ANOTHER afternoon of nostalgic live music at Keighley Library attracted more than 200 people.

The Elderberries, a band of 50s and 60s music veterans fronted by former Keighley nightclub owner Garth Cawood, played hits from the two decades.

And 60s music historian Trevor Simpson, a friend of Elvis Presley’s widow Priscilla, gave another of his popular talks.

Garth, who answered audience questions about his career as a nationally-renowned showbiz entrepreneur, said the afternoon was a great success.

One of the organisers said that over the past 12 months Keighley Local Studies Library – upstairs in the North Street building – handheld several “wonderfully successful” events celebrating local music scene.

She said: “The events featured bands, musicians and speakers, but nothing could have prepared the library for the hundreds of music fans who turned up this time.

“It became standing-room-only quite quickly as nearly every chair in the building was commandeered for the burgeoning audience.

“The event almost literally raised the roof with far more music fans coming than ever expected. The library was soon humming and bouncing to the foot-tapping and impromptu jiving of some of these music lovers.”

Garth admitted to being “a bit nervous” about performing to such an unexpectedly large and enthusiastic audience, but turned in a spot-on performance with the other Elderberries.

Trevor Simpson was compère, back by popular demand, and spoke about the music of the 60s in the Yorkshire area.

He also interviewed Garth about his career and the time he purchased Keighley Variety Club, in North Street, at the end of the 1970s and changed its name to the Funhouse.

Garth has been friends with many TV and music personalities throughout the years such as Tom Jones, Gene Vincent, Billy Fury, Jess Conrad and Diana Dors.

The Rolling Stones supported Garth’s early band, The Dingos, and Garth had introduced The Beatles on stage in Leeds in the early 60s.

The spokesman said: “Entertaining stories included the time Tom Jones (then in the charts at No 1 for Not Unusual) sang for Garth for the price of four pints.

“We loved the fact that Diana Dors, despite being a blonde bombshell in a more chauvinistic era, always managed to ‘manage her manager’ and even took the troublesome PJ Proby under her wing.

“All this made for a fascinating hour of music chat and entertainment, and that was before the band even started playing! “

Local artist David Ingham displayed portraits of Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash and David Bowie.

Children were treated to a Musical Rhymetime with veteran Keighley musician Martin Henderson.