‘Stompin’ George’ Verschoyle (62) from Artane in North Dublin, has been a dominant figure in the Irish rockabilly scene for over four decades. For the first time ever, he has agreed to be interviewed about his life and the Dublin rock ‘n’ roll scene of the 1970s and 1980s in which he played such a pivotal role.
George was born into a musical family; his mother was a graduate of the National School of Music and George and his younger sister were sent to piano lessons when they were younger – but he soon got bored. “The teacher was into light classical, I wanted to be the next Jerry Lee Lewis”, he recalls.
At the age of nine, George began listening to Jimmy Saville’s The Teen and Twenty Disc Club and Jack Jacksons’ Jukebox Show on Radio Luxembourg. Though he usually was put to bed at around 8pm, he convinced his mother to wake him up at 10.55pm on Sundays so he could listen to Barry Aldis’ Top Twenty till midnight. In the early 1960s, the BBC presented a radio documentary on the history of rock ‘n roll which George taped on a reel to reel (he still has the tapes). George pinpoints this series and its opening track, Tongue Tied Jill by Charlie Feathers, as introducing him to what was to become an essential part of his life – rockabilly.
Every Saturday night, George and a mixed group of around twenty friends would go down to the local hop in Chanel College in Coolock. One night the DJs (Don and Gerry) failed to turn up and so George, at the age of 14, offered to step in. This was his first stint at DJing. The year was 1962. After that first night, George began standing in for Don and Gerry on a regular basis.
After gaining in experience and confidence, he was offered the role of resident DJ in The Flamingo Club on O’Connell Street which opened in September 1966. He stayed there for two years playing a mix of 1950s rock ‘n’ roll and ‘60s sounds.
George took a break from spinning records for a couple of years until he bumped into a fellow rockabilly fan called ‘Rockin’ Kevin’ in his local, The Bachelor Inn. The pair hit it off and they soon began organizing “record hops” in the upstairs function room.
The nights were a success and they soon outgrew The Bachelor and moved to The Regent Hotel on D’Olier Street. It was at this time that several of the local biker groups began attending the nights including the Road Rockers MC and the Vikings MC.
A fire that destroyed the hotel a couple of years later meant the venue had to change and The Mondello Club was suggested by biker, Tony Kelly. George used to organize a bus from The Bachelor pub to The Mondello and back every Sunday.
Around 1977, they moved again; this time to Goulding’s Social Club on Townsend Street. A year later, George joined Capitol Radio which was based a few doors down from The Bachelor where he presented a show playing the “best in rock ‘n’ roll and rockabilly”. He remembers that a lot of listeners “used to phone and write in asking why there weren’t any rockabilly hops in town.”
At the time, the only places you could find rockabilly was Sunday nights in Toners where Rocky De Valera & The Grave Diggers played Dr. Feelgood-inspired rock ‘n’ roll or Friday nights in The Magnet Bar on Pearse Street where Hurricane Johnny & The Jets played rock ‘n’ roll covers.
George went to see The Jets in The Magnet a couple of times and decided that the venue would be perfect for a record hop. He spoke to Liam Lynch, The Magnet’s owner, about taking over Monday nights and the rest, as they say, “is history“.
The Magnet on Monday nights which started in September 1978 and ended in March 1983 has since gone down in Dublin rock ‘n’ roll history – with many regarding it as the glory days of the Irish revival rockabilly scene.
It “was an old type workingman’s pub” whose upstairs venue could hold 200 people. George explains that the night attracted a “mix of people including bikers, teds, mods, rockers and the odd punk”. In their four and a half years there, there was never any major trouble. He explains this was because people “policed themselves” because they didn’t want to risk losing the venue as there was “no where else to go for a good night’s music”.
The 1980s saw a huge rockabilly revival in the U.K. with young bands like The Sunsets, Crazy Cavan and The Rhythm Rockers, The Polecats, The Shakin’ Pyramids and the American-born band The Stray Cats breaking the charts. Unlike some other original rockabilly fans who viewed this new generation of rockers as “too punchy” or “too commercial”, George thought for the most part “they were helping to bring the music to a much wider audience”. However, he makes it clear that he “didn’t like or agree with the likes of Showaddywaddy or Mud, who did nothing for rockabilly.”
The two visits of the Scottish group The Shakin’ Pyramids were definitely the “high point of our years in the Magnet” George says. “I know of people who say they were there on the night and who still reckon it was one of the best gigs seen in Dublin. I have seen many bands and artists over the years including The Beatles, but I was never at a gig like the Pyramids, it was electric.”
When The Magnet closed, George felt that their rock ‘n’ roll nights had “had more or less run its course already and it was the right time to leave”. Most felt it was time to take a break anyway. “A lot of the regulars had moved on with their lives, got married, went abroad to work” or had “taken up golf”. George got married to Fran in 1981 and his first daughter was born in September 1981. It was time to take a break from music.
It didn’t last long however and in the mid 1980s, George teamed up with another friend “Boppin’ Billy” and started a residency in The Underground in Dame street which ran for 18 months. After that, they had a several month stint in The St. Laurence Hotel in Howth followed by a pub on Camden Street and finally a little wine bar/restaurant called Blazes on Essex Street.
By this stage, George and his crew were making a name for themselves in the city. They were invited to play at a 30th birthday for the Guinness family in Leixlip and six wrap up gigs for various film shoots. At one of the ‘wraps’ held in a stately house outside Bray when the place was rockin’ at 5am and no one wanted to go home, George recalls that “a famous RTÉ DJ of the time came over to us and said he had never in all his years heard such amazing music – this sort of sums up what rockabilly music is!”
Their final gig together was in The Hard Rock Café but “it was doomed from the start as they would only give us Sunday nights starting at 11pm”. However, they did mange to get an invite to support The Pogues at the National Stadium. “That was really interesting as there were about 2,000 people at the gig and they would break out into spontaneous applause after a piece of rare rockabilly” George reckons it was “possibly the first time most of them had ever heard of Charlie Feathers or Herbie Duncan!”
Stompin’ George is still DJing and boppin’ after 48 years. An inspiration to us all, there’s plans in the woodwork for a Magnet reunion gig in the not so distant future and that’s something we can all look forward to, even if we weren’t there the first time around…
A video filmed by RTE of Crazy Cavan in The Magnet:
An excellent article by Sam about stompin’ george, the man who introduced a lot of us to rockabilly, when we were young’uns, George and Kevin and their vast record collections and knowledge started us on a road that some of us are still on, thank you MR VERSCHOYLE,
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWW
Bringing back great memories, Sam. Will this lead to a Magnet revival??? If so, I’ve thought of a great venue.
just fantastic..brilliant…to see or hear anything in connection with the magnet bar in the 80s..it remains a pivotal time in my life, especially as there was”nt any where else to go…i went to see crazy cavan, shakin pyramids,polecats ,it was electric and of course monday nights with stompin george…when we bopped until we dropped…i still love rockabilly and rock n roll till this day…rockin…………….joe
hey joe remember little old me penny would love to get in touch loads of news for you
How fantastic! Great memories and the best exercise regime ever! Keep on Rockin’ George!
Thanks for a great article. I travelled up to Dublin in the early 80s from Wexford to see Huricane Johnny & the Jets in the Magnet. It was a great night.
About 1995, Sean Foy and myself organised a Magnet re-union in McGrattan’s, just off Baggot St. A good night was had but that was 15 years ago. Let’s get the next re-union happening….
I travelled down to The Magnet many times from Belfast to see the bands.But for me it was to hear Stompin George djing and to see what he was playing.I was djing in Belfast and got many an ideas from George.
Cheers.
Stompin George (legend)
Sorry Guys them days are gone , You could fill a phone box with the amount of Rockabillies in Dublin , and the rest are just jumping on the band wagon , The Magnet days are gone Dub rockabilly
This is a bloody great article, so much fantastic feedback to it too. My folks were folkies, so this is all new to me. A very interesting subculture to say the least.
Caroline fisher, from Newbridge?
No, Carolyn Fisher from Dublin.
Just read this article,very accurate and good. Chas (on Bass) and I went many many times to Stompin George on the Monday nite,and the inspiration was tremendous for me. Even to this day (yes we’re still gigging) we play Red Hot in our repetoire!! I am saddened to inform you of Chas’s passing away as has Dave the Rave (on Piano) My eldest son Shane the Bear plays lead guitar now and needless to say as he was reared on the 50’s early Elvis ,Scotty Moore etc.,etc.,. is well informed and v good (a proud dad,s praise)
Great memories for all of us Merv the swerve (drums) Rocky on guitar Alan Dee (on Piano) and sometimes Bob the Hob along with Paddy the runaway on slap base and now and then on sax different guests.
Keep on Rockin
Hurricane Johnny
Johnny,
Glad you liked Sam’s article, and so sorry to hear that Dave has joined Chas beside that great big Rock ‘n’ Roll jukebox in the sky. It was after visiting the Magnet on a few Fridays to see yourself and the Jets that the idea of setting up on a Monday came about, so if you hadn’t been playing there the Magnet on Mondays would never have happened and I would have been somewhere else entirely!!
Can’t stop keep rockin!
Stompin’ George
It was always peaceful you say ?????How strange that the Teddy Boys Frankie Nolan and crew wrecked th upstairs and Nolan tried to set it on fire on the las ever Friday that I ever went to it !!!!
in the early 1980s a group of us from wexford worked in dublin . our only transport was motorcycles triumph s and nortans , the magnet on a monday was the place to be for real rock and roll . we met up with spanner . big kevin . the vikings m.c. the road rockers m.c . teddy boys and rockers . a cool time . rockandroll and rockabilly are far from dead . the south east rock and roll club recently formed .runs regular gigs in the baily enniscorty co wexford and other venues ‘ we have a growing membership . the jive is alive ###### p.r’
tom holmes from wexford.remember the magnet well,we lived in dublin during that roskand roll era and the magnet on a friday and monday nites was the highlight.love to find out what the lads are doin now.shakin,little joe and the rest,never forget the night we chased a crowd of mods,an the ran into a mcdonalds,jumped the counter and cleared out the back door,and the weekend the welch mods turned up.crazy days.
I remember the magnet so well, don’t know if any one remembers me if you do look me up on Facebook love to hear from some of the old gang. My name is
Penny McNeill.
Great piece and brilliant posts…Monday night at the Magnet was the highlight of the week for this rocker! Parking my old 500 Triumph in the line of bikes outside and meeting the lads. Large bottles and skinnin’ up! The southside rockers from Ballyfermot & Crumlin…Road Rockers and good friends.
I agree with George’s comment about the Shakin’ Pyramids gigs…they were absolutely fantastic and tore the place down! My brudder (Gerry) and me can claim to be the first to see and hear Cavan live in Dublin…we dropped by the Magnet on the Sat afternoon before their first show and could hear the band doing soundcheck…so we snuck upstairs for a private show of Cavan blasting thru “she’s the one to blame”…what a memory! And the gigs were mind blowing…I think Cavan and the lads enjoed them as much as anyone…the crowd in an absolute frenzy and Lyndon Needs going berserk on lead guitar!
And is the Carolyn Fisher above the fine thing that worked for RTE?? Jaysus..what a dancer … I can see her now and hear the music…
A big shout out to all of you from the Canadian prairies…skin ’em up and keep rockin!
Slainte!
PrairieDub
This piece brings back great memories. I used to go there every monday night on a Triumph 500 speed twin…think I was the only girl on a Triumph at the time. I subsequently spotted a guy on a chopper (a member of the road rockers) called Clive…we’ve been now been married 28 years, 3 kids and a grandchild later and he still rides a bike!! Would love if a reunion happened, but it would have to George on the decks!!!
Laura
[…] George, Dublin Rockabilly DJ institution, has informed me […]
Great to read all these memories of the past!
I remember seeing Hurricane Johnny & the Jets in 1981 in the Magnet and being completely in awe of them with ‘Teenager in love’ and other great tracks.
I played a couple of Buddy Holly memorial gigs there myself in Feb ’81 I think and later in sept ’81 to a receptive audience of 160 and 200 respectively. Someone told me that the Magnet owner opted for Rock ‘n Roll when the houses around were demolished but as soon as the newer ones were built and he had his clientelle back, that all changed.