When the ‘Godmother of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ performed at an abandoned British station

ITV News’ Gamal Fahnbulleh spoke to fans who were lucky enough to attend the concert, while also learning about its cultural impact on Britain’s blues and jazz scene.
An impromptu concert that took place in an abandoned train station and featured some of the world’s most influential musicians is being remembered on its 60th anniversary.
The show at Wilbraham Road station in Whalley Range, recorded for Granada TV as the Blues and Gospel Train on 7 May 1964, saw greats including Muddy Waters and the “Godmother of Rock ‘n’ Roll” Sister Rosetta Tharpe perform.
It would go on to inspire a generation of music lovers, and is today considered “the number one music event that Manchester has ever had.”
A then-16-year-old David Lunt was one of the lucky 200 fans to get a ticket to the event, and described it as a “dream come true”.
He said: “It was everything I could have imagined. We were in close proximity and got to see the whole inner workings. Very few had been to Chicago or New Orleans.
Watch the entire Blues and Gospel Train performance as it aired in August 1964:
“The largely young audience was knocked out by it. I was pleased that was the case. Little did I know every man in England would become a blues fan.”
On the night of the performance, the troupe of blues musicians were due to perform at the Manchester Free Trade Hall, but were convinced by Granada Television Producer John Hamp to take part in a televised performance at the station beforehand.
Social historian Karen Gabay said: “John Hamp was a visionary. He understood the importance of music. He understood great music. He was the one who captured The Beatles… and recorded with Jazz and blues artists.
“At the time that was a culturally bold move but it wasn’t about that. It was about playing great artists and great musicians.”
Sixty years on from the performance, the then-closed Wilbraham Road station has been repurposed as Chorlton tram stop.
Karen says the concert is too often overlooked by music historians for its impact on the UK’s blues and jazz scene with it introducing audiences to influential musicians like Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
She said: “She was the woman who started Rock ‘n’ Roll. She has influenced so many musicians of today. She was playing on that train dressed in a magnificent white cape, singing to the crowd in the rain.
“It was just an incredible piece of footage and a sight to see. we still don’t see many women play the guitar but imagine back in 1964.
“I think it’s the number one music event that Manchester has ever had and I think it’s important people know what happened here.”
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