lord Mayor on 27 June 2012 to commemorate the really significant part played by the Ritz Ballroom in Birmingham’s Musical Heritage. The Ritz Ballroom was one of four music venues run in the West Midlands by legendary Irish couple Ma and Pa Regan. Most of the major artists of the 1960s played there at the start of their careers including The Beatles on 15 February 1963, The Rolling Stones on 14 September 1963, Robert Plant on 24 April 1966, The Kinks on 11 June 1966 and Pink Floyd on 16 December 1967

The Ballroom closed down at the beginning of the 1970s when the Regans converted it into a Bingo Hall. After Pa Regan died in 2004 and Ma Regan died in 2008, the building was vacant until it became a Cash Converters shop.

The Building was gutted by fire on 27 March 2013 and it’s future is uncertain.