Two proud, potless idealists, Eddie 'Ears' Gordon and Steve 'Wolfie' Wallis with American Soul singing star Major Harris of 'Love Won't Let Me Wait' Grammy Fame in the Soul Bowl, 69 High Street, Gravesend 1983. We brought a great deal of real talent to that town over those years folks...Thank you Howdi Binning for believing in our ideas and promises.

In 1983 Steve Wallis and I started a company called CAMPAR which stood for Creative Agency Management Promotion And Representation. We soon got bored with repeating that mouthful every time the phone rang so abbreviated it to CAMPAR. We should have added the word 'Ideas' at the end to then have CAMPARI, but seriously we were full of ideas and that company soon had a roster of DJ's including Radio London's Robbie Vincent, Radio London's Jeff Young, Radio Kent's Rod Lucas. Flicks DJ Colin Hudd and a local Radio wanna-be Pete Tong who personally requested my services after I beat him in a local Poll for Best DJ by five times more votes. I always was the people's choice because I kept my feet on the ground amongst everybody, still going back 26 years later to DJ at reunions with many of them.

Steve and I created the first dance DJ Agency which as a business now 24 years later is a very profitable way of earning a living if you have the right talent. I went on to manage Jeff Young until he retired from DJ'ing. Jeff became BBC Radio 1's first dance DJ from '87 to '93. He started the real push of dance into mainstream media and deserves the credit for being the original ground-breaking pioneer. The guy who many people should thank.

Pete Tong was managed by me from 1984 until 2004 - 20 years. We were both passionate about seeing how far we could push the boundaries of dance music around the world, something that we succeeded with beyond all our expectations with the BBC Millennium crossing the globe. I personally persuaded Jeff Young to recommend Tong to Radio 1 when Jeff was stepping down in '93, I drove Tong around the UK to every possible dance music club in every town to build his Radio 1 audience, then put him on international Radio in Ibiza which he is still doing some 13 years later and then on the World stage with a company I formed in 1999 called IMD. (cont below..)

I still look after some very good DJ's today but in an advisory sense they include Pete Gooding and DJ Pearl from India, both excellent DJ's check them out on Google & Youtube. I also played a significant part in the careers of DJ's Judge Jules, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Danny Rampling, Fergie and Seb Fontaine in my BBC Radio 1 capacity of finding new talent for the station plus new ideas including the Essential Mix Show and BBC Radio 1 live broadcasts from clubs around the world which lead to the Ibiza explosion from '95 to today, the One World Millennium and the UK Love Parade events introduced by myself (more info on these on the site).

Having started the world's first Dance DJ Agency with Steve and to go on to build one of the world's biggest DJ's with nearly 20 years loyalty, taking him from $200 a gig to $300'000 for one nights DJing - I'm satisfied with my work in that field. The cut and pasted information below is from one of the many Tong career CV's posted on the world wide web...............

"When Invicta Radio started up in Kent in 1984, Tong joined them to host a regular soul show, where assisted by local Kent journalist/promoter Eddie Gordon of The Kent Messenger he built up a big county profile.Tong stayed at Invicta until 1987. He was then hired by Capital Radio in 1988 at the suggestion of DJ Jeff Young to present a weekly dance program. DJ Jeff Young having initially been offered the slot by Capital went to BBC Radio 1 to broadcast a weekly Friday night show called The Big Beat.

In 1991 Tong returned to national radio after his manager Eddie Gordon talked the then departing DJ Jeff Young into suggesting him to BBC Radio 1 as the ideal replacement for the"hot' Friday night slot. Tong began his long stint as the host of the Essential Selection.

The Essential Selection was a BBC Radio 1 show on Friday nights from 6:00pm-9:00pm in the UK, although this has now been changed. The show is now simply known as Pete Tong and its new time slot is 7:00pm-9:00pm on Fridays. It showcases the latest dance music, with the focus being on house, and informs listeners what club nights are on around the United Kingdom that weekend. It is endorsed by Radio 1 as the official start to the weekend. It attracts one of the highest audiences for a dance radio show in the UK. Pete Tong also hosts a one hour show on Radio 1 on Thursday nights 9:00pm-10:00pm called Pete Tong's In New Music We Trust. Since 1993 Pete has been associated with Radio 1's Essential Mix which airs 2:00am-4:00am on Saturday night/Sunday morning. He is now the station's second longest serving DJ (after Annie Nightingale)."

My very important chat with my main client DJ Jeff Young, the departing BBC Radio 1 DJ, about passing the Baton on to Pete to protect the ground-breaking work he had established on the National Radio Station was indeed an essential bit of work for Mr. Tong's career!

The photo below was taken at The Slammer in 1986, myself and Tong when he knew how to tell the truth and acknowledge the people who along the way took him from the obscurity of a disco called OHMS (Oh Hear My Sounds) to the world stage. Those people include the Gravesend Maggots Tony and Terry Matthews, John Willard, Tim Bates and Timmy Redsall, Jeff Young, Mark Goodier, Wolfe, myself and a certain Wimbledon girl of 14 years wedded devotion and patience......

From 2004 to 2006 my company, IMD Ltd, formed in 1999, was pulled from my life in a divorce settlement because those responsible, including Tong's own divorce lawyers, used my 4 year old daughter's future as a pawn in Court stating that her Mother, who didn't even know what an email was in 1998, needed ALL the income from company that I founded with 20 years of experience, to raise my daughter. Sometimes success and money bring out the absolute worse sides of people supposed to be a human beings, with cheating, lies and total manipulation of an innocent a young girl's life for nothing more than monetary gain. If the British Legal system, in existence since 1189, is satisfied to be blatantly manipulated by lies from lawyers and barristers under the totally misleading name of the Family Division - then it is not worthy of being respected as part of the Legal system. The Divorce Law in the UK is worldly renowned as a cruel, money making, machine for the legal system from the Judges to the lawyers. Hopefully for the innocent children and Fathers involved the Human Rights Act will one day bring it crashing down. Its as cruel and barbaric as Henry VIII's idea of divorce...behead the children's other parent! Ying and Yang equal the Mother and Father of a child's life. End

4 comment

1. quote 10.05.2009 12:41
   • Chris W
   Hi Ed, a very interesting life you have lead indeed!
   
   This all makes for a truly fascinating read, as someone who grew up in the 80's, I can relate to it all very well.
   
   I'm just sad that I didn't meet you sooner, as your a great guy, and they don't make them like you anymore like you Ed!
   
   All the best mate
   
   Chris :)
2. quote 16.05.2009 11:35
   • Ann
   Hi Eddie,
   Great memories, thanks for those. So feel for you as a Parent. The fact that you are her father can not be taken way from you or her. You just have to hang on in there, be there, in every way you can, every day. She will come back to you, when she can. A horrible percentage of Dad's don't stay in touch, and never make up that ground later. I know what I am talking about unfortunately. You have her and you're richer for it, the same for her. Ax
3. quote 26.08.2009 18:05
   • Barrie Stone
   Hi again Eddie I emailed you earlier about FRED DOVE and went into a bloody short story anyhow I'll make it quick I have only just read what happened with you and the Courts, well this also happened to me although I was lucky I didn't have Kids well that didn't stop the Lawyers from holding my Record Collection up for Ransom so that my Ex could take our marital home and I had already paid my Mortgage well Bank Loan in 5 Years as it was going to be my Retirement so I could buy my Bar and this went on for 7 Years so I'm glad the Lawyer your ex had is Dead I know it doesn't help you personally but my Mum always say's What Goes Around Comes Around and it is True so Big Respect to you for sticking to your Guns. And I am sorry that I interupted your Day oh and I think the Eddie that was with Froggy that day when I was at JFM was Eddie James ? would that be right? once again Cheers...Peace & Love Barrie Stone
4. quote 20.09.2009 14:31
   • darrenjames
   Hi Eddie.
   I was competing in a DJ of the year competition aged 16 and you took the time to wish me good luck despite the fact you were competing in the same competition.
   Once I saw you on the decks I knew I had NO CHANCE, but to have taken the time to speak with me was something I have never forgotten.
   You were a fantastic DJ and must be a fantastic manager to have made a person who was and is an average mixer, has an AWFUL radio voice and NO PERSONALITY into a worldwide name.
   I wish you good health and happiness.