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The Moody Blues performed at the Speakeasy Club in London, on December 10, 1967. A French film crew was there to record a special performance of Nights in White Satin, which was broadcast on the French pop show “Bouton Rouge” and is now available for sale and purchase on iTunes. The Speakeasy Club was at the center of the music scene in London during the 1960s and 1970s. It was a small venue, and on any given night you’d find music-legends-in-the-making. There were playing together, checking out new bands, signing contracts with record labels, and falling in love. Both Jimi Hendrix and Brian Jones were in the audience when the Moody Blues performed. Here are a few memories from the Speakeasy Club that give a sense of the times.

“At the Speakeasy Club, I had first met one of the great loves of my life, a very beautiful French model, Charlotte Martin. I was smitten with her from the very first moment I set eyes on her. She was very beautiful in an austere way, classically French, with long legs and an incredible figure, but it was her eyes that got on me.”

–Eric Clapton from “Clapton: the Autobiography”

It was May 31, 1967, the day before the release of the Beatles “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album. The Turtles, riding high on back-to-back hits, “Happy Together” and “She’d Rather Be With Me,” had arrived in London that evening from the States. They were tired, but not too tired to get their taste of the hip London scene. They descended the stairs to the Speakeasy club, checked in at the membership desk, actually a coffin, and glided past the painting of Al Capone. They turned the corner, and sitting at the in-booth were their heroes, the Beatles….Later the Rolling Stones’ Brian Jones introduced Turtles lead singer Howard Kaylan to Jimi Hendrix. As Jimi’s album hadn’t been released in the States, Howard didn’t know anything about Jimi or his music. Jimi had seen the Turtles play in Seattle, was a fan—he even reviewed their latest single for Melody Maker. The two settled in for a getting-to-know-you dinner.

–Press kit for movie, “My Dinner with Jimi: the Turtles’ Howard Kaylan’s outrageous chronicle of one night in London (1967) when he met Brian Jones, Donovan, Graham Nash, The Beatles and an up-and-coming musician, Jimi Hendrix.”

The strange thing about [Ronnie] Wood and the Stones, the quirk that sets you wondering about destiny, prophecy and portents, is that many years before he joined in 1975, a lot of people — even famous musos — thought he was already in the band. Wood says he entered London’s Speakeasy club in the 1960s and was greeted by Muddy Waters crying, “Hey, it’s the Rolling Stones!” and giving him a big hug. Waters wasn’t all that brilliant with names — “He used to call Mick ‘Micky Jaguarrrr’,” laughs Wood — but there was also a certain resemblance between Wood and the Stones guitarist Keith Richards.

–Profile of Ronnie Wood by Tony Barrell, published in the Sunday Times, 12/12/04

Morris’s first photographs of Bob taken at the Speakeasy in 1973 are grainy and dimly lit – just one spot of light catches the instantly recognisable features. The expression on Marley’s face is intense, such was his total immersion when on stage. “He could have been praying, he could have just got hit by a bullet, he could even been laughing,” says Morris, describing his favourite image of this time. “Seeing him live, he expressed himself in all those ways: in his face, his movements, his eyes, everything.”

Kate Mikhail article on photographer Dennis Morris’ pictorial biography of Bob Marley, The Independent, May 23, 1999

Zappa was delighted to find that in England he was regarded as a bona fide rock star. His presence was noticed as soon as he arrived; a buzz went round. Pete Townsend came up, introduced himself, and later they went to the Speakeasy. There they bumped into Noel Redding and Zappa was picked up by Jimi Hendrix’s girlfriend Kathy Etchingham.

Within 24 hours, Zappa had succeeded in becoming the center of attention among the London equivalent of his old LA freak crowd. Pam remembers that the rest of The Mothers stayed in their cheaper, separate hotel while Zappa and she found their room at the Royal Garden filled with Beautiful People. “A room full of groupies, a photographer who was supposed to be making a movie of this whole thing but whose main interest is taking shots up girls’ dresses… Hendrix was there too.”

–Michael Grey, “Mother! The Frank Zappa Story”

“In early May of 1967, the group [Procol Harum, then known as "The Pinewoods"] performed ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ at the Speakeasy Club in London, while [Producer Denny] Cordell arranged for a release of the single on English Decca (London Records in America), on the company’s Deram label.”

–Bruce Elder, All Music Guide

I met John and George down at the Speakeasy,” Maurice [Gibb] related. “I walked in and John Lennon said, “Bee Gees!’ like this. And I said, ‘Hi.” Paul had just walked out then. He’d gone with Jane Asher somewhere. And I just sat and talked to John and he said, ‘I dig your act,” and so forth, which I thought was very nice of him to say….”It was very strange,” he reflected later. “One moment I was in Australia poring over the The Beatles’ fan club books and two months later I was in The Speakeasy Club getting drunk with them.”

Melinda Hector Cook, “The Ultimate Biography of the Bee Gees”