Tony's Page

He’s been around forever and last week Tony Dellar dropped in to talk about his life and early soul influences.
 
 
Read on to find out about some of his favourite sounds, venues and how he just happened to be in the right place at the right time to book JJ Barnes to appear at The Howard Mallett Club way back in 1973 !

When did you first start listening to soul music?
 
My introduction to soul music came as an early teenager, listening to Radio Luxembourg late at night. They were playing sixties Motown mixed with a whole range of R&B from labels like Stax and Atlantic.
 
As many people reading this will identify with, it wasn’t always easy to get a good reception on the radio, but it didn’t matter with new releases from the likes of Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Martha & The Vandellas etc, almost every week.
 
Where Did You Go To School and Did You Enjoy It?
 
I went to Chesterton High School and like many of my pals, I always preferred being on the soccer field or cricket pitch to being in class. However, I was in the top band throughout most of my school days.

Being a keen soccer player, I played for the school as well as representing the Cambridge and District under 14’s and under 15 teams.

You’ve been putting on gigs in Cambridge for nearly forty years -  talk us through some of them?
 
It all started at The White Horse pub in my home village of Sawston in 1969.  I’d built up a good Motown collection and had already started buying some of the records being played at The Night Owl in Leicester and The Twisted Wheel in Manchester.

"We often had guest DJ's including Colin Curtis and Richard Searling"

                                                                                             Note 'two beers' Tony, talking with Roger Stearn

As a DJ, I was keen to play these records to the younger generation and show them there was a lot more to soul music than was being played on the radio.
 
Soon after, but still in 1969, I auditioned at The Howard Mallett Club in Cambridge. I remember this involved doing a one hour set during the main disco on a Sunday evening! It must have been OK because I stayed for ten years as resident DJ. During the first few years we did Northern Soul nights on Saturday and Sunday, then in 1972 we went to Friday only.         
 
People came from all over East Anglia and beyond. When we had all dayers coaches would come down from the midlands and The Mallett in Cambridge became known far and wide. We often had guest DJ’s including Colin Curtis and Richard Searling which I suppose illustrates the credibility the club had.

In addition to The Mallett, I started promoting Northern Soul nights with my wife Tina, something we enjoyed right through the seventies.

We had The White Lion Pub in Sawston, that was 1970 - 1973. Then there was The Whittlesford ‘Palais‘, which was really the village hall on alternate Saturdays up until 1980.
 
What was that place like a Nissan hut ?

Oh you mean The British Legion Hall - that was 1974, and I remember you always needed plenty of ten pence pieces for the electric meter. We hired that when The Mallet had it’s summer break. There was also The Old Brewery in Gwydir Street and The YMCA plus various village/school halls.
 
Photos; top to bottom, 1 - 3 at St Ives, and (above) at The Old Brewery in Gwydir Street - thanks to Steve Whitby

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