Tributes have poured in following the death of a legendary Nottingham DJ who was huge on the UK's Northern Soul scene for 50 years. Grandfather John Poole passed away aged 66.
Mr Poole, of Toton, was a leading light at Nottingham Britannia Club next to the River Trent, which was considered an iconic venue for soul music in the Midlands since the 1970s. He said he'd become a DJ "because I wasn't a great dancer" and as a result became more interested in the records.
The father-of-three was also an avid Nottingham Forest fan and had only recently taken retirement from his job as a council transport manager in Lincoln. His full name was John Lupino-Poole, harking back to ancestors in Italy, and research into his interesting family background revealed his great grandfather's godfather was Charlie Chaplin.
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Heartfelt condolences have poured in. Fellow DJ Helen Crowther-Dowey said: "John was the instigator of the Brit Club in Nottingham. He was DJing from 1974. He was a massive DJ on the Northern Soul scene doing all the big events like Blackpool Tower, Butlins, Blackpool Winter Gardens, Whitby Weekenders and Soul in the Sun at Benalmadena, right up until recently so his death was a bit of a shock.
"I'm a DJ as well and he became a really close friend and mentor to loads of other DJs. He was always generous with his time and knowledge. The Northern Soul scene is massive and it's very big in Nottingham."
Mr Poole also used to write articles for the Echoes Magazine and was instrumental in bringing records over from America in the early days. Helen said: "John started his DJing at the Adelphi Club in Nottingham along with his late best friend Andy Lee and Paul Turner. He went on to have spots at numerous local East Midlands venues.
"John’s first ‘residency’ was in 1974 when he was asked alongside Andy Lee to take over at the Brit near his beloved City Ground in Nottingham. In the mid 70’s John had regular DJing spots at the all nighters and all dayers at the Palais in Nottingham and he also became resident DJ at Wakefield Unity Hall and Cleethorpes Winter Gardens. In 1978 Ken Cox added John to the roster and the legendary St Ives all nighters."
Mr Poole died on February 21 and his funeral will take place at St Helen's Church in Stapleford on April 17 at 11.30am. He wed his wife Angela in 1983 and gave up his DJ career for a spell to enjoy married life and raise his three children Marc, Jenna and Emily.
However, he missed spinning the discs so after visiting a Palais revival in 1991 he decided to resurrect the Brit Club. "Since that time John became a regular guest DJ around the scene mentoring and imparting his extensive knowledge of this music to a lot larger crowd. He was always happy to lend advice and his DJ time," added Helen.
"He was mostly known as one of the main guys behind some of today’s larger events. He became the main organiser of the Prestatyn Weekender which continued bringing in some of the great soul acts from the States until it finished in 2019. He also joined the team at the King's Hall in Stoke, the biggest all nighter in the country."
His death isn't the only big loss to the Northern Soul scene recently. Fellow veteran DJ Chris King died aged 66 on March 22. Real name, Chris O'Brien, he shot to fame with KWS in the 1990s with the hit 'Please Don't Go'.
A fundraising page set up to raise money for a headstone for Mr Poole has raised £1,320 so far. To make a donation click here.
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