 the rum runner nightclub was opened on broad street, birmingham in the city centre in 1964. it was demolished in 1987 to make way for the hyatt hotel. one of the first 'house' bands, playing the cover versions of the day, became magnum featuring bob catley and tony clarkin. they left the club in 1975 to play their own material of melodic rock. occasionally other live acts played such as quill and jigsaw. regular late night clientele were black sabbath, roy wood, bandylegs, quartz and other notable birmingham bands calling in after local gigs before going on to the legendary 'greasy spoon', across the road in broad street 'the tow rope'. also there were many visits from actors and staff from the close by central tv studios where crossroads and the golden shot series were recorded. record shop owner (rgs records walsall) dj paul anthony was resident dj from 1974 until 1981 before moving on to liberty's nightclub on the hagley road. working six nights a week the music policy was basic funk/soul/disco, soft rock and top 40, an eclectic formula which worked very well. the highlight of the week was the saturday 'crazy night' where lots of crazy party games and stunts were participated in and on the stage and dancefloor which involved copious amounts of crazy foam, ice cold water, soda syphons, flour and spray string. 'the dying fly' from tv's tiswas was a firm favourite. subtle it wasn't. paul and michael berrow, sons of the club's founder, relaunched the club in the late 1970s after visiting studio 54 in new york. they borrowed some of 54's flashy look: mirror flex, pink neon flashes, moving lights and palm trees, as well as its eclectic power playlist. resident dj paul anthony was told to throw away his microphone concentrate on new york style disco mixing, the technique of synchronising the beats per minute (bpm's) of one record into another.this is how paul anthony became birminghams first new york style mixing dj. roxy music and david bowie nights were accompanied by jazz funk nights with djs shaun williams and dave till which were strongly influenced by new york's chic power disco. a real milestone in the history of the rum runner was when a newly formed group of musicians called duran duran brought in a demo tape. there was an instant mut
Buildings_and_structures_demolished_in_1987 Music_in_Birmingham,_West_Midlands Nightclubs_in_Birmingham,_West_Midlands