The 2i's Coffee Bar
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| Location | Soho, London, England |
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| Type | Coffee bar |
| Opened | 1956 |
| Closed | 1967 |
| Owner | Paul Lincoln |
The 2i's Coffee Bar was a coffee bar in the basement at 59 Old Compton Street, Soho, London, England, between 1956 and 1970. The 2i's was owned by Paul Lincoln, an Australian wrestler and wrestling promoter. Its name derived from earlier owners, two Irani brothers.[1]
The coffee bar had live music and several stars were discovered or performed at the coffee bar, such as: Rory Blackwell, Russ Sainty, Tommy Steele, The Vipers Skiffle Group, Cliff Richard, Hank Marvin, Brian Bennett, Tony Meehan, Jet Harris, Brian 'Licorice' Locking, Terry Dene, Wee Willie Harris, Carlo Little, Joe Brown, Clem Cattini (The Tornados), Eden Kane, Screaming Lord Sutch, Jay Chance, Tony Sheridan, Johnny Kidd, Jet Harris, Paul Gadd (later to be known as Paul Raven and then Gary Glitter), Dene Lincoln, Ritchie Blackmore, Alex Wharton, Mickie Most (as the Most Brothers)[2] and Big Jim Sullivan.
According to an article in Time,[3] Skiffle[4] was brand-new to the UK, and in particular at The 2i's Coffee Bar and nearby, The Cat's Whisker, founded by Peter Evans where "Soho hipsters swelter and suffocate for it... and... generally the musicians were paid with coffee and Cokes". Evans later started the Angus Steak Houses from this Soho bar.
Led Zeppelin's manager, Peter Grant, was a bouncer at the 2i's prior to his career in the music business.[5]
On 18 September 2006, a Green Plaque[6] was unveiled at the site of the 2i's Coffee Bar to commemorate its existence and to celebrate 50 yrs of British Rock 'n' Roll. The building is soon to open as a "Med Kitchen". The basement is now just a lobby area.
[edit] References
- ^ Ed Glinert, The London Compendium: A Street-by-street Exploration of the Hidden Metropolis, Penguin UK, 2004
- ^ Bill Kent
- ^ Time, Monday, April 15, 1957
- ^ McDevitt, Chas:"Skiffle: The Definitive Inside Story. Robson Books. ISBN 0-86105-140-9
- ^ Mick Wall (2008), When Giants Walked the Earth: A Biography Of Led Zeppelin, London: Orion, p. 18.
- ^ http://www.westminster.gov.uk/leisureandculture/greenplaques/ Green Plaque
[edit] External links
- Reportage Special: 2is legendary 50s Soho coffee bar — photographs.
- 2 I's Coffee Bar UK Studios by Joe Moretti
- Confessions of a Sixties Drummer by Carlo Little
Coordinates: 51°30′45″N 0°7′58″W / 51.5125°N 0.13278°W
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