Lee's Sound City
Sticker form on a late 70's Bobby Dobson LP. Michael Viner
(Feb16,2015) Lee Austin was a DJ and he also owned 2 Reggae specialist shops called 'Lee's Sound City' 1 was in what was like a small market square behind what was C&A in Lewisham High Street, and the other was in New Cross. Lee often DJ'd at 'Tites' nightclub in Beckenham, as did me and my DJ partner Vince. I ran my mobile disco up until the early 90's, at which time we were at Jaspers in Catford 3 nights a week (Friday, Sunday & Tuesday)., and we were also doing private functions as well as other pubs and clubs in and around the country, sometimes we worked as far afield as Sheffield. Although the set-up was mine, I owe a great deal of the success we enjoyed to Vince, he was a brilliant DJ and a great partner, he is still my best friend.
Jaspers was run by Bill Smith, who also ran many other clubs in and around S.E. London, including the Welcome Inn every Sunday. Mick Quick was the resident DJ/mobile disco there. Mick was fantastic and inspirational. Other DJ's included Steve Justin, DJT (Dean, Jerry & Ted), Bill King. However, the biggest name at the time was undoubtedly Greg Edwards, who also broadcast 11pm to midnight live from the Lyceum in the Strand (Capital Radio's Best Disco In Town) That really did live up to its name, attracting an average 4000 strong crowd every Friday night. The massive set-up was owned by another Capital Radio legend Mike Allen, who sadly is now suffering with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Comment: Geoff Garoghan.
(October 14, 2105) I was the resident DJ at Tites, Lautrec's and Langtry's and worked for some of the time with Dave Mitchell as my DJ partner in crime. I do remember Lee but naturally he left when I was asked by Mike Loveday, the owner, to become the resident. I worked with a great many acts throughout those wonderful days, including Rosko, Stuart Henry, Tony Blackburn, Noel Edmonds and Mike Allen, who I have read about on this page. He was uber professional and it was mainly due to him that I went on the road using all matched Hi Watt gear.I am very sorry he is not well as I covered gigs for him when he was at Capital and was a nice fun guy. Comment: RICHARD TAYLOR
Name Stephen Johnson Comment: Do you know of anyone who has any lyceum tapes 80 to 84. (Jan 11, 2017)
The B&B Show on Radio London was only a Sunday job. To supplement it I was doing acting at the Deptford Albany theatre in south London and still working for Lee Laing during the rest of the week at Lee’s Sound City record shop. Its latest incarnation was a hole-in-the-wall store inside the Peckham Rye railway station in south London. Everything changed for me one Friday evening when I had a phone call from Tim Blackmore, the head of music at Capital Radio. He wanted to meet. He came down to Peckham Rye dressed in a pinstriped suit, with a very distinctive beard and balding pate. Being a Friday evening, the place was packed with Reggae punters buying their seven-inch singles. It was a bizarre situation. Tim was terribly well spoken and didn’tlook remotely like anyone in the radio industry, let alone the Reggae scene.
After working in Frank and Esnie’s store in Sheffield I had some experience in Reggae retailing and I was ready to go it alone. So I went to Lee and said, ‘Can I take records from your stock? I will sell them on the street and then whatever I sell I will give you a commission.’ And he said, ‘Yes, you can.’ Lee, who had been raised in London, was the manager of a chain of shops owned by Trojan Records and he later set up his own shops under the name Lee’s Sound City. I would go into that shop in Lewisham and usually be the only white man in there. That was where I bought my first ever Dub album, African Dub All Mighty Chapter 1,
My Life In Reggae
David Rodigan
Peckham Rye Station
Thanks to a customer at Lorenzo's Record Shop Sky Market Rye Lane Peckham he confirmed the hole in the wall shop at Peckham Rye station was to the right as you left the station opposite side to where the dentist is. The guy who took other once Lee's stop trading was Carl who then moved to Rye Land market.The Curator (April 19, 2017)
The depth of his record box is the first thing that puts Curly B in a different league to the rest. He can draw on an endless supply of rare and brilliant tunes that few others can touch. "My record collection start from my father. When he went back to Jamaica he left me all that he had. Plus, I was always buying records, from the days of doing a paper round when we used to get fifty pence. A Jamaican '45 was fifty pence then. Straight down the record shop, Desmond Hip City in Atlantic Road, Brixton, Soferno B, Sound City, Peckings and Greensleeves in West London, Daddy Kool in the West End. All over London for my records."
Comment
I worked at sound city from the early 80’s until 90. Although the shop was on new cross rd, it was in deptford, opposite the high street, more or less. Loved my time there, the music has stayed with me . Of course lee taught me how to read a crowd and dj successfully.
Name
George C
(2018)
Jaspers was run by Bill Smith, who also ran many other clubs in and around S.E. London, including the Welcome Inn every Sunday. Mick Quick was the resident DJ/mobile disco there. Mick was fantastic and inspirational. Other DJ's included Steve Justin, DJT (Dean, Jerry & Ted), Bill King. However, the biggest name at the time was undoubtedly Greg Edwards, who also broadcast 11pm to midnight live from the Lyceum in the Strand (Capital Radio's Best Disco In Town) That really did live up to its name, attracting an average 4000 strong crowd every Friday night. The massive set-up was owned by another Capital Radio legend Mike Allen, who sadly is now suffering with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Comment: Geoff Garoghan.
(October 14, 2105) I was the resident DJ at Tites, Lautrec's and Langtry's and worked for some of the time with Dave Mitchell as my DJ partner in crime. I do remember Lee but naturally he left when I was asked by Mike Loveday, the owner, to become the resident. I worked with a great many acts throughout those wonderful days, including Rosko, Stuart Henry, Tony Blackburn, Noel Edmonds and Mike Allen, who I have read about on this page. He was uber professional and it was mainly due to him that I went on the road using all matched Hi Watt gear.I am very sorry he is not well as I covered gigs for him when he was at Capital and was a nice fun guy. Comment: RICHARD TAYLOR
Name Stephen Johnson Comment: Do you know of anyone who has any lyceum tapes 80 to 84. (Jan 11, 2017)
The B&B Show on Radio London was only a Sunday job. To supplement it I was doing acting at the Deptford Albany theatre in south London and still working for Lee Laing during the rest of the week at Lee’s Sound City record shop. Its latest incarnation was a hole-in-the-wall store inside the Peckham Rye railway station in south London. Everything changed for me one Friday evening when I had a phone call from Tim Blackmore, the head of music at Capital Radio. He wanted to meet. He came down to Peckham Rye dressed in a pinstriped suit, with a very distinctive beard and balding pate. Being a Friday evening, the place was packed with Reggae punters buying their seven-inch singles. It was a bizarre situation. Tim was terribly well spoken and didn’tlook remotely like anyone in the radio industry, let alone the Reggae scene.
After working in Frank and Esnie’s store in Sheffield I had some experience in Reggae retailing and I was ready to go it alone. So I went to Lee and said, ‘Can I take records from your stock? I will sell them on the street and then whatever I sell I will give you a commission.’ And he said, ‘Yes, you can.’ Lee, who had been raised in London, was the manager of a chain of shops owned by Trojan Records and he later set up his own shops under the name Lee’s Sound City. I would go into that shop in Lewisham and usually be the only white man in there. That was where I bought my first ever Dub album, African Dub All Mighty Chapter 1,
My Life In Reggae
David Rodigan
Peckham Rye Station
Thanks to a customer at Lorenzo's Record Shop Sky Market Rye Lane Peckham he confirmed the hole in the wall shop at Peckham Rye station was to the right as you left the station opposite side to where the dentist is. The guy who took other once Lee's stop trading was Carl who then moved to Rye Land market.The Curator (April 19, 2017)
The depth of his record box is the first thing that puts Curly B in a different league to the rest. He can draw on an endless supply of rare and brilliant tunes that few others can touch. "My record collection start from my father. When he went back to Jamaica he left me all that he had. Plus, I was always buying records, from the days of doing a paper round when we used to get fifty pence. A Jamaican '45 was fifty pence then. Straight down the record shop, Desmond Hip City in Atlantic Road, Brixton, Soferno B, Sound City, Peckings and Greensleeves in West London, Daddy Kool in the West End. All over London for my records."
Comment
I worked at sound city from the early 80’s until 90. Although the shop was on new cross rd, it was in deptford, opposite the high street, more or less. Loved my time there, the music has stayed with me . Of course lee taught me how to read a crowd and dj successfully.
Name
George C
(2018)
