English | ASIN: B09XWJ5WK3 | 2022 | 9 hours and 31 minutes | MP3 | M4B | 262 MB
The untold story of a British institution. Pete Brown is a convivial guide on this journey through the intoxicating history of the working men's clubs. From the movement's founding by teetotaller social reformer the Reverend Henry Solly to the booze-soaked mid-century heyday, when more than seven million Brits were members, this warm-hearted and entertaining book reveals how and why the clubs became the cornerstone of Britain's social life—offering much more than cheap Federation Bitter and chicken in a basket. Often dismissed as relics of a bygone age—bastions of bigotry and racism—Brown reminds us that long before the days of Phoenix Nights 3,000-seat venues routinely played host to stars like Shirley Bassey, Louis Armstrong and the Bee Gees, offering entertainment for all the family, and close to home at that.