Open Thu to Sun 12pm to 5.30pm (last entry time 5 pm)

Playlists

★ PLAYLISTS ★

Celebrating all that has made this little island so famous - from its unique working boatyards to the part the Eel Pie Island hotel played in the British Blues explosion of the 1960s and how it helped superstars such as the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart kick start their musical careers…

Vol. 1 - 1956 - Jazz Playlist

From 1956 Jazz loomed large at the Hotel and was the first musical movement to really create a ‘scene’ on the island. New Orleans style jazz from acts like Ken Colyer, Mick Mulligan, and Terry Lightfoot was promoted and even played alongside the emerging R&B scene – there were jazz acts performing until the Hotel’s initial closure in 1967.

Vol. 2 - The R&B Years

Perhaps the most famous years for the Hotel, this was when the Island played a key role in the emerging rock and R&B scene. Bands like The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, Manfred Mann, and Cream graced the stage playing to a appreciative young audience made up of teenagers and local art students.

Vol. 3 - Colonel Barefoot's Rock Garden

The final musical chapter for the Island, the re-opened Hotel played host to the crème de la crème of the emerging prog-rock and heavy rock scenes, including Pink Floyd, Mott the Hoople, Deep Purple and Hawkwind. Despite being a shorter period in time, the playlist is the longest, reflecting the more experimental nature of popular music at the time which had moved beyond the three minute single.

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