Ken 'Snakehips' Johnson
Ken 'Snakehips' Johnson
Stephen Bourne, Mother Country - Britain's Black Community on the Home Front 1939-45 (The History Press)
Ken 'Snakehips' Johnson
Charles Graves, Champagne and Chandeliers - The Story of the Cafe de Paris (1958)
Ken and Una Marson in the BBC headquarters studio
Stephen Bourne, Mother Country - Britain's Black Community on the Home Front 1939-45 (The History Press)
Song sheet
Stephen Bourne
Cafe de Paris, Coventry Street
Nicknamed 'Snakehips' due to his smooth moves
By Grace Baird
During WW2 the Cafe de Paris on Coventry Street, W1 was the most glamorous nightclub in London. It was also considered the safest. Unlike other theatres, clubs and cinemas, the Cafe de Paris was allowed to remain open to inject some glitz into the Blitz. Four floors below London’s Leicester Square, fun-loving party-goers felt far removed from the realities of the war above their heads. The young and beautiful came to see, and be seen. Glitterati gathered with Royalty and Hollywood Stars to watch the finest musicians perform live. The nightclub - with a splendid interior recalling the ballroom of the White Star liner Titanic - was also a favourite with servicemen and women looking to enjoy their leave. Guyana-born swing musician Ken Johnson and his band 'The West Indian Orchestra' were signed as the club’s resident swing band. Johnson was nicknamed ‘Snakehips’ Johnson due to his smooth dance moves.
Saturday 8 March 1941 began like any other but ended in tragedy. As ‘Snakehips’ and his band took to the stage, revellers gathered on the dance floor. Before the band could reach their first chorus - of the contemprary hit 'Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, How You Can Love!' - an almighty crash and a flash of light shook the building. Two German bombs had fallen through the Cafe de Paris roof and landed in the centre of the dance floor. At least 34 people died that night and around 80 others were injured, among them servicemen and women and most of the band, including ‘Snakehips’ himself. Had the bomb dropped an hour later, the casualties would have been far worse. For three hours, rescue workers combed the site by moonlight for survivors while air raid wardens chased off opportunist looters. Off duty nurses, there for a night out, demonstrated their resourcefulness by making bandages from their dresses and table cloths to help the injured.
Ken ‘Snakehips’ Johnson, came to Britain from Guyana aged fifteen and was on his way to changing the British music industry. He was well-established throughout the UK due to his regular appearances on BBC radio and was famous by the time he was killed aged just 26.