Hollyhock Ballroom History
Hollyhock History Video (5 Min):
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Hollyhock Ballroom in Hatfield
By Michael Smith
To create this Hollyhock Ballroom history posting, I researched the Hollyhock Facebook page (Link below), the past postings on the “You know you’re from Pipestone” Facebook group page and extensive internet searches, in an attempt to bring together a broader information set on the Hollyhock Ballroom based on the incredible music history of the legendary Hollyhock Ballroom.
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The irony here is I never personally went to the Hollyhock Ballroom in Hatfield growing up but felt I was “virtually” there hearing many, many stories from my older brother Jim (PHS Class of 1964) on the amazing bands that performed there. One of Jim’s favorite bands was the show band The Fabulous Flippers* which had a unique sound mix of James Brown and the rock group Chicago all blended together into a unique sound using horns combined with a R & B funk rhythm to create lots of “gotta dance” songs!
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Known to many, Pipestone and the local area was a real hot bed in the 1960s for launching incredibly good rock bands such as the Pilgrims and Steve Ellis and the Starfires, which both played at the Hollyhock Ballroom many times.
*Video: The Fabulous Flippers doing "The Harlem Shuffle " recorded in New York City in 1965. Danny Hein -lead vocals: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gaiyiYvJrNQ&fbclid=IwAR1YUyX-F5J6pn6wm31Ja7aq4U1jEjwP3NpAupBr5I5teDUKVePW42liFjI
Hope you all enjoy this video and photo musical memory tour!
Hollyhock Facebook Page: https://m.facebook.com/groups/58690251366/
See website link below for more history on Steve Ellis and the Starfires
Steve Ellis and the Starfires: https://phs.webador.com/steve-ellis-and-the-starfires-history
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Hollyhock Ballroom History:
The Hollyhock Ballroom started out as a concrete block garage built on the main street of Hatfield, Minnesota. George Kraft sold gas out front while John Albertson ran a blacksmith shop in the rear. Walt Clayton owned the building when it was sold to Don & Effie Shadeck.
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The Shadecks owned the Hollyhock Ballroom for a decade. They had seen the need for a ballroom venue when the Hatfield Town Hall became too small of a location. To improve the garage into a proper ballroom, the Shadecks had a modern wooden dance floor installed. They also had the building wired the building for electricity, even though at that time the town of Hatfield didn’t have an electric pole in it.
Cushioned Dance Floors: It is true that the dance floor had cut rubber tire sections placed under the wood floor to provide floor movement / give cushion for the dancers – clever add!
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The Hollyhock Ballroom opened in 1933 and closed in 1988. It was originally owned by Don & Effie Shadeck until 1943. Over the next decades it passed through Roy Clayton, Alvin & Florence Kirby, Floyd & Avis Hamlin, and Loren Kirby. It was torn down / razed in 1993.
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What is incredible about this dance hall is the tremendous musical talent that played on the stage throughout all those years! The Hollyhock Ballroom in Hatfield was the Midwest music hot spot without any doubt! If there was a top-rated band or artist in the country and they were doing a Midwest concert tour, they almost always came to Hatfield and performed at the Hollyhock! From Bill Haley and the Comets to the Beach Boys and fabulous local bands like the Pilgrims and Steve Ellis and the Starfires – they all played there! Over one thousand (1,000) bands and artists from 1959 to 1981 alone - unbelievable!
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“Rockin’ At Hatfield’s Hollyhock Ballroom” by Tom Tourville is the first book of its type focusing on the incredible rock and roll history of Hatfield, Minnesota’s Hollyhock Ballroom. The new First Edition covers over 1000 groups and artists that played over with over 950 shows at the famed Hollyhock between 1959-1981. There are over 350 images, graphics, and autographs, many never seen before. This is all packed into 108 pages of rock and roll legend. The introduction for the book were written by Midwest rock and roll legend, Myron lee Of Myron Lee & The Caddies. Leading music journals and newspapers have had this to say about Tourville, “Tourville is a research wizard.” “He is a premier musicologist”, and “Tourville knows his stuff and has a real passion for music research”. Tom is a well-respected music columnist, that has been writing for national and Midwest based publications for over 35 years. His life long love and interest in the Midwest rock and roll ballroom scene has driven him to create and publish this new book as a companion to his bestselling book, “Remembering Okoboji’s Roof Garden Ballroom” that is in its Third Edition.
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Excerpt from story from the Tom Tourville book preface
Were you at the Hollyhock Ballroom when the Ferriday Fireball Mr. Jerry Lee Lewis torched Hatfield, probably like no other artist has ever rocked the town? It is rather odd that after all these years, A Look Back has never featured the true rock and roll hurricane, Mr. Jerry Lee Lewis. Well, there is no time like the present to look back at the Killer!
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In working on my new book on Hatfield’s Hollyhock Ballroom, I was able to see a good number of the old files for the ballroom. In those I found where the ballroom had done a block booking with Jerry Lee at a number of Iowa and Minnesota ballrooms, including Hatfield for his first booking at the ballroom. In total, Jerry Lee played the Hollyhock three times.
It was in September of 1962 when the Ferriday Fireball took command of the Hollyhock probably like no other artist had ever before.
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Meet The Author Tom Tourville: Tom Tourville is a native of Minnesota and now resides in Iowa. Having always had a deep interest in the music of the ‘60s, and especially Midwest and Minnesota, he has turned this fascination into researching and writing over twenty-eight books on record collecting, music collectibles, and rock history. His lifelong love and interest in the Midwest and ballroom music scene of the early ‘60s, has driven him to create and publish the book on the Hollyhock Ballroom history. Tom is a co-founder of the Iowa Rock N’ Roll Music Association.
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Another great Hollyhock Video created by Terry Olson in 2009
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KLOH Radio (Pipestone) Hollyhock Ballroom Ad Spot (Red Dogs)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-C1ajbjfDwo
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Other Famous Local Area Music Venues:
Roof Garden Ballroom is located inside Arnolds Park Amusement Park, right on Lake Okoboji
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Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake Iowa is an American cultural icon as well as an important historical landmark. The original Surf Ballroom was built in 1933 and is known for the last live concert for Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper (J. P. Richardson) before they all perished in a small plane crash outside Clear Lake Iowa on February 3, 1959.
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Showboat Ballroom - Many longtime residents and former residents of southwestern Minnesota remember going to the Showboat Ballroom in Lake Benton
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