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Dennis Taylor
My first memory
of Dougie was about 1968 or 69. Kingswood Grammar School had not been open all
that long and they were going to have a school disco. Dougie was going to DJ I
am not sure but I think this was his first big booking. Anyway walking along
Gainsborough rd I could hear a scooter coming along behind me, as it passed me
I recognized Dougie driving it with his record box in the middle on the foot
plate. The record box had been made from an old record player which had the
workings taken out of it. Just for the record the disco was packed but got
stopped early because of fighting. There was also the discos he did later
with Tom Howarth in St Brendan's club hall He used Billy's Bag by Billy
Preston as his signature tune at this time- The Bowling alley - and I think
they did some in the old guide hall on Beanfield Ave. By the early 70s Dougie
was trying really hard to make his way on radio. I remember Ian Eccles made
dougie a Jingle which he used on a little reel to reel tape recording he made
of himself and sent it to a pirate radio station on a boat in the North Sea.
The Jingle was taken from the B side of Rock your baby which was the
instrumental of the tune and it went something like rock your self with dougie
king.I recall sending tapes of myself Djing to different people, I asked
dougie where was I going wrong, he let me hear his little reel of tape he
didn't introduce the records he read out the news and did adverts and the
weather this made me realize where I was going wrong radio stations don't need
anybody to introduce records or play them as if it was a disco they want
somebody who can link between the music with all the other facets of a local
radio station. Dougie did my engagement party in the back room of the Shire
Horse.We booked him to do our wedding in 1977 but he had gotten a job on radio
in Scotland and couldn't do it, Ian Eccles did a good job for us. I also
remember when dougie booked Mark Bolan of TRex to appear in the Civic Centre
then Ride a white swan went to number 1 in the charts, there were a number of
bands on and dougie all for the princely some of 19/6p old money. I used to
frequent his record shop which was down stairs in the bowling alley. I
remember when dougie and his younger brother John, leased a black cab they
worked it 24hrs doing 12hrs shifts each. We went drinking in shafts one night
there wasn't a lot of people in so the manager brought out a yard of ale if
you drank it all without spilling it you didn't have to pay for the beer. Well
quite a few had a go and failed. Dougie said he was going to have a go and he drank the lot
without spilling a drop. There are many more memories springing to mind but
that's enough 4 now. Dennis Taylor.
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