LONDON (CelebrityAccess) Peter Stringfellow, 77, famed British nightclub owner, died after battling lung cancer early today.
Stringfellow got his start in the 60s booking bands like the then-unknown Beatles, The Who and The Rolling Stones into his clubs. He went on to open gentleman’s clubs in the 1980s – first in London, then in cities like New York, Los Angeles and Miami.
Known for all of his parties, general fun and for keeping his businesses going for 60 years, he began as a nightclub owner after a conviction and prison time for selling stolen carpets. In 1962, he rented ST. Aidan’s Church Hall in Sheffield every Friday night, calling it the Black Cat Club, booking acts like Dave Berry & The Cruisers and Gene Vincent.
He brought in The Beatles in April 1963. The band was unknown when Stringfellow booked the show and he got them for very little money, but they had a No. 1 hit by the time they played. Demand for tickets was so great, Stringfellow had to rent a larger venue, the Azena Ballroom in Sheffield.
He opened another club, the Blue Moon, at St. John’s Church Hall in Sheffield in 1963, bringing in acts like The Marauders, The Kinks, The Searchers, and Rod Stewart & The Soul Agents. He opened King Mojo Club in Sheffield in 1964. in 1968, it was Down Broadway with first act Jethro Tull.
He opened Stringfellow’s Covent Garden in 1980. It became an immediate hit, where it became a hit for celebrities for 15 years. In 1983 he opened the Hippodrome, which became known as the “World’s Greatest Disco.” Around this time he formed Hippodrome Records, signing Dusty Springfield and releasing her single “Sometimes Like Butterflies.”
He was also responsible for introducing table dancing to his New York club in 1990. He opened his second adult entertainment club named Angels in Soho in 2006.
Stringfellow’s autobiography, “King of Clubs,” was released in 1996.
