Fundraising night of soul music will pay tribute to Morecambe DJ

Thursday, 2 May 2024 14:27

By Greg Lambert @greglam72

A fundraising night of soul music will be held in memory of a popular Morecambe DJ.

The SoulTrain Special will be held at the Alhambra in Morecambe on Friday, May 31 in tribute to Tony Crookes, who died in March aged 69.

Tony was a soul music DJ for many years at numerous venues across the Morecambe and Lancaster area.

SoulTrain, a regular night for soul fans, is run by Tony's friend of 48 years, and fellow DJ, Steve Middlesbrough.

Steve and Tony began working together on music shows in the 1980s, and more recently on SoulTrain at the Midland hotel in Morecambe.

"Tony was the best northern soul DJ around here and a really good friend," said Steve.

"He was a purist, a character, he said it like it was, and would never compromise on his music. He knew what he liked, played what he liked, and it worked.

"He never played a bad track and never let me down once.

"We're hoping every soul fan will come down and any DJ who wants to play, can do so. We just want a brilliant send-off for Tony. He'll be very much missed."

Tony, who lived in Bare, was also a Morecambe Football Club supporter and was there for all three of their Wembley victories in 1974, 2007 and 2021.

He was a huge scooter fan who could often be seen riding around the town on his Lambretta.

Tony was also a presenter of a soul music show on Diversity FM in Lancaster, the forerunner of Beyond Radio.

Ten DJs will play in two rooms at the Alhambra from 6pm until late on May 31, with all proceeds going to CancerCare.

The SoulTrain Special will be held as part of the regular Jazz Mansion nights at the Alhambra.

Beyond Radio presenters Phill Hayward, Ian Cottam and Roy Ward will be among the DJ line-up.

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