Buddy Hell Collection

Buddy Hell is the main stage name of Ray Campbell. Ray Campbell studied BA (Hons.) Creative Arts, majoring in Drama, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne Polytechnic. He was a performance poet before starting comedy in 1986 (after he was asked to perform at a Christmas party). The Buddy Hell Collection contains material collected and created by Ray Campbell in relation to his activities in alternative cabaret and alternative comedy, from 1987 through to the 2000s.
Much of the Collection relates to Cabaret-A-Go Go, a cabaret club in Newcastle-upon-Tyne established in October 1987. Cabaret-A-Go Go was established after the Newcastle Fringe Festival 1987, at which there were a number of alternative cabaret events. The founding members of Cabaret-A-Go Go (known as 'The Fun Committee': Ray Campbell, Martine d'Ellard, and Clive Lyttle) decided to established the club after the Fringe had ended, as a way to continue alternative cabaret in Newcastle. Bass Jansen later also became a member of the Fun Committee. Cabaret-A-Go Go was to be a mixed cabaret show of music, poetry and comedy.
The first Cabaret-A-Go Go gig was on 4 December 1987 at the Broken Dolls pub. Another venue, The Bridge Hotel was considered but the ceilings weren't high enough (and therefore not suitable for the juggling acts). The club ran fortnightly at the Broken Doll and also monthly at Live Theatre. Cabaret-A-Go Go were given an Arts Council grant in June 1988. Other support came from Northern Arts (a regional art board) for £1000 in May 1988, the National Poetry Society, Timeslip (a comic shop in Newcastle).
The Buddy Hell Collection also includes material relating to Ray's stand-up act. Ray has mainly performed as Buddy Hell, but his other stage names include Ray Burns, Johnny Boiler [ph], Red Marks/Marx, Les Blogroll, OneManAndABox (a street act), Buddy Wells (one gig only, in York). He was also part of Sony and Cher Noble. The Collection includes set lists, stage notes, publicity material, promotional photographs.

Catalogued

Available for consultation at the University of Kent's Special Collections & Archives reading room, Templeman Library, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NU (specialcollections@kent.ac.uk).

Ray Campbell studied BA (Hons.) Creative Arts, majoring in Drama, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne Polytechnic. He was a performance poet before starting comedy in 1986 (after he was asked to perform at a Christmas party).