New book details history of Chesterfield music scene

Sounds in the Shadow of the Crooked Spire, by authors David McPhie and Ian Lee, focuses on the 1960s and early 1970s, with contributions from ‘those who were there’.

The 288 pages are dedicated to venues, clubs, pubs, ballrooms, bands, record shops and much more.

David, 78, said: “A friend of mine thought I had a story to tell and that prompted me to do it.

“There is a lot of information about the music scene in Chesterfield in the 60s and 70s about all the groups and venues that they played at and the memories from all of that.”

The book took around four years to put together and involved David speaking to a lot of old friends.

“I met a lot of people who I had not seen since for about 50 or 60 years so it was a case of re-meeting them and re-jogging their memories because it was a long time ago,” he told the Derbyshire Times.

The book has 10 chapters and includes retro photos and two CDs primarily featuring Shape of the Rain and The Blueberries. Introducing the book, David writes: “In the 80s, 90s and the first decade of this century I never gave a second thought to writing a book about what happened in the 50s, 60s or 70s, believing that the ‘popular culture’ of time was sufficiently well documented in a national and international sense, and what took place locally was merely a parochial footnote in this narrative.

“A few conversations with friends however, some encountered for the first time since the late 60s or early 70s, encouraged me to think again, making me realise that the musical and entertainment ‘landscapes’ of towns such as Chesterfield constituted a valid historical contributor to this bigger picture.”

n The book is priced £14.99 and can be bought from Tallbird Records in Chesterfield and High Peak Bookstore & Café in Buxton.