Tamworth Bands - History 1960-1990

DJs & Discos : Johnny Slade

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A fine selection of images of Johnny Slade and members of the Johnny Slade Roadshow through the ages.

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Tamworth Herald – 10/03/72
MUSICBOX
Johnny Slade Johnny Slade
In just over a year Glascote-based DJ Johnny Slade has become a sure draw wherever he sets up his equipment.

An electrician by trade, he can proudly say his success is entirely due to his own efforts in building his equipment to his own specification and needs.

As well as being substantially cheaper, it gives greater versatility and better quality sound than buying it readymade.

Tamworth Herald – 01/03/85
Caption: Over to you son…Tamworth DJ Johnny Slade bows out in favour of younger competition, 16-year-old Paul.Musicbox – DJ dad hands over a sound business
Now firmly at the controls of the family’s disco and audio systems, Paul has taken over from his dad.

A catering student at Tamworth College, Paul held his first solo event recently, a disco at the Jolly Sailor pub in aid of Ethiopia.

And behind the scenes he has already spent a lot of time helping his father build their own audio equipment, which, says dad, stretches for 200ft when it’s all lined up.

Johnny Slade, an electrician for Tamworth hospitals, held his first show at the age of 26, when he put on a party at St.Editha’s Hospital.

How Johnny says he is happy to hand over to his son “because he was brought up in the business”.

Paul is using his dad’s name and is now officially known as Johnny Slade junior.

Gigs
11/06/71
Disco Derby
Warwickshire S.J.A. Cadets
Sage Sounds Disco, John Slade Disco
Wood End Youth Centre

23/09/71
Top Disco – Light Show
DJ - Johnny Slade
Twycross Country Club

11/11/71
Disc-Spin
Johnny Slade
Twycross Country Club

17/12/71
Queens Head Sports and Social Club, Wilnecote
Christmas Dance
Hampton Court
DJ – Johnny Slade
Wilnecote Parish Hall

17/12/71
Hampton Court
Johnny Slade
Wilnecote Parish Hall

17/12/71
Disco
Johnny Slade
Fazeley Victory Working Mens Club

21/01/72
Johnny Slade Disco Sounds
Dolphin Inn
Admission: 30p

25/02/72
Johnny Slade Disco Sounds
Dolphin Inn

10/03/72
Disco
Johnny Slade Disco Sounds
Dolphin Inn
8,000 Watts / Lights
Admission: 20p

Tamworth Herald – 10/03/72
MUSICBOX - Johnny Slade
In just over a year Glascote-based DJ Johnny Slade has become a sure draw wherever he sets up his equipment.

An electrician by trade, he can proudly say his success is entirely due to his own efforts in building his equipment to his own specification and needs.

As well as being substantially cheaper, it gives greater versatility and better quality sound than buying it readymade.

31/03/72
Rasputin’s Disco
Johnny Slade
The Dolphin

12/07/72
Disco
Johnny Slade and His Go-Go Girls
Glascote Working Mens Club

Tamworth Herald – 01/09/72 - Johnny Slade

01/09/72
Field Day at Glascote raises £250
Annual Field Day organised by St. Georges Church. Music was supplied by Midlands disc jockey Johnny Slade.

16/09/72
September ‘72
Disco
Hurley Village Hall
Week 1 – Geoff Own
Week 2 – Mack Rice
Week 3 –Johnny Slade

09/12/72
Tamworth’s Top DJ
Johnny Slade
Flying Scotsman
Admission: 20p

07/01/73
Johnny Slade Disco
Flying Scotsman

12/01/73
Tamworth Herald
MUSICBOX - Johnny Slade
Glascote disc jockey Johnny Slade with Noel EdmondsGlascote disc jockey Johnny Slade has a burning ambition…to break into local radio.

Thirty-two-year-old Johnny, who lives with his wife and two children at Argyle Street, Glascote, has been a disc jockey for the past two-and-a-half years.

He has played at hundreds of gigs in the Tamworth area and builds all his own sound and lighting equipment. His sound system puts out no less than 260 watts, while 4,500 watts beam from his lighting set-up.

BBC’s Radio One disc jockey Noel Edmonds was the star attraction at a recent Johnny Slade disco held at Burntwood Swimming Baths. But the Radio One star would not operate Johnny’s equipment. “It’s much too complicated for me. It would be like trying to fly Concorde.”

Edmunds gave Johnny Slade a mention on his Sunday morning show, calling the Glascote man “disk jockey and equipment builder extraordinaire.”

14/01/73
Johnny Slade
20p (cheep)

28/08/73
Johnny Slade
Penalty Spot Disco

16/02/74
Disco
Johnny Slade plus Hi-Andra

Assembly Rooms

17/03/74
Johnny Slade
Tamworth F.C. Social Club

Tamworth Herald – 22/02/74
Disc-Jockey’s £3,000 worth of equipment stolenDisc-Jockey’s £3,000 worth of equipment stolen

Tamworth disc jockey, Johnny Slade’s usually bright and cheerful spirit took a sickening blow on Tuesday.

For he lost £3,000 worth of equipment – the result of three years’ hard sweat.

The largest part of his gear was stolen along with his psychedelic Ford Transit van from outside his Argyle Street home in Glascote during the early hours of the morning.

“I still can’t believe it’s happened”, said Johnny.

Over the past three years, 33-year-old Johnny has spent most of his time and money collecting his equipment, much of which he made himself.

He works as an electrician at Tamworth hospitals, and since setting up as a disc jockey he has made  quite a name for himself in the Tamworth, Birmingham and Nuneaton districts.

Among the equipment in the van were 700 records, speaker columns, turntables, amplifiers, tape recorders, projectors, control units, dimmer switches and light control units.

The van was later found by police minus the equipment, in the Castle Vale district of Birmingham.

Johnny’s wide Sandra, said: “Johnny had just about finished paying out for his gear and the money was just beginning to come in. It couldn’t really have happened at a worse time”.

Johnny was hoping to take his wife and daughter abroad this year but their holiday plans will have to be put to one side unless the costly equipment is recovered.

“If I don’t hear anything by the weekend, I suppose I shall have to start building up again and that will mean another three years solid work”, he said.

Johnny was renowned for his spectacular light-show, but he admits it will take him a long time yet before he can even begin to match the set-up he has lost.

Tamworth Herald – 01/03/85
Caption: Over to you son…Tamworth DJ Johnny Slade bows out in favour of younger competition, 16-year-old Paul.Musicbox – DJ dad hands over a sound business
Now firmly at the controls of the family’s disco and audio systems, Paul has taken over from his dad.

A catering student at Tamworth College, Paul held his first solo event recently, a disco at the Jolly Sailor pub in aid of Ethiopia.

And behind the scenes he has already spent a lot of time helping his father build their own audio equipment, which, says dad, stretches for 200ft when it’s all lined up.

Johnny Slade, an electrician for Tamworth hospitals, held his first show at the age of 26, when he put on a party at St.Editha’s Hospital.

How Johnny says he is happy to hand over to his son “because he was brought up in the business”.

Paul is using his dad’s name and is now officially known as Johnny Slade junior.


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