Memorial gig confirmed to honour music legend Geoff Docherty who brought rock giants to the region
Music promoter to be honoured with memorial gig
A memorial gig in honour of music legend Geoff Docherty has been confirmed.
Organisers have announced that Sunderland’s prestigious music venue, The Fire Station, has agreed to host a fundraising gig in memory of Geoff who passed away in March.
A spokesman said: “Many more details are to follow, but for now, save the date! The gig is booked for Thursday, September10 and we are thrilled to announce that the first guests to come on board include Sunderland’s very own Dave Taggart (Dance Class), Baz Warne (The Stranglers), Terry Slesser (Beckett and Back Street Crawler) and John Buckton (Freeway).
“Many artists who knew and worked with Geoff have been in contact and several have expressed an interest in taking part in the show. Therefore we expect the gig to evolve significantly over the next few months.
“Updates will be made available as soon as we have them. Profits from the gig will go to The Alzheimer’s Society.”
Earlier this month, we told how a page had been set up on Facebook in tribute to the man who died aged 86 in March. It is is called The Geoff Docherty Memorial Page and was launched to consider ways in which Geoff can be honoured in the future.
The page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1652616792442385/ Geoff will forever be remembered as the man who brought Pink Floyd, The Who, Led Zeppelin and Tyrannosaurus Rex to Sunderland in the ’60s and ’70s.
He was also the manager of a band from South Shields called Beckett who he first heard playing at Annabel’s in Sunderland.
The Facebook page has been set up for people to post their own messages and memories about Geoff and also to discuss the growing hopes for a lasting tribute.
Geoff’s story is a wonderful one of success. He carved a niche for himself as a music promoter in the 1960s after seeing six years service in the Fleet Air Arm.
He became a club doorman before turning to music promotion, with the Bay Hotel, in South Bents.
Family were the first band Geoff booked to play at the Bay, on January 6, 1969, with tickets costing six shillings each. Then came Free a week later.
Tyrannosaurus Rex played at the Bay Hotel in June 1969 and at Sunderland’s Locarno ballroom in November of the same year.
People can find the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1652616792442385/ and can also share memories of Geoff by emailing [email protected]