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GT developed a love of everything soulful, jazzy and funky from an
early age. His parents loved all things jazz including Mark Murphy,
Tubby Hayes, Ella and Miles Davies. Ronnie Scotts was their club of
choice and they used to take him to the Top Alex in Southend as a young
kid where he used to sit on the steps with a weak shandy listening to
Sunday jazz.
Youth clubs followed with table tennis and sta prest tonic trousers
where ska and 60s soul was the music of choice for young
impressionable teenagers.
Aged 14 with regular trips with old pal Mark White to the Intercom in
Southend on Tuesday night with Keith Bonsoir on the decks introduced GT
to early Fatback Band, Al Green, Ann Peebles and James Brown. There was
no going back!
At 15, Mark and GT got into The Goldmine on a Monday night with Marks
older sister Julie. This was the time of the Great Gatsby look, well
before the Glen Miller sessions and it was just a revelation. School
was never the same.
GT spent several years as a Goldmine punter as well as attending the
original (Seven Kings) Lacy Lady, Global Village and many long Bank
Holiday weekends in Margate at The Atlantis.
Its fair to say that clothes, music and fashion has always played a
big part in GTs life and he followed anything that was going from soul
boy into Punk into New Romantic into Hard Times and Rockabilly. At one
point GT had a clothes shop in Southend selling punk clothes brought
off Malcolm McLaren to Zoot suits. GT was often mentioned in The Face
and Blues & Soul magazines and featured in Janet Street Porters 20th
Century Box programme commenting on the local music and fashion scene.
GT djayed at Raquels, Scamps and Crocs in Rayleigh in the early 80s
for a few years when Culture Club, Depeche Mode and Soft Cell were all
the rage. The trip to the musical dark side didnt do him any harm. He
returned to his soul and funk roots with a Friday night residency at
The Goldmine. GT is a big fan of live music and promoted many bands at
clubs such as Blue Rondo a la Turk, Animal Nightlife and Pride (AKA
Sade). GTs Hot Box nights at the Pink Toothbrush were also legendary
Can you believe that Brass Construction and Ingram played sets at the
Pink Toothbrush in the mid 80s!
GT has worked at many clubs and venues over the years from the The
Fridge, Flicks, Hadleigh Suite, SAKs and Montys (with Jon Layton and Mr
Messie from Zero Radio fame).
Soul@TheShip at The Ship Pub in Old Leigh is his latest bi-monthly
club with old pal Tom Toher especially for lovers of the latest and
finest in soul-jazz, jazz funk, soul and latin.
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