A Birmingham charity is giving music fans the chance to buy a piece of history, as it sells the record collection of a legendary music promotor, rep and tour manager at a special event this month.
On Saturday 29th June, youth homeless charity St Basils will host a record fair at Great Western Arcade in central Birmingham selling vinyl records and music memorabilia. The items come from the personal collection of the late Dee McLoughlin, a well-respected Irish tour manager and prolific vinyl record collector who made Birmingham his home in the 1970s.
Over his career, McLoughlin worked with artists as varied as Anastacia, Billy Bragg, Bon Jovi, The Chemical Brothers, Simply Red and many more. He toured so frequently with Australian rock band Crowded House that they considered him family.
McLoughlin’s record collection was amassed over decades of crisscrossing the country on tour and is as eclectic as the variety of musicians he managed on tour. Records on sale include music from George Michael, Elton John, Santana, and Bruce Springsteen, as well as vinyl from various genres including jazz, hip-hop and punk.
Barrie Hodge, head of fundraising for St Basils said; “I think I speak for everyone at St Basils when I say how privileged we are to be given these records from Dee’s collection.
“Whilst I never had the honour of meeting the man, it’s clear Dee cared a lot about music and the records are in great condition - and feature a variety of music styles. We hope they find new homes amongst music fans at our event and help us raise money to ensure that young people in the West Midlands do not experience homelessness.”
St Basils is a charity that works with 16 – 25-year-olds who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Each year they work with over 4,000 young people, providing accommodation, advice and support across Birmingham and the West Midlands.
With over 40 supported accommodation locations, St Basils has a range of housing, from fully supported projects staffed round-the-clock to semi-independent projects and one entirely independent-living project. They also work with young single parents and those who are pregnant in their mother and baby schemes.
Young people are offered a full service including a resettlement programme to find suitable accommodation for them and their children. St Basils aim to ensure young people can live independently once they move on.
As a charity, St Basils have long since realised that providing a bed alone is not enough for young people to break the cycle of homelessness and regain the stability to rebuild their lives. They offer young people access to Life Skills and Employability programmes, which give the necessary skills to live independently and receive an accredited qualification.
The record fair will be held at the St Basils pop-up shop in the Great Western Arcade, Birmingham on Saturday 29th June 2024 from midday until 3 pm.
