| Ritz Ballroom | |
| Nickname: | The Ritz |
| Location: | York Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom |
| Demolished: | (by fire) |
| Owner: | Joe and Mary Regan |
The Ritz Ballroom in York Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham, West Midlands, was a 1960s music venue, known for the number of artists it hosted, who went on to become international successes, especially those on the roster of Brian Epstein.[1]
Operated by Joe Regan and his wife Mary, the venue used a former cinema. Acts which appeared there included The Beatles, Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones.[2]
In March 2013, the building, by then used as shop, was destroyed by fire.
The Regans - known as "Ma and Pa Regan"[3] - operated three other concert venues in the area:
Mary was responsible for selecting and booking the acts. She was also a PE teacher at Coleshill. At the time of Joe's death, in 2004 aged 92., the couple had two children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Originally opened as the Ideal Cinema, the building then became a snooker hall, before reopening as The Ritz Ballroom. Some time in the late 1960s or 1970s, the Regans converted the premises into a bingo hall, after which it was derelict for some years. Its final use was as a Cash Converters shop.[4]
In the early hours of 27 March 2013, the building was destroyed by fire, caused by an electrical fault.[5] The remaining walls were demolished in January 2015.