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I found these very small photos I took in Negril in October 1972. The photos were only about 1.5" X 1.5" so not sure how the quality will be. One of the round-a-bout the the other where the Negril river flows into the ocean. Boy have things changed.
Regards,
Bob
Attachment 56490
Attachment 56491
Amazing!! Thank you. It makes my 33 years feel like nothing.
That's the reef club I think.
Cap
You know Cap, I think you are right. I couldn't remember the name till you mentioned it.
Regards,
Bob
My mistake . It was the Warf Club.
Cap
We didn't make it to Negril until 1983, but if you'd like to get an idea about what Negril was like in the early 70's read the book "Banana Shout" by Mark Conklin, founder of Banana Shout. I think Rob knows a bit about how that book came to be.
Here is another Negril novel from a fellow I met at blue Cave Castle. Looks like it is free to Kindle members. The story "based" on actual events takes place in the early 1970's.
https://www.amazon.com/Island-Odysse...s%2C731&sr=8-1
Regards,
Bob
I enjoy seeing the old photos. Thanks for sharing!
willies wharf club. still recall sitting at the table in the center surrounded by the christmas lights. learned patience there as getting a beer was soon come
Didn't the old Wharf Club have an earthen floor?
Island Odyssey,,,,(originally titled "Island Boys" ) is a fantastic read. A must for Negril fans!
The Wharf Club had the bar and restaurant on left side of the West End Road (heading out of town) and the store across the street from the Bar. Back in the early 70's the store was mostly dry goods and I remember the Chinese guy who ran it sold dried Salt Fish. It was the town grocery store. During that time the Villa's complex was being built up on the hill overlooking the town and a "Mall" was built on the street including several shops including a more modern grocery store, Hardware Store, Bank, Bakery, Record Shop, Disco to mention a few.
The Wharf Club had great and very inexpensive food. A Fish or Chicken dinner was like $3.50 JA (The exchange rate back then was $1 USD = .80 cents JA). The dinner included the entree plus a big helping of Rice and a portion of vegetable. You would enter the restaurant and go to the counter and place your order and pay.
It was here I first learned the classic Jamaican saying "Soon Come" after waiting endlessly for my food to arrive. Yes mon "Soon Come"
And yes there was an earthen floor. At the center of the floor there was a riser that was higher than the surrounding seating area so if you sat at that table you were looking over the rest of the restaurant.
The Wharf Club was named after the concrete wharf that was built on the banks of the Negril River where it meets Long Bay
rjohnsun Those are great shots of both sides of the business.
Attachment 56500
Probably one of the last pictures of the Wharf Club, "A Disciplined Club" was featured on one of our year 2000 Negril Today pages that also featured an excerpt from the book, Banana Shout from 1972.
Mark and I spent countless rum filled hours on his porch working on the details of the book.
https://www.realnegril.com/beingees/nn291100.htm
Our first trip to Negril was in 1983. Some of those memories are etched in my brain today. We dropped our bags in our room at the Beach Club and went out to explore. Mr. Williams was an older gentleman in blue khaki work uniform who mostly sat at the front door of Beach Club. He advised us to turn right to walk into town. As we got to the bridge we met a beautiful Rasta woman called Sister Love, who had a craft shop in the Rasta warren on the river below the bridge. Her given name was Adassa and she would become our first Jamaican friend. (Her friend Dorothy P. cooked us our first Jamaican stew chicken dinner the next night.) We continued over the bridge to the circle and off to the right was the phone booth. At the phone booth were the only other white faces to be seen, obviously other tourists. At this point we had been in Negril about half an hour and were feeling a little overwhelmed by all the attention we were drawing. So we made a bee line to the phone booth and met Dave and Kathy from Pittsburg. They had been to Negril several times and when he saw me he asked "First time to Jamaica?" I told him we'd just gotten to town and were a little nervous about how to handle it all. He roared out a laugh and a hearty "welcome to Jamaica. You're gonna love this place!"
Then he and Kathy led us across the street to The Wharf Club. He walked in and shouted "hi fellas!" and everyone in the place yelled back "hi Dave!" He then ordered a round for the boys and Red Stripes were served to everyone. We started meeting people that afternoon and the rest is history. We've gone back at every chance since and now I don't know how many times we've been over the years. But I'll never forget my first ever Red Stripe at The Wharf Club.
ol'yardie,
Do you remember the juke box in The Wharf Club? In the 70's the juke box was the rage and many Jamaican artists got their music to the masses that way. Lone Ranger's Barnabas Collin's Lone Ranger,Gregory Isaccs Soon Forward, U Brown's Please Doctor, Gregory Isaacs Mr. Brown, Marcia Griffiths Stepping Out of Babylon, Jah Thomas Come Nurse come to mind. Not to forget all Bob's stuff!! But these Roots artists had a side B to their 45's called the Dub or Version side. Music was always blasting in and out of the Wharf Club. It was a social gathering place not only for Negril locals but for those visitors seeking that kind of food, drink and entertainment. I sent many hours, lots of dollars there. It was a really fun place!!!!
johng,
I can't say that I remember the juke box but i didn't get to Negril until '83 and maybe it was gone or maybe it was playing and I didn't take notice. I was just totally smitten by this culture I had been welcomed into. I do remember Gregory was huge and I bought his records at the little record shop in the HiLo center at the circle. Also the club Compulsion was upstairs and there was a bakery there. Also bought Bob and a guy named Don Carlos whose album was "Pass me da Lazer Beam". I also remember seeing Beanie Man and Yellow Man at Kaiser's but I think those were in later years. Kaiser's was the bomb on Wednesday nights in those days.
ol'yardie,
I venture to guess that the juke box probably was out of service or obsolete by '83 as there would be absolutely no possible way it was playing and you didn't take notice!! It was always running nonstop and so loud!! Yellowman is originally from Negril and often played gigs in town, Scratch Perry was born not far from Negril before moving to Kingston. I have seen them both at Roots Bamboo as well as dozens of other acts there.
And then there was that whole scene at "the Bus" on the beach for a while
Ah, the Bus. Just mention of that place brings back a load of memories.
...and the fella who drove up and down beach road and west end road all day with a huge loudspeaker on top of his little car announcing "TONIGHT...at the Bus..." followed by the name of that nights performer. Social media posts may be more efficient but they have no flair or theatrical quality.
Hi just wondering if you know who those 2 guys r that r in picture of round about ?
The fellow sitting down was Douglas from Dayton, Ohio. He was traveling with another fellow, Robert Weis. I am standing in the photo.
Regards,
Bob
Remarkable memory dude. What's your secret? I hope it's not 'clean living'.Quote:
Originally Posted by rjonsun
I was told that the "discipline" had to do with allowing no political talk.
Cap
The reason I remember Douglas and Robert so well is that we spent about 2 weeks with them at Porters Cottage in Red Ground. Shortly after our Negril trip Jim and I hitch hiked from the Philly area to Dayton and spent another 10 days or so at their house. We then hitched to West Virginia and spent another week with a friend.
Regards,
Bob
rjonsun,
Thinking back to 72 although I didn't check Jamaica until March 75 I was like you hitchhiking around America. In 1973 I hitched with my buddy Pete from CT to California though the heartland on Route 80 down to Denver and then through the southwest to The Grand Canyon, RT 40 through the Mojave Desert and on to the Pacific Ocean at Long Beach. What an awesome trip it was. After finding JA in 75 in subsequent trips I hitched around the island from Mobay eastward to Portland, over the Blue Mountains to Kingston and the back to the west end in Negril. What a wonderful way to travel!!
I remember the jukebox in 1980 would stop on way to beach after long walk down the hill from 2 Diamonds across from Ten Sing Pen, and have a coffee w/ Tia Maira Al Green would be playing.
After coffee would get a couple of cool Drangon Stout for the beach, cool was what they called cold, back in the day.
Any remember the lady that cooked fish samwichs in little hut by roundabout or the lady under the below the construction and made Banna Friters fo a $1.00.
I made a post on the old board “Back To Memory Lane” with a lot of photo from the 1980 trip, lost the ones from 1974.
Stayed both times at Franklin and Daisy,s across from Tensing Pen.
I wish someone could tell me how to get that post back. I use to find it with google search Tony and May.
Anyone one from back then would know May, she was the on-site pharmacy around Rick’s after dark.
Went back in 2010 stayed a Tensing Pen that was as much of a culture stock and was the first trip in 74.
lane,
So glad that you remember the jukebox in the Wharf Club Bar and restaurant!! My first visit was in 1975 but returned yearly and often numerous times per year until 1983. After a few years off I went back in 87 and on and off in the 90's.
The Wharf Club was a great place to hang out. Yes I imagine when you returned to Negril in 2010 much had changed!!
Lane,Quote:
Originally Posted by lane
The previous board was discontinued in April 2011. It was being run on software that was designed by a company that was no longer in business. We were upgrading the server at the same time and the existing software would not work on the new hosting software/hardware server combination.
There were also unresolvable security issues because of no longer being in business which added unacceptable vulnerabilities that would eventually comprise user data. In addition, there were custom coding added to the board software using non-standard formats, all which made transferring the old board software or just the data impossible.
In simple terms, the old board software and data were just too old to be of any use.
I was not involved in the old board software choice, implementation or non-standard modifications. Being intimately involved in the current board software, seamless upgrades has always been part of the decisions. There have been 4 major upgrades in the past decade with no data loss. Future upgrades will not have any data loss issues either.
Here is the store in 1980 from "Back To Memory Lane"
I went down to get bread for Daisy early one morning, All the Frenchman wanted French toast at Rocky Dell For breakfast.
They only has a dozen loads left but plenty of Rum and Red Strip not much more.
Shelve were pretty bear. But that was Negril back then.
I think this is about the last picture taken of the "Disciplined Club" wording for the old Wharf Club Bar.
https://i.postimg.cc/qqJfgGD9/nn291100.jpg
The picture was originally posted back on a November 29, 2000 Negril Today page - almost exactly 22 years today:
https://www.realnegril.com/beingees/nn291100.htm