Public transit Barnes Bridge Type Music and food | Owner Geronimo Inns Capacity 80 | |
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Location Barnes
London, SW13
United Kingdom Genre(s) Rock, blues, soul, jazz | ||
The Bull's Head, also known as "The Bull", is a pub in Barnes situated within the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It hosts live music in an attached music room which has a capacity for 80 people.
Contents
- 19592012
- 2013 change of ownership
- Musicians who have performed at the Bulls Head in Barnes
- Live recordings
- References
Overlooking the river Thames in the south west London suburb of Barnes, it was one of the first and most important jazz venues in Britain. The Bull's original music room was opened at the same time as Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club and became known as the "suburban Ronnie Scott's".
In 2009, The Bull's Head was named by the Brecon Jazz Festival as one of twelve venues which had made the most important contributions to jazz music in the United Kingdom.
1959–2012
The Bull opened as a jazz venue in 1959 and under the management of Albert Tolley, became an important venue for major UK and visiting international jazz musicians during the 1960s.
In 1982 Dan Fleming took over the premises and the venue continued to flourish with its jazz rosta. Fleming added blues and rock acts to its listings, a policy which continues to this day.
The venue featured in Martin Scorsese's History of the Blues (2003).
The music room was refurbished with sponsorship from Yamaha in 2006 and was renamed "The Yamaha Room".
In 2009 the Bull celebrated fifty years as a venue and a spokesman from Yamaha Music stated: "We are delighted to congratulate the Bull's Head on reaching the milestone of its 50th anniversary. We are very proud of the Yamaha Jazz Room and our partnership with this historic venue, the unique place it occupies in international jazz history and its philosophy to present and showcase both established and new talent."
2013 change of ownership
On 1 July 2013 Fleming retired and the Bull's Head lease was sold to Geronimo Inns, a wholly owned subsidiary of Young & Co. Although the new lease agreement was said to protect the continuation of live music a petition to preserve the music room was launched in June 2013. The refurbished pub and music room, needing acoustic improvement, was opened at the beginning of 2014.
Musicians who have performed at the Bulls Head in Barnes
P.P. Arnold, Vic Ash, Guy Barker, Jeff Beck, Richard Busiakiewicz, Maggie Bell, Conte Candoli, Roger Chapman, Al Cohn, George Coleman, The Quentin Collins Quartet Jim Cregan, Jamie Cullum,Blossom Dearie, Digby Fairweather, Willie Garnett, Herb Geller, Coleman Hawkins, Tubby Hayes, Frank Holder Chris Jagger, Mick Jagger,Sheila Jordan, Peter King, Tony Lee, Bill Le Sage, Linda Lewis, Arthur Louis, Humphrey Lyttelton, who performed monthly at the Bull's Head for 42 years, Rik Mayall, Billy Mitchell, Zoot Money, Gary Moore,Lanny Morgan, Dick Morrissey, Never the Bride, John O'Leary & Alan Glenn Allstars, Gerard Presencer, Alan Price, Protect the Beat, Spike Robinson, Shorty Rogers, Charlie Rouse, Ronnie Scott, Sax Appeal, Phil Seamen, Bud Shank, Terry Smith, Harry South, Kathy Stobard, Stan Sulzmann, Bobby Tench, The Barnes Blues Band,Art Themen, Stan Tracey, Charlie Watts, Ben Webster, Don Weller, Harvey Weston, Jimmy Witherspoon, Ronnie Wood.