THE LIFE of a music promoter who touched thousands of people’s lives over 40 years will be celebrated in a day-long event.
The extravaganza in memory of ‘unsung hero’ Colin Silcocks is being held at Rubery Social Club this week.
On the bill will be Jesse James and the Outlaws, Lynette Morgan and the Blackwater Valley Boys, The Hayriders, The Stargazers and Glenn Doran and the Prairie Echoes. All the bands were booked many times over by Colin who was renowned on the local and worldwide 1950s Rock ‘n’ Roll scene.
The all-dayer will also feature 11 DJs, all playing vinyl 45s, as part of the event being held in two rooms of the social club.
Colin grew up in Gloucestershire and Bristol but settled in Birmingham after graduating from Aston University.
He worked around the Second City all his life as a pharmacist. He passed away on November 5 and his funeral was on December 13 in Coleshill.
Rob Daniels, who has organised the celebration, said: “He never married or had any children.
“Music was his life – he carried on his lifestyle right until his recent, untimely death.
“A few days before he died, he was due to be DJing in Soho, London and had bands booked to play in Wolverhampton and Cannock.
“He death was sudden and unexpected and has sent shock waves throughout the world.”
Colin was DJing and putting on 1950s Rock ‘n’ Roll bands across Birmingham and the surrounding areas from the mid to late 1970s to the present day.
Many of the bands he put on became household names and had been appearing on TV shows such as Top of the Pops.
By the mid 1980s Colin was putting on massive all-dayers at the Powerhouse Dance hall in the middle of Birmingham and bringing over long forgotten Rock ‘n’ Roll singers from the USA including Sonny Burgess and Johnny Powers.
Colin’s proudest moment was when he found Joe Clay driving a school bus in the States and bought him over to the play at the Powerhouse. The gig is still one of the most remembererd by those on the Rock ‘n’ Roll scene.
Colin by this time had already put out UK bands records on his own Alligator Record label and had also released an EP by Joe Clay and others on his Wildcat record label.
He promoted young local bands such as the Hayriders, Mike Sanchez and King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys.
In excess of 500 people turned up to Colin’s funeral and in his memory more than £4,000 has been raised for the Cats’ Protection League.
The funds will be presented on the evening to a representative from the charity.
Colin had always loved cats and had three of his own.
More than 650 tickets have already been sold for tomorrow’s all-dayer, making it a sell-out, with people coming from afar afield as South Shields and South Devon.
