Regulars recall Plaza’s heyday

Former regulars at the Old Hill Plaza club run by legend Ma Regan today recalled the days when the Black Country music venue was the place to be.

Bob Bailey says musicians such as Noddy Holder, Bev Bevan and Joe Brown, who all started out at The Plaza, “owe Ma one”.

“She started their careers,” he says. Now Bob says he is going to contact as many stars as he can to invite them to her funeral and wake, which takes place on Tuesday.

The Plaza hosted top name acts of the 1960s including The Beatles, The Kinks and The Moody Blues and was one of the top live music venues in the region. It later became a bingo hall but has now closed following the death of its much loved manager, 94-year-old Mary Regan last week.

Nostalgic former revellers who used to dance the night away at The Plaza have been recounting their memories to the Express & Star.

Ron Pargeter, aged 63, from Tipton, still has his membership card which he used to get through the doors of the music hall most weeks.

“I was there when The Beatles played,” he said. “I was 18 at the time and no-one knew who they were, I went for the girls rather than the music to be honest. I used to love going down to The Plaza for a dance, everyone did, Liverpool had The Tavern and the Midlands had The Plaza.” Sedgley man John Willis, aged 65, also has fond memories and said it was “pure luck” that he got to see The Beatles perform there in 1963.

He said: “The first time we went to see them the queue was all the way round the block, we’d just got to the door and we were turned away because it was full.

“The second time we got there even earlier but the queue was almost as bad. Then suddenly the heavens opened and the crowd dispersed.

“We rushed to our car not too far away and when it stopped we were the first back in the queue and we had front row seats.”

The funeral will take place at The Oratory on Hagley Road at 12.45pm on Tuesday, with a celebration to remember Ma’s life starting at 2.45pm at The Plaza.