Denmark Street

Denmark Street, July 2004

Denmark Street is a short narrow road in central London, notable for its connections with British popular music, and is known as the British Tin Pan Alley. The road connects Charing Cross Road at its western end with St Giles High Street at its eastern end. Denmark Street is in the London Borough of Camden.

Denmark Street appears on surveys from the 1730s. The area around it was known as 'the Rookery', a part of London that had developed in the 18th century as an unplanned slum to the west of the City. Though much of the area was cleared by the end of the 19th century, Denmark Street is one of the few roads in London to retain 17th century terraced facades on both sides. A small court connected by passages (known as Denmark Place) runs along the back of the north side of the street.

Venues on Denmark Street have strong connections with the histories of British jazz, rhythm and blues and punk music. Jimi Hendrix recorded in basements in the street. Elton John wrote his classic early song "Your Song" here. Later, the Sex Pistols lived above number 6, and recorded their first demos there. The street contains London's largest cluster of music shops. It was also the original home of London's biggest science fiction and comic store, Forbidden Planet.

Denmark Street in popular culture

1950s

• In the 1950s and 60s it was where songwriters and publishers were located^[1].
• In the late 1950s in the cafes around Denmark Street Lionel Bart, writer of the musical "Oliver!", heard the latest R&B brought over by young London Merchant Navy men and was inspired to knock out early British Rock and Roll hits for the publishers of Denmark Street.

Regent Sound Studios

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Music shop in Denmark Street

1960s

• The Rolling Stones recorded their first album at Regent Sounds Studios on Denmark Street in 1964.^[1]
• Many entertainers including Donovan and Jimi Hendrix made their first recording at Regent Sounds Studios.^[1].
• George Harrison of The Beatles bought an nylon string acoustic guitar on Denmark street to play on the song "Till There Was You" on their second album "Meet The Beatles"

1970s

• In 1970 Elton John wrote "Your Song", his first hit single, in Denmark Street^[1]. He then mentioned the street in his 1974 song "Bitter Fingers" off his Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy album.
• Denmark Street is the name of a song on the Kinks' 1970 album Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One.
• Manager Malcolm McLaren asked architect Ben Kelly to refurbish a basement rehearsal room for The Sex Pistols, which McLaren had bought from Badfinger.^[2]
• Scott Gorham bought his first guitar with Thin Lizzy on Denmark Street, He had turned up at the audition with a Japanese Les Paul Copy, And when he got the job, Phillip Lynott took him shopping on Denmark Street, where he immediately picked up a Les Paul Standard, but it was too expensive. In the end, he settled for a Sunburst Gibson Les Paul Deluxe with Mini Humbuckers (this was the guitar he used during most of his career with Thin Lizzy).

2000s

• Denmark Street is mentioned in Jamie T's track '368' on the album Kings and Queens.

See also

• 12 Bar Club
• TotalRock

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} [1] The Guardian, Making tracks, Saturday August 4, 2007
2. ^ Matovina 2000, p. 303.

References

• Matovina, Dan (2000). Without You: The Tragic Story of "Badfinger". Frances Glover Books. ISBN 978-0965712224. 

External links

• Covent Garden History information
• LondonTown.com information
• 360° view
• Map of London's Tin Pan Alley, Denmark Street

Coordinates: 51°30′55″N 0°07′46″W / 51.51528°N 0.12944°W / 51.51528; -0.12944