Tallulah (DJ) - Knowledge

607: 91: 737: 363: 544: 572: 599:. After returning from America Tallulah found the disco scene in London had really gotten big; "When I came back from New York the disco scene was peaking and it was easy for me to get work. When I had the residency at Scandals (which meant playing 6 nights a week) they gave me a record allowance of £70 a week, which was a fortune in those days, so I was able to buy all the American and European imports I wanted." In the late 1970s, ‘The Embassy was London's little 1144: 702:, and was produced to promote Jesus Loves You’s single of the same name. The short film gives an intriguing snapshot into London's Soho nightlife during 1990 (still hungover from the late-1980s) by way of capturing the bustling local outdoor streets, and the inside of long-gone amusement arcades and porn cinemas. Tallulah, in a wig, plays the role of a straight office-type punter, looking for a quick trick, who ends up pulling a 1108: 749:

honoured, to tell you the truth. I've never been much of a publicity seeker, but the reason I'm doing it is because I think it's quite a good thing. I don’t think we necessarily celebrate individuals in our community enough – it's about time we looked to our own people." He was the first ever inductee. At his induction, Tallulah recalled, how, during the early 1970s, he was one of only five known gay DJ’s in

1132: 1303:, page 168 ‘BANG was a deliberate attempt by its deejay and co-founder Jerry Collins to follow an American club model–specifically the Studio One club in Los Angeles. Multiple bars, an extensive dance-floor and effective sound systems were the hallmarks of this venture. As at BANG, the emphasis was on size and scale, symbolizing the increased visibility of gay culture.’ 294:. His early interest in music and fashion stemmed from this era: "It would be ’66. I was well into music by then. Those towns and London were very mod influenced. You know what it’s like being brought up in the suburbs: for you to make a statement, you put yourself up for criticism in the way you dress, especially during the ’60s." The first record Allam purchased was 1120: 504:. 'I'd moved to New York for 18 months, where I worked at Studio 54. The first time I went there I fell over the velvet rope and landed at Steve Rubell's feet and when I stood up I asked him for a job. He put me behind the bar for a while and I stayed for 3 months and probably DJ’ed there about nine times until I got a summer season DJ residency at The Sandpiper on 432:. During this embryonic period of London's gay club culture, Tallulah was still working full-time as a hotel manager as well as DJing most evenings. Tallulah became a resident DJ at BANG in 1976. It could be said that Tallullah was one of the originators of London's gay club scene as he was DJing at such seminal clubs as BANG and Scandals during the 1970s. 27: 1096: 603:', said Tallulah, during an interview. "The gay night, Sunday night, was the nearest to a chic club that London ever got. The music was great, and Greg James was a great DJ." Tallulah DJ'd at the Embassy Club every Sunday on the gay nights. He would arrive at the club wearing one of his mother's cocktail dresses, with big boots on. 333:

but make them tighter than usual. By his late teens, Allam was tall, over 6 ft 2 in, skinny and admitted to being flamboyant. By this time he already knew he was gay, and immersed himself in London's underground homosexual scene and nightlife. As such he came into contact with many closeted gay famous personalities.

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and tell us what the hot tracks were over there. BANG was a major event on the scene. We had a phone in the DJ booth that linked to the lighting booth and we'd call up the engineer and tell him to do a black out at the next break, or when to use the strobe effects or do a balloon drop. There was also

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who went on to achieve huge fame and became a fixture on British TV with their own TV shows and national tours. During the early 1970s, the music played in gay clubs changed considerably due to American imports being readily available in several Soho record stores. British entrepreneur Jerry Collins

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Allam became fashion conscious during his early days at college but, as his finances were limited by being a student, in order to look fashionable he resorted to making his own outfits. He would buy Simplicity Patterns and purchase material from a market stall and cut and stitch the clothes himself,

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behind the bar and operating the lights in the lighting rig (not as a DJ). He did, however, get his Cinderella moment one night and stood in for a DJ that did not turn up for work due to sickness. When asked later in life about dance music culture, Tallulah said: "The rave lifestyle of Ibiza in the

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In 2007, photographer Ophelia Wynne took a set of photographs of Tallulah dressed in an ermine robe holding a staff to celebrate his induction into the UK's House of Homosexual Culture's Hall of Fame. When a reporter asked him his thoughts upon receiving news of the award Tallulah said, "I'm quite

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Tallulah recalled during an interview with Luke Howard in 2006 how the emergence of BANG in 1976 took London by storm, bringing night-clubbing to another level: "Everyone on the scene went to BANG, it appealed to all sorts of queens: leather queens, clones, twirlers and trolley dollies who'd come

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Also living at the apartment was Williams’s friend Granville King who also happened to be Allam's friend, hence the connection. It was Granville (unbeknown to Williams) that allowed Allam to stay temporarily at the apartment while Williams was away. When Williams returned to the UK after a visit

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to help with the Reclamation. His father's job in Hamburg involved helping to re-establish a hotel. After living in Hamburg for three years, Allam travelled to the UK with his grandmother, where he remained living. When his parents returned to the UK to live permanently, Allam rejoined them. The

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who lived in an apartment opposite the hotel. Allam would visit Williams at his apartment for tea, and Williams would sometimes rope Allam in to read his scripts with him, with Williams occasionally asking Allam for his opinion of them. Around this period, Allam also socialized with such

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to check that Tallulah was okay. Tallulah had suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away at his apartment on 28 March 2008. Over 500 people, including many friends, celebrities, and DJ's associated with Tallulah's career, attended his funeral and memorial service on 11 April held at

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and recalled an underground scene with minimal media exposure. "There were no flyers – it was mainly word of mouth," he said. "I think it's important that younger people look into gay culture a little bit more – it's so easy to be forgotten, particularly where music's concerned."

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Further reading, Life After Dark: A History of British Nightclubs & Music Venues by Dave Haslam has references to Bang night club and Tallulah (DJ): Life After Dark: A History of British Nightclubs & Music Venues by Dave Haslam, publ. Simon & Schuster UK (2015)

1726:‘London has a new Sunday night club, Circus Circus, at Studio Valbonne, Kingly Street, W1. ... first nighters included April Ashley, Steve Strange, Yvette from Cover Versions, Vicky de Lambray and Rudi Williams of the band Dance on a Telephone.’ 626:

and gangs started coming down to us because we were just frothy. They had to put a cage at the entrance, where people were searched. One night a guy jumped on the stage and held a knife to my neck. Then I had a fire extinguisher thrown at me."

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In late 1983, Tallulah suggested to Iain Williams that Williams should record a dance version of the song 'Love is Suicide', which Williams had composed. Williams took heed of Tallulah's suggestion and, in January 1984, recorded the track at

391:, although Allam confessed there was no glamour involved in these acquaintances. Most of them were experiencing financial hardship and meetings usually took place over a glass of wine around the kitchen table in one of their apartments. 245:

Tallulah was at the heart of London's club scene for more than 40 years, 35 years of those as a DJ, alternative performer, club and bar promoter, and personality. His lifestyle and career linked him to figures such as playwright

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in Brighton. Tallulah and Williams discussed the writing of the DJ's biography. Williams agreed to write the book and had already commenced drafting it a couple of months before Tallulah's death occurred. The book entitled

711:'One of my earliest memories of Barcode is the image of the legendary and absolutely fabulous DJ Tallulah, in his extremely long coat playing on a night called ‘MezzoDisco’—always treating us with some fantastic tales.' 606: 1970:

Shanes - Tallulah Dj'd here: (retrieved 3 July 2018) Tallulah's 'Red Bull Academy' interview (Part of DJ History) "The first proper place I got to play at was Shane’s, which was behind John Barnes in Finchley

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abroad, Allam was still staying at Williams’ apartment. Allam remained as a guest at the apartment for over 10 years. Granville was a hairdresser and owned Tallulah Hairdressing Salon in Coram Street,

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BANG, Charring Cross Road-Tallulah Dj'd at BANG:'The DJs were Gerry, Norman Scott and myself'(retrieved 3 July 2018): Article: A Snapshot of Gay London Clubbing From One of its Pioneer DJ's Tallulah:

1069:. ‘Dance Proud ‘article (pages 44–45) by DJ Kate Wildblood, who honours DJ’s and musicians on the gay scene that have contributed to the UK’s legacy of clubbing culture, DJ Tallulah is included. 1983:

Luke Howard's Brief History of London's Gay Clubs: From Bang to Heaven, 15 February 2014 (retrieved 30 November 2017) Tallulah recounts his time in New York in the 1970s and when he worked at

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The resident DJ's at BANG were Gary London, Tallulah and Norman Scott. "The minute it came on the scene, it was a huge hit," recalled Tallulah. "The queues! It went right round past

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called the Escort. In between spinning discs his job also entailed acting as the coat-check, collecting empty glasses and keeping the toilets clean. The cabaret act at the club was

1621:‘Tallulah, Williams and King lived together in Williams's Notting Hill apartment during the 1970s/80s and called themselves The Colville Set, a nod to the artistic Bloomsbury Set.’ 2100:

Tributes paid to legendary gay DJ Tallulah: "I was with him at Heaven last week for my 54th birthday and sat in the DP lounge while he played a four hour camp and fabulous set."

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David Hudson interviews DJ Tallulah: David -'What was your first DJ job?' Tallulah -'I started off in a little club in 1972 called the Escort in Pimlico.'(retrieved 3 July 2018):

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during the culturally subversive 1970s and 1980s. After Tallulah's death, and following the subsequent death of Granville King, Williams has temporarily put the project on hold.

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One night whilst Tallulah was living in New York he was on his way to the Anvil Club when he was shot and passed out. In hospital, nurses found in his arm a pellet dipped in

348:. Edwards was a DJ on Radio City (a key pirate radio station). They became lifelong friends. It was Edwards that christened Allam 'Tallulah' on a Sunday night at a pub in 638:, London, where a party was being held. He arrived just after the Fire Brigade arrived and witnessed the fire that claimed the lives of 37 people and injured many more. 1581:‘London has a new Sunday night club, Circus Circus, at Studio Valbonne, Kingly Street, W1. ... first nighters included Rudi Williams of the band Dance on a Telephone.’ 242:, was a German-born, London-based, British DJ, recording artist, producer, and club promoter. Tallulah's music career spanned from 1972 until his death in 2008. 2561: 788:

In late-March 2008, when Tallulah failed to turn up to his club residency, fellow DJ and nearby neighbor Tasty Tim went around to Tallulah's apartment off

759:‘DJ Tallulah was at the heart of London's gay club scene for more than 40 years. His extraordinary life linked the closeted 1960s world of such figures as 1946:

Escort Club - Tallulah Dj'd here, as well as running the coat check and cleaning the toilets: (retrieved 3 July 2018) Time Out Magazine, 13 February 2007:

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Tallulah quote from, Last Night a DJ Saved My Life; The History of the Disc Jockey by Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton, publ. 2000, Grove Press, page 528

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In the early hours of the morning on 16 August 1980, Tallulah, having finished DJing for the evening at 3:00 am, decided to go for a drink at the

90: 453:) and disc jockey Gary London (aka Gerry Collins) who worked as an engineer at the Marquee Recording Studios. The club ran on Monday evenings. 560:

Drag Ball one year in the late-70s. Tallulah, Granville and Williams labeled themselves ‘The Colville Set,’ in a nod to the former artistic '

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dance routines from all the old Hollywood musicals." BANG was the UK's first mega gay club. It was founded by Jack Barrie (manager of the

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Tallulah's lifelong friend Granville King passed away in 2013. A couple of months prior to Tallulah's passing, Tallulah met up with

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hooker. They visit a Soho porn cinema, where business is dealt. Boy George appears in the film briefly both in drag and as himself.

66: 2351: 1031:: A lecture hosted by Bill Brewster held on 17 January 2017 (includes a picture of Bang nightclub dj's Tallulah and Norman Scott. 1025:(1955-1979) by Jon Savage, Faber & Faber, ISBN 9780571358373, publ. June 2024 - BANG (disco, London) , pages 584-5, 601, 603. 2576: 736: 1507:

DJ Magazine, 30 July 2015 - Special Feature: The Gay DNA of House Music (article) by Stewart Who: (retrieved 29 November 2017)

1315:(1955-1979) by Jon Savage, Faber & Faber, ISBN 9780571358373, publ. June 2024 - BANG (disco, London) , p. 584-5, 601, 603, 556:, (which was named after Tallulah) and was also an alternative cabaret/drag artiste named Gina King, who went on to win the 1740: 673:. The story of how it came together, and Tallulah's involvement, is recounted in the 2020 article, 'The Story of a Song'. 1230:

and Leigh Bowery’: London’s DJ Tallulah Dies, obituary, hkclubbing, published March 29, 2008, (retrieved June 16, 2023).

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with the anything goes Soho of today. He ended up as the 'First Lady' of London's gay clubland, by way of such venues as

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Tallulah went on to DJ at the heart of London's club scene for more than 40 years and was DJing up until his death.

1371:, 30 July 2015 - Special Feature: The Gay DNA of House Music (article) by Stewart Who: (retrieved 29 November 2017) 1327:(1955-1979) by Jon Savage, Faber & Faber, ISBN 9780571358373, publ. June 2024 - Tallulah (Martyn Allam), p. 601 1074: 2147:...’ : London’s DJ Tallulah Dies, obituary, hkclubbing, published March 29, 2008, (retrieved June 16, 2023). 543: 2546: 1062: 345: 488:

where he remained for over a year. It was whilst he was living in New York that he worked at the renowned club

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The Denmark Place fire Plaque honouring the 37 people who lost their lives in an arson attack, 16 August 1980

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Porchester Hall Drag Ball - Tallulah Dj'd here: (retrieved 3 July 2018) Time Out Magazine, 13 February 2007:

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to English parents. His father worked in the catering and hotel industry and was stationed in Hamburg after

2455:- the photo was taken 9 days before Tallulah died, so is possibly one of the last photographs taken of him. 2276: 2105: 2478: 2163: 984: 685: 414: 1195:’: London’s DJ Tallulah Dies, obituary, hkclubbing, published March 29, 2008, (retrieved June 16, 2023). 645:

at Studio Valbonne in Kingly Street, Soho, London. Many celebrities attended the opening night including

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https://sabotagetimes.com/music/luke-howards-brief-history-of-londons-gay-clubs-pt-1-from-bang-to-heaven

1865:, issue 17, May 2008, page 76 – DJ Tallulah 1948 – 2008 (picture, obituary & funeral arrangements): 571: 2509: 1498:, page 147 – Bang attracted crowds of celebrities 'including Rod Stewart, Rock Hudson and David Bowie.' 1408:(1955-1979) by Jon Savage, Faber & Faber, ISBN 9780571358373, publ. June 2024 - Jack Barrie, p. 601 1013:

Fully transcribed, in-depth interview with DJ Tallulah by Bill Brewster, recorded London July 29, 2004.

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The gay disco BANG opened in 1976 at the Sundown (a former ballroom/dance hall) in the basement of the

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is centered on Tallulah's early career and his years spent living with Granville King and Williams in

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on a Tuesday night, which was the gay night. Tallulah later said: "There was a similar black disco in

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classes at the Palace Theatre in Maidstone: "Not the best thing to do with a son who’s slightly fey."

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This is not a comprehensive list of all the clubs Tallulah DJ’d at (of which many were residencies):

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At the end of the 1970s, Tallulah was involved in the brief roller disco craze where he DJ'ed at the

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Tallulah, Queen of Clubs (12 May 2014) by Haydon Bridge, QX Magazine, (retrieved 28 November 2017):

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Peppermint Park - Tallulah Dj'd here: (retrieved 3 July 2018) Time Out Magazine, 13 February 2007:

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Love Is Suicide - Iain Williams & the 1984 Project with Hans Zimmer and guitarist Alan Murphy

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After Allam's studies at college ended he took a job at the Cora Hotel in Upper Woburn Place in

809:’ was set up in his honour for friends and fans to leave their personal memories and tributes. 325:

The initial moment Allam came face to face with his sexuality was when his parents sent him to

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Rollerdisco - Tallulah Dj'd here: (retrieved 3 July 2018) Time Out Magazine, 13 February 2007:

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who had apartments in the same house as Iain Williams, and their next-door neighbour actor

304:(1963), which he bought from a record store in Maidstone. The first vinyl album he bought, 662: 557: 465: 425: 388: 349: 1345:"Luke Howard's Brief History Of London's Gay Clubs: From Bang to Heaven - Sabotage Times" 1723: 1578: 441:

a huge cinema screen at the back, as the Sundown was a converted cinema, and we'd show

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Granville King (aka Gina King), winner of the Porchester Hall Drag Ball, late-1970s:

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Granville King (aka Gina King), winner of the Porchester Hall Drag Ball, late-1970s:

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disc 2 - (released on 14 March 1998) - track 14 on DJ Nico P.O.O.L’s chosen tracks.

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late '80s was just a vanilla version of the New York gay lifestyle of the '70s."

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The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of

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First inductee into the UK's House of Homosexual Culture's Hall of Fame (2007)

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by the sea.' Tallulah recalled the club as being 'the best gig in the world.'

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At the age of fifteen, Allam attended catering college (East Kent College) in

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Many actors, writers and musicians lived in the area, including the writer

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Upon his return to London, Allam found himself homeless and moved into the

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Tallulah interview conducted by Bill Brewster at DJhistory.com (July 2004)

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https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2008/03/27/tributes-paid-to-legendary-gay-dj/

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https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/popbitch-halloween-ball-6976934.html

405: 267: 125: 258:. His career also included jobs as a restaurateur, and hotel manager. 1773: 1769: 1765: 1761: 1607: 1595: 1222:’Pioneering gay scene DJ Tallulah ... partied alongside the likes of 1183:’Pioneering gay scene DJ Tallulah ... partied alongside the likes of 772: 750: 319: 2510:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/12980738658/posts/10152242435683659/

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by Bill Brewster, Frank Broughton, Publisher Headline (22 May 2006)

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by Bill Brewster, Frank Broughton, Publisher Headline (22 May 2006)

520:. In later years Tallulah would boast, 'I was the first K tragedy.' 500:

in New York, he literally fell at the feet of the owner of the club

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Life After Dark: A History of British Nightclubs & Music Venues

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