This week saw the 23rd anniversary of the launch of the UKs first legal Black Music station, Sunset Radio on the airwaves of Manchester. To celebrate this anniversary I am reprinting an article written by me and published in Radio & Music Magazine in June of 1984. I hope you enjoy it.

Perhaps the question that I get asked more than any is whether my name is my real name. Well the answer is no but I never chose that name, it was chosen by the manager of a nightclub I was working at, at the time. The Club was Rafters in city centre Manchester and this is the story of my time there.

Jessica Clemmons is an American artist who has just released a new album and single. One track on the album is stunning. This is my tribute to a truly great song.

For the love of the music

For the love of the music.

I can’t honestly say when it was that I first heard of Luther VANDROSS, but I do know that I loved his voice as soon as I heard it.

2010 saw the first Rafters Revival taking place at the fabulously refurbished Band on the Wall in Manchester. Rafters was one of Manchester's most influential venues which stopped playing black music a number of years ago. For this event promoter Iamgeorgepowell had bought together three of the original Rafters DJ's...Colin Curtis, Hewan Clarke and me Mike Shaft. Luckily I took my camera with me.

This is a copy of an e-mail sent out to all the staff at BBC 2002 Commonwealth Games Radio

For the first time ever, the facts about one of the most exciting Radio Stations ever to come on air in the UK. If you are visiting this site from outside the North West of England, then you might not even know about Sunset Radio.

Back in 2002 during the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, I was working at BBC 2002 Commonwealth Games Radio. I got a phone call from the Manager of BBC GMR asking if I was available to present their Sunday Breakfast programme as holiday cover. That was the start of a relationship which has now lasted over 10 years and continues to go from strength to strength.