Peter James Stringfellow (17 October 1940 – 7 June 2018)[1] was an English businessman who owned several nightclubs.
[8] In 1962, Stringfellow rented St Aidan's Church Hall in Sheffield every Friday night, operating the Black Cat Club.
Several bands played in the club, such as the Pursuers, Dave Berry and the Cruisers, Johnny Tempest and the Cadillacs and from London, Screaming Lord Sutch, the Savages, Count Lindsay and Gene Vincent.
The demand for concert tickets was so great that Stringfellow rented a larger venue, the Azena Ballroom in Sheffield.
Other bands that played at the club and who later became famous were Freddie Starr and the Midnighters, the Searchers, Shane Fenton and the Fentones, Wayne Fontana, Long John Baldry and the Hoochie Coochie Men, Rod Stewart and the Soul Agents, Vance Arnold & The Avengers, Dean Marshall and the Deputies.
During its three and half years of business, many bands played at the club, including the Who, Pink Floyd, the Brian Auger Trinity, the Graham Bond Organisation, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, the Yardbirds, Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, the Hollies, the Merseybeats, the Spencer Davis Group, the Pretty Things, Manfred Mann, the Small Faces, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Other American acts who played in the club included the first Tamla/Motown acts to play in the UK, Ben E. King, Sonny Boy Williamson, Tina Turner, Inez and Charlie Foxx, John Lee Hooker, and Little Stevie Wonder.
Comedy duo Mike and Bernie Winters and magician Paul Daniels performed at the club.
The two clubs were combined in 1973 and given the name Cinderella Rockafella's, and Stringfellow dropped the cabaret and put in full-time DJs such as Chris Crossley and Peter Tyler.
However, the Stringfellows hired named DJs including Peter Tyler and Brett Sinclair.
[24][25] He also started Hippodrome Records and one of his acts to sign was Dusty Springfield who released the single, "Sometimes Like Butterflies".
[27] In 1990, Stringfellow introduced table dancing to his New York club with a licensing deal with Michael J. Peter.
[20][22][27] In 1996, Cabaret of Angels, a table-side dancing club was opened for three nights a week at Stringfellow's Covent Garden.
[22] In 2006, Stringfellow opened his second adult entertainment club named Angels in Wardour Street, Soho.
In 2009, he criticised the Policing and Crime Act 2009, saying the licensing changes with regards to lap dancing were "unnecessary" and he would be appealing to the European Court of Human Rights if his current licences were not renewed.
[36][37] He also appeared in season 15 episode 1 of Top Gear, which was broadcast on 27 June 2010, where he had to help Jeremy Clarkson when he was stuck in a rolled over Reliant Robin.