- published: 24 Apr 2010
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The Roxy was a fashionable nightclub located at 41-43 Neal Street in London's Covent Garden, known for hosting the flowering British punk music scene in its infancy.
The premises had formerly been used as a warehouse to serve the Covent Garden wholesale fruit and vegetable market. In 1970 they were converted to a late-night bar called the Chaguaramas Club. At that time it was owned by record producer Tony Ashfield, who had several hits with '70s reggae star John Holt, with whom he formed a company called Chaguaramas Recording Productions, probably after Chaguaramas Bay in Trinidad.
The Roxy was started by Andrew Czezowski, Susan Carrington and Barry Jones. The main entrance was on street level where you would walk into a small bar and seated area. Downstairs there was a small stage, bar and dance floor. The intimacy of the club had a feel to it similar to the Cavern Club in Liverpool where the Beatles had performed early on in their career.
In December 1976, Czezowski, Carrington and Jones organised three gigs at the Roxy. They financed the venture with borrowed money (Jones, a musician, pawned his guitar to stock the bars, and hire sound equipment, etc.). The first show, on 14 December, was Generation X, a band Czezowski managed. The second on the following night was the Heartbreakers. The third, on 21 December, featured Siouxsie and the Banshees and Generation X. However, it was the Clash and the Heartbreakers that headlined the official gala opening on 1 January 1977 which was filmed by Julien Temple and finally screened on BBC Four on 1 January 2015 as The Clash: New Year's Day '77.
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican reggae singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist who achieved international fame and acclaim. Starting out in 1963 with the group The Wailers, he forged a distinctive songwriting and vocal style that would later resonate with audiences worldwide. The Wailers would go on to release some of the earliest reggae records with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry.
After the Wailers disbanded in 1974, Marley pursued a solo career upon his relocation to England that culminated in the release of the album Exodus in 1977, which established his worldwide reputation and produced his status as one of the world's best-selling artists of all time, with sales of more than 75 million records.Exodus stayed on the British album charts for fifty-six consecutive weeks. It included four UK hit singles: "Exodus", "Waiting in Vain", "Jamming", and "One Love". In 1978 he released the album Kaya, which included the hit singles "Is This Love" and "Satisfy My Soul".
There you were standin' in the shadows
Well I just looked where
I don't see
I'm still pretendin I don't need you
I won't let you know you're killin me
Like some big black widow spider
You know just how to catch your prey
I'm actin like it doesn't matter
And you sneak up from
Behind and whisper my name
There goes your paralyzin eyes
There goes your tantalizin smile
There goes my act of playin it cool
And there go the words
I meant to say
There go the games
I wanted to play
There goes my heart fallin for you
Well I think you're playin with me darlin
You like to see what you can do
Well I should be fishin for Blue Marlin
Instead of bein hooked again by you
There goes your paralyzin eyes
There goes your tantalizin smile
There goes my act of playin it cool
And there go the words
I meant to say
There go the games
I wanted to play
There goes my heart fallin for you
Yeah there goes your paralyzin eyes
There goes your tantalizin smile
There goes my heart fallin for you