The Roadrunners (Flixton) 

I formed the Roadrunners in 1962, a very busy R & B and covers band playing sometimes seven nights a week around the Manchester / Cheshire area. We were later know as The Manchester Roadrunners as there was a Liverpool group of the same name.

Gordon Burnell - 28/6/12

There was a venue in Wythenshaw called Skyways coffee bar not far from Ringway airport, now Manchester Airport, this was a Rockers club who had groups on every week.

I remember playing there with The Roadrunners, while we were setting up this leather clad giant of a bloke came up to us and said if we did not play Baby please don!t go by Them and We gotta get out of this by the Animals they would trash our van and maybe even worse.

Fortunately we had practised these tunes and they went down a storm. The owner of the bar told us we were very lucky as the threats were real.

Gordon Burnell - 21/9/12

In the early sixties I worked with Gordon Burnell at a well known department store in Manchester. We became friends and he asked me if would drive the Roadrunners to gigs. I agreed to his request and had the best time of my life. It was hard work driving the van and setting up all the equipment, sometimes two gigs a night.They always started with the song I'M A ROADRUNNER HONEY.

They played at all the main venues in Manchester and the surrounding area.

This was the original roadrunners who unfortunately went their separate ways.

Bryan Cookson - 24/10/13

Above - circa 1964

This is my favourite pic of the Roadrunners. It was taken on an old Rover in Partington. The manager who took the pic shouted over "hurry up lads get it started or you will miss the booking,"

This was the Manchester Roadrunners about 1965 with the new bass player Keith Robinson.