Whirlaway Club – Memphis Flyer

If you’ve been paying the slightest bit of attention, you’ll know that I’ve recently written about the (in)famous Whirlaway Club — not just on this blog, but also in the June issue of Memphis magazine. In the magazine’s “Ask Vance” column, I focused on two dancers — Betty Vansickle (stage name: Betty V) and Sue Sennett, who got into trouble with the law in the early 1960s by appearing on stage in scandalously skimpy costumes and “bumped and grinded” for customers. I was especially intrigued by Betty’s costume (which she probably designed herself), featuring a long white glove stretching down her torso.

Yes, that’s her in the photo above. The black lines are crop marks and the “haze” around her was added by the Press-Scimitar so she’d stand out from the dark background; that’s where this photo first appeared, in 1966. Sexy, huh?

Well, today I received an email from Betty Vansickle Bendall, who told me that “Betty V” was, in fact, her mother, who is still alive and living in Memphis — though no longer dancing, unfortunately.

Here’s what she had to say:

If you’re not a subscriber to Memphis magazine — which should be a Class C felony, or at least a misdemeanor — then you should go right now to the nearest newsstand and pick up a copy of our June issue. Because in it, I tell the dramatic story of the Whirlaway Club, one of our city’s most (in)famous nightspots. And I also include some rather risque images of two “exotic dancers” who got the place closed in the 1960s for “aiding and abetting obscene acts.”

Now, if that won’t get you out of the house to buy that magazine, well, I just don’t know what will.

Anyway, space prevented me from including in that column a couple of old magazine advertisements for the Whirlaway Club, so I thought I’d include them here, for your viewing pleasure. Man oh man, you can tell it was one happening place. Why, it stayed open until 4 a.m., which would be — let’s see — oh, about 8 hours past my bedtime. The ad at the top is from 1972, and the one below shows the stage and dance floor in 1968. Take a close look at that picture. What’s really interesting, to me, is that back in 1968, the Whirlaway Club band was integrated. Well, at least the band was.

Does anybody know who these guys were? Or any of the dancers, for that matter?