Celebrating Sunderland's Geoff Docherty, the man who brought Pink Floyd, The Who, Led Zeppelin and Tyrannosaurus Rex to Sunderland

He's the man who packed out venues such as the Bay Hotel and the Locarno - and you can join him for birthday celebrations soon.

The Geoff Docherty 'Birthday Bash Fundraiser' will be held on Friday, June 30, at The Peacock in Sunderland.

It starts at 7.30m and will include entertainment from Arthur Ramm and Justuzfor.

He brought Pink Floyd to Sunderland

Tickets cost £10 plus a booking fee and close friend David Waller is organising the event in recognition of Geoff who will forever be remembered as the man who brought Pink Floyd, The Who, Led Zeppelin and Tyrannosaurus Rex to Sunderland in the ’60s and ’70s.

Geoff carved a niche for himself as a music promoter in the 1960s after seeing six years service in the Fleet Air Arm.

He became a club doorman before turning to music promotion, with the Bay Hotel, in South Bents.

Bowie, Free and T.Rex on Wearside

Family were the first band Geoff booked to play at the Bay, on January 6, 1969, with tickets costing six shillings each. Then came Free a week later.

Tyrannosaurus Rex played at the Bay Hotel in June 1969 and at Sunderland’s Locarno ballroom in November of the same year.

Geoff also booked names such as David Bowie and Mott the Hoople.

He was also the manager of a band from South Shields called Beckett who he first heard playing at Annabel’s in Sunderland.

'He put rock and roll on the map'

David previously told the Echo that Geoff was 'a Sunderland man who has never moved out of the city.

"He had a huge impact and boosted the North East economy.

"He put rock and roll on the map in the region and brought some of the biggest bands in the world here.”

You can bid for an electric guitar

Highlights on June 30 will include a rock and roll auction where extra special items will be auctioned including an electric guitar.

Two other events to take place in June will include a celebrity lunch at The Peacock on June 16 at 12pm. Geoff will be there and people should call The Peacock to book a seat, said David.

He also urged people to support 'The Promoters Tale Walk' on June 28, starting at 10 am at Sue’s Cafe in Roker.

Interested people will do the walk to The Bay Hotel's original site at Whitburn, returning to Granny Annies at Roker to meet Geoff for coffee and hand over his birthday cards .

To find out more about the plans, including tickets, visit the ‘Actually the Locarno Ballroom but for us it was the Mecca in Sunderland’ Facebook page.