 1950s advert, on a public transport, for the Mecca-owned Locarno Ballroom in Glasgow. | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | 1933 (as Mecca Agency Limited) |
| Founder |
|
| Headquarters | London, England, UK |
Key people | Michael Guthrie, Chairman |
Mecca Leisure Group (also known as Mecca Leisure Ltd, Mecca Ltd, and Mecca Dance Ltd) was a British business that ran nightclubs, hotels, theme parks, bingo parlours and Hard Rock Cafes.[1] During the 1960s, Mecca was a centre of entertainment with numerous nightclubs throughout major United Kingdom towns and cities. Mecca ballrooms were used for the BBC TV show Come Dancing.[2] Eric Morley was a general manager of dancing at Mecca Leisure Group and was involved in the Miss World competitions.
Notable DJs performing at Mecca nightclubs include Jimmy Savile[3][4] from 1960[5] and Pete Waterman.
The Coventry Locarno is the subject of the Specials song "Friday Night, Saturday Morning", B-side to Ghost Town.[6] Chuck Berry's live version of "My Ding-a-Ling" was also recorded there.
- ^ "The Rank Group plc - Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on The Rank Group plc". www.referenceforbusiness.com. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ "Come Dancing - UKGameshows". www.ukgameshows.com. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ "A Study in Branding Popular Entertainment". meccadancing.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ "Jimmy Savile". DJHistory.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ "Leodis - a photographic archive of Leeds - Display". www.leodis.net. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ "The Specials - Music / Lyrics". Retrieved 15 August 2015.