Watching the news this morning, we are informed it was 20 years since The  National Lottery began in the UK.  I remember it like it was yesterday !
Why ?  Well, because it fell on the same night as a legendary trip down to that there London for the start of a very wonderful period of my DJing career.
One Sunday Morning at Marco Polo’s I was approached by a guy called Alex, a Londoner who travelled up religiously for the weekly madness. He told me, in somewhat of a wide-eyed state, how much he loved my music and mixing style and that he could get me a gig at The Mud Club where his friend was the booker.  I’m struggling to remember now if I had ever heard of the place before but I agreed anyway and over the course of the coming weeks plans were made and I got my first booking in London.  I decided to invite a few friends along and so put some posters up around Marco’s and a few shops in Birmingham City Centre.
As the weeks came and went, more and more people expressed an interest.  Cut a long story short…
Saturday 19th November 1994,  240 travellers line the bar in Marco’s, watching with baited breath the small TVs mounted on the walls.  When Joey screamed out that he had 3 numbers we all thought he was going to be a millionaire.  Turned out he won a tenner.
As soon as the Lottery draw was over, we piled out onto 5 coaches for the trip down the M1. What a buzz.  I’d never seen a club like it. Read about Bagley’s here.
Needless to say, the night and set went rather well and I was offered an 18 month residency off the back of it, no doubt fuelled mainly by my pulling power but I’d also like to think by my musical ability.
This was the beginning of my love affair for bringing people together for some of the best nights of their lives.  I continued that year to put coach parties on up and down the country and it was this that got my foot in the door with the then super clubs.
Just felt like sharing that quickly this morning. Hope you’re well ?