Venue: The Flamingo Club
Town: London, GB

The Flamingo Club was a jazz nightclub in Soho, London, between 1952 and 1969. It was located at 33-37 Wardour Street from 1957 onwards and played an important role in the development of British rhythm and blues and modern jazz. During the 1960s, the Flamingo was one of the first clubs to employ fully amplified stage sound and it used sound systems provided by ska musicians from the Caribbean. The club had a wide social appeal and was a favourite haunt for musicians, including the Who. No 37 Wardour Street was previously the address of the Shim Sham Club, which opened in 1935 and was known as "London's miniature Harlem". The club first opened in August 1952 under the ownership of Jeffrey Kruger, a London-born jazz fan, and his father Sam Kruger. Its first premises were in the basement of the Mapleton Restaurant at 39 Coventry Street, near Leicester Square. Jeffrey Kruger's intention was to provide a centre for high-quality music in comfortable surroundings. It was promoted as Britain's most comfortable club and male visitors were expected to wear ties. The club acquired its name from the song "Flamingo", which was used as a theme tune by the resident band, Kenny Graham's Afro-Cubists. Acts were introduced by Tony Hall. The club rapidly gained a strong reputation, attracting visiting performers such as Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and in 1954, Billie Holiday. In April 1957, the club moved to new premises in the basement of a former grocery store at 33-37 Wardour Street, where it initially remained primarily a jazz venue, with Ronnie Scott and Tubby Hayes as members of the resident band. The club became particularly well known for its weekend "all-nighters", staying open on Friday and Saturday nights until 6.00 am, a practice that had started on an occasional basis in 1953. Jeffrey Kruger and his father Sam continued to own the club, but its management was taken over in 1959 by Rik Gunnell, a former boxer, market worker and bouncer, who had previously run an all-nig