Category: 1967

Jimi Hendrix Plays Live at Blackpool Opera House

ABC Odeon Cinema – 14 & 15 April 1967 Continuing with the UK package tour featuring The Walker Brothers, Cat Stevens, Engelbert Humperdinck, The Californians, The Quotations, and MC Nick Jones; The Jimi Hendrix Experience performed two shows at the Odeon Cinema in Blackpool. Hendrix later said in an interview, “Although I wasn’t scared starting my first big tour, we did wonder how they would accept us, there being so many different acts and us probably the most extreme of all. In Blackpool, the police slipped Mitch and Noel through side doors and took me around the block five times… Read more »

RHO Hills Store Fire

The RHO Hills fire in Blackpool on May 8, 1967, was a devastating event that led to the complete destruction of the iconic department store located on Bank Hey Street. The fire started shortly after midnight, around 12:20 AM, and within 15 minutes, flames were already visible from miles away. The store’s night watchman, Owen Davey, was the first to notice the fire during a routine security check when he detected smoke and discovered a raging fire on the second floor. Despite a swift response from approximately 60 firefighters from Blackpool, Preston, and the Lancashire County Brigade, the fire quickly… Read more »