Sheffield retro: remembering when this American pop star was 'carried semi-conscious from Sheffield City Hall - without any shoes'

Paul Anka, Ronnie Hilton, Bill Haley, Billy Fury, Tommy Steele, Cliff Richard and others were all subjected to this ear-splitting trait guaranteed to totally ruin any gig for even the most mildly interested music fan.

But it was one particular show by American Johnnie Ray that was seen as the turning point by many.

Sheffield City Hall had never seen anything like it when he arrived. It's fair to say he was a little shocked himself.

The review said: "Johnnie Ray, the American singer, was carried semi-conscious from Sheffield City Hall last night - without any shoes.

"A wildly hysterical mob of teenage girls attacked him at the end of the show - as the orchestra played the National Anthem - and tried to drag him into the audience.

"Johnnie was making a dash for a side door to beat the audience out of the hall. Attendants stood by with the door open. Somebody had a coat ready for him. But Johnnie did not make it. Clutching and scratching hands grabbed his ankles and brought him crashing down.

"He was trailed down the steps, limp and gasping, with his blonde hair hanging over his brow."

Patricia Eales, a contributor to the book, remembers the hysteria vividly. She said: “I remember going to see Paul Anka at Sheffield City Hall. I went along with people from work and was really annoyed because one female colleague did nothing but scream all the way through the show.

“Seeing Ronnie Hilton, which was slightly more orderly, was a big deal for me. I was in his fan club and everything. I used to wait at the stage door at the City Hall to meet him. He also made a special appearance at Cranes Record Shop. I queued to see him and I got to speak to him again. It was fantastic – I nearly fainted with excitement!”

She was also a big fan of nights in the City Hall Ballroom. “I’d regularly go to the Saturday night dances. I’d go with my friend Denise and her brother Gordon who’d be there to look after us. There’d always be a dance band on.“We’d also be regulars at the Locarno. It was a bit strange in there as there’d be a sloping floor which was left over from it being a cinema. We tried to jive occasionally but we were never very good.

“The City Hall dances were the best though. I remember there was always a man who would march up and down the queue outside with sandwich boards shouting “the end of the world is nigh” – he’d be there every week!

“Denise and I would normally be wearing Dirndl skirts, blouses or dresses – we were always quite conservative. I could never walk very well in high heels so I’d always bring them along in a small carry case and put them on when I got to the dance.”

*Taken from the ‘Dirty Stop Out’s Guide to 1950s Sheffield’ – available from www.dirtystopouts.com for £17.95. Content supplied by Neil Anderson.