From the Family Photo Box Friday #2

This is a photo of my Uncle Jack, taken at the Apollo Ballroom in Manchester, England in April 1941.  Born in 1919 and raised in Manchester, England, Jack was the eldest of three children, my Mum being the youngest. He married young but left his family and moved to Los Angeles, California at age 27 to follow his father, John Sr., who worked at Capital Records, and to pursue his dream of becoming a professional jazz drummer.  Uncle Jack began playing the drums at the age of 3 and music was his life's passion. Dedicated to his goals, he followed and fulfilled his dreams, playing with many famous jazz bands and traveling the world as a highly regarded drummer for more than 80 years.

At some point, he divorced his first wife, my Auntie Dora, and had only infrequent contact with their two sons, Ralph and Peter.  I think perhaps Uncle Jack and Auntie Dora's marriage was one of those wartime marriages that just didn't stand the test of time.  Uncle Jack remarried and had a second family in California.  He died in 2012. 

Uncle Jack was able to combine his two loves, music and travel, into a career as a drummer on the cruise ships.  I'm pretty sure this is taken off the coast of Hawaii with that being Diamond Head in the background.

As I dig through the Family Photo Box to write these posts, I learn not just more about my family but also about where they lived and significant places from the past.  The Internet revealed some interesting history about the Apollo Ballroom:

Located in the inner-city district of Ardwick Green, just to the south of Manchester city centre. Opened on 29th August 1938, the Apollo Theatre was built for an independent operator and was designed by architects Peter Cummings and Alex M. Irvine. The interior decorations were carried out by noted interior designers Mollo & Egan with the Holophane lighting designed by R. Gillespie Williams.

Seating was provided in the magnificent auditorium in stalls and circle levels. The proscenium was 53 feet wide and the stage was 40 feet deep. There were 12 dressing rooms for artists who appeared in the variety shows which acompanied the film perfomances. The Apollo Theatre was also equipped with a cafe and a ballroom.

It was taken over by Associated British Cinemas(ABC) from 31st January 1943. In April 1960, the World Premiere of the film “Hell is a City” starring Stanley Baker was held at the Apollo Manchester. The film was shot on location in nearby Levenshulme. The Apollo Manchester was re-named ABC Ardwick in 1962.

It was taken over by an independent operator from 30th January 1977 and began to stage pop concerts, with the occasional use for films to fill in dates. Eventually films were dropped.

This stunning Art Moderne style palace became owned by Apollo Leisure, followed by Live Nation. Now independently operated, it serves as a 2,693-seat capacity (3,500 with standing room) concert venue. The cafe and ballroom have been unused for several years.

The O2 Apollo Manchester is a Grade II Listed building.

Contributed by David Pring, Ray Martinez, Ian Grundy, Ken Roe

Source: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1238

My fondest memory of Uncle Jack is the way he always referred to my Mum as "Our Kid".  Still with the slight British lilt he never lost, it sounded so endearing.