How a Basement Blues Club in West London Forged the Sound of a Generation
In the spring of 1962, a modest basement venue opposite Ealing Broadway station became the unlikely birthplace of British rock music. The Ealing Club, situated at 42A The Broadway, would go on to serve as the meeting place for Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Brian Jones; the venue where the classic Rolling Stones lineup played their first public performance; and the crucible in which an entire generation of British blues and rock musicians forged their sound.
From Jazz Club to Blues Haven
The Ealing Jazz Club opened in 1959, initially programming traditional jazz on Thursday and Friday nights. Its transformation into a rhythm and blues stronghold began on 17 March 1962, when blues musicians Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies relocated their "London Blues and Barrelhouse Club" from the Roundhouse pub to Ealing. The pair had been ejected from their previous venue for introducing electric amplification to their blues sound.
Fery Asgari, a Tehran-born student at Ealing Technical College, managed the club. The basement space, reached by descending narrow steps in an alley leading to Haven Place, could accommodate approximately 200 people. Entry cost five shillings; 25 pence in decimal currency.
The Rolling Stones Take Shape
The club's most consequential moment came in March 1962, when Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, then performing as The Blues Boys, read about the Ealing Jazz Club in Jazz News. The pair sent a tape to Alexis Korner and, on 7 April 1962, visited the club. It was there they first encountered Brian Jones, then performing with Blues Incorporated alongside pianist Ian Stewart. Two weeks earlier, on 24 March, drummer Charlie Watts had met Brian Jones at the same venue.
The first public performance by the classic Rolling Stones lineup, with Charlie Watts on drums, took place at the Ealing Jazz Club on 12 January 1963. Watts became the band's permanent drummer following a gig at the club on 2 February 1963. Keith Richards later reflected on the venue's importance: "Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner got a club going, the weekly spot at the Ealing Jazz Club, where Rhythm and Blues freaks could conglomerate. Without them there might have been nothing."
A Magnet for Musical Talent
Between 1962 and 1965, the Ealing Club's Saturday night sessions became legendary for their cross-pollination of musical talent. Regular performers included Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and Graham Bond, who would later form Cream. Eric Clapton occasionally stood in for Mick Jagger when the latter suffered from a sore throat. Rod Stewart, Long John Baldry, and Dick Heckstall-Smith were among other future stars who passed through.
The Who, then performing as the Detours, played the Ealing Club, as did Manfred Mann (then the Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers), Eric Burdon of The Animals, and jazz guitarist John McLaughlin. Eric Burdon reportedly hitchhiked from Newcastle to visit the club, where Alexis Korner selected him and Mick Jagger to sing together.
Technological Milestone
The venue claims another significant place in music history. One Sunday night in 1963, the Ealing Club hosted the first public performance using the classic Marshall JTM45 guitar amplifier. The band assembled to test the pre-production model included drummer Mitch Mitchell, then working at the Marshall shop in nearby Hanwell, and saxophonist Terry Marshall, whose initial gives the 'T' in 'JTM'.
Influence and Legacy
The Ealing Club's influence extended beyond its walls. After visiting the venue, Harold Pendleton switched the Marquee Club's programming from jazz to rhythm and blues. John Mansfield was inspired to establish the Ricky-Tick club in Windsor after experiencing a night at Ealing.
The club ceased operating as a music venue in March 1966, though some sources suggest live music continued until 1971. The basement has since housed various establishments, including the Broadway Casino Club, Tabby's, The Nutmeg, and Chequers. It now operates as The Red Room nightclub.
Recognition and Remembrance
On 17 March 2012, a blue plaque was unveiled commemorating the club's contribution to British blues and rock music. The documentary film Suburban Steps to Rockland: The Story of The Ealing Club premiered at the Barbican Centre on 4 November 2017. Sky UK acquired broadcast rights in 2019. The Ealing Club Community Interest Company continues to campaign for recognition of the venue's musical heritage.
What began as a weekly gathering for blues enthusiasts in a suburban basement grew into one of the most significant locations in British popular music history. For Ealing residents and music historians alike, the club at 42A The Broadway remains a tangible connection to the moment when a distinctly British sound first emerged.