Places features

It's had three different homes but remains as much a part of Dudley's fabric as the nearby castle and zoo and the Black Country Museum.

Bono performs at Live8

JB's has hosted some of the biggest bands around and lays claim to being the longest-running live music venue in the country.

Alongside U2, the likes of Dire Straits, UB40, Robert Plant, Judas Priest and Sting and The Police have all rocked audiences at the town venue.

Some Irish band

JB's is still under the same owner, the down-to-earth Tiptonian Sam Jukes, who is organising a celebratory charity gig on Wednesday 2 September featuring Seasick Steve, with Ian Parker and Scott Matthews.

"No one had heard of U2 when we booked them," admits Sam, 62.

"People would ring up and and say, 'Who's on tonight?' and we'd tell them, and they'd say, 'Who're they?'

Robert Plant

"Oh, some Irish blues band, come and have a look."

Cradley Heathens

The dad-of-two originally opened JB's at Dudley Town Football Club before it moved to King Street in the early 1970s, and then on to its present home in Castle Hill in 1994. Another club was opened in neighbouring Walsall but closed after eight years in the early 90s.

"I was never into music to be honest, " admits Sam in his trademark matter-of-fact manner.

"My old partner Sid Weston was more of a music buff than me.

The Mothers Club

"We got cajoled into doing it as we used to go and see a lot of bands from outside of the area so we decided to do it ourselves.

Judas Priest

"We used to go to the Mothers [Club] at Erdington and we brought a lot of bands over from there to Dudley and persuaded them to come and see us for a change."

Sam says he started the club after his football and speedway career ended prematurely after a bad accident in a meeting with Cradley Heathens.

The former Walsall FC trainee, who played for semi-pro teams Kidderminster Harriers and Dudley Town, says he was riding for Sheffield during the mid 60s when he fractured his leg and knee.

Starting gate

"I got crocked down Cradley and that brought everything to an end," he says.

"My thigh was broken in three places and I'm still limping now.

"I've still never seen an accident like it - somehow I hit the starting gate going down the straight."

JB's took its name from the initials of local DJ John Bryant, who Sam says was a hit with the ladies.

Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits

"He was a bit like George Best only better looking," exclaims Sam.

Turning people away

"The women used to love him to bits and he'd fill venues so we thought it would be a good name for the club.

"We used to go down the colleges and universities and end up getting home at six or seven in the morning and then be in work for eight; eventually we thought we'd better get a base of our own."

The first night at JB's was virtually empty, says Sam, but soon he was turning away hundreds of music fans and had to look for bigger premises.

The toilets

"This was a really healthy period for us," he says.

Andy and Sting on Top Of The Pops

"There were a lot of venues across the country - 'the toilets' as they were called.

"Everybody played 'the toilets' and quite a few bands have gone on to national and international fame and are still there.

"The riders for groups back then extended to burger and chips and bottles of Newcastle Brown [Ale] but now it's a bit more sophisticated - it's cans of Newcastle Brown and homemade curries!"

Proceeds from the gig on 2 September will go to cancer charity The Proton Effect. Doors open at 7.30pm.