Richard Searling

First off, just a little bit about me…..born back in June 1952, I m a geminian, married (to Judith) and have one daughter, Carolyn April.

Educated at Stand Grammar in Whitefield near Manchester I left to pursue a career in teaching which petered out when it became clear I was happier rooting through junk shops for obscure records thanI was studying! Then, after a fairly disastrous spell working for the DHS in Salford I was lucky enough to get a warehouseman’s job at Global Records in Manchester, the very first importer of American vinyl – where one of the perks was being flown to Philadelphia 3 times in 1973 to look for rare soul records – a tough job but somebody had to do it! From Global I moved onto a record retailing venture (Tracks) with W H Smiths in Bolton, before in 1975 I was appointed shop manager ar Russ’s Records in Wigan. Russ ran the shop and hired me after we met at the legendary Wigan Casino where he was the resident DJ. In 1976 shortly after compiling my first LP for RCA, “Jumpin at the Go Go” ,they offered me a position as North West promotions manager working with my dear (now sadly-departed) friend and svengali, Derek Brandwood . From RCA I progressed to become a music buyer at Makro in 1981 and then onto to Lifetime Entertainment in Warrington and Morrisons supermarkets in a similar capacity, up until my “retirement” earlier this year.

Running parallel with all this was a DJ-ing career which started in 1971 via a contact at Ralph’s Records in Manchester and eventually enabled me to play great venues like Va-Vas in Bolton, The Pendelum in Manchester and the Wigan Casino. Between 1976-80 I played just about every major city in the UK , until in 1981 I moved into radio broadcasting. Firstly at Radio Hallam in Sheffield and Red Rose in Preston, before I helped set up the first independent community station in Manchester (Sunset Radio) in 1989. In 1995 I moved to the newly formed Jazz FM in Salford where I remained until my departure in September 2009. Among my activities at present are promotions organized at the Hilton hotels in Birmingham and Blackpool, as well as events at The Tower Ballroom in Blackpool and The King Georges Hall in Blackburn.

My hobbies include spending quality time with my family, collecting soul music, following Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, making money and mowing the lawn. My favourite places to visit include the Lake District , and Florida USA where I have a home close to the attractions.