Situated at 8-10 Lee High Road, and boldly advertising 'West End End Club in Lewisham,' and originally frequented by young Jamaicans, as well as some white Mods, the El Partido opened in early 1964

Spread over two floors and from an inauspicious beginning, the venue began to grow in credibility and crowd size after introducing a ‘Soul Sound Discotheque’ with DJs playing the latest Motown, Soul and Rhythm and Blues sounds. Tracks such as Slim Harpo’s ‘Baby Scratch My Back’ and Edwin Star ‘Stop here on Sight,’ were pulled from a large home-made chest with most of the titles scratched out - so to prevent rival sound system operators knowing what they were playing.

From late 1964 the venue introduced a live music policy. Cult Beat bands such as Timebox, The Eyes and residents The Loose Ends all played. But in terms of Soul and Rhythm & Blues Artist, it really was a truly stellar cast of artists which performed. Major Lance, Bo Diddley, Lou Johnson, Lee Dorsey, The Drifters, Doris Troy, Inex and Charlie Foxx, Wilson Pickett, Don Covey all performed, with many of them doing an extra date ‘Down Sarf’ on the Sunday after playing West-End shows on the Friday and Saturday.

This print reflects the Ska, Bluebeat and Jamaican Roots of the club. In 1965 Duke Reid took over the top floor with his massive home-made sound system and began his Sunday and Wednesday night residencies. Count Ossie was a regular, and is shown on this 1965 poster, playing along with a then unknown Jimmy Cliff, Owen Gary and Jackie Edwards at this Easter Weekend bash. Which by all accounts

‘Speakers were stacked up to the ceiling in each open room, pumping out the sound… The smell of hash in the air and people dancing everywhere'.

67cm X 48cm

Peckham Soul Prints

Designed by Craig Jamieson, these prints explore the unique diversity of South London’s cultural and social history. Focusing on archive research, and as well as re-discovering original prints, they often draw on contemporaneous listing material to create completely original artwork

All designs are silk screen lithographic printed and use 100% recycled and sustainable paper.