Martyn Allam (1948 – 28 March 2008), known professionally as Tallulah, 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. 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.''The Times'', 8 April 2008 – Obituary DJ Tallulah (retrieved 28 November 2017) His lifestyle and career linked him to figures such as playwright

Joe Orton John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his murder in 1967 committed by his partner, was short but highly i ...

and Orton's partner, actor

Kenneth Williams Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was a British actor and comedian. He was best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 ''Carry ...

and DJ

Kenny Everett Kenny Everett (born Maurice James Christopher Cole; 25 December 1944 – 4 April 1995) was an English radio Disc Jockey, DJ and television entertainer, known for his zany comedic style. After spells on pirate radio and Radio Luxembourg in the m ...

. His career also included jobs as a restaurateur, and hotel manager.

Family

Allam was born in 1948 in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

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

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 family moved to nearby

Barnehurst Barnehurst is a town and Wards of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in Greater London within the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north east of Bexleyheath, and 13.0 miles (20 km) east south-east of Charing Cross. It is separated from Nor ...

in north-west

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. Just before Allam joined primary school the family relocated again, this time to

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...

where he spent most of his childhood and early adolescence. At the age of fifteen, Allam attended catering college (East Kent College) in

Broadstairs Broadstairs () is a coastal town on the Isle of Thanet in the Thanet district of east Kent, England, about east of London. It is part of the civil parish of Broadstairs and St Peter's, which includes St Peter's, and had a population in 2011 ...

. 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."Tallulah interview conducted by Bill Brewster at DJhistory.com (July 2004) The first record Allam purchased was ''

Then He Kissed Me "Then He Kissed Me" is a song written by Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry. The song, produced by Spector, was initially released as a single on Philles Records (#115) in July 1963 by the Crystals. The lyrics are a narrative of a young ...

'' by

the Crystals The Crystals are an American vocal group that originated in New York City. Considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era in the first half of the 1960s, their 1961–1964 chart hits – including " There's No Other (Like My Baby)", ...

(1963), which he bought from a record store in Maidstone. The first vinyl album he bought, ''

I Put A Spell On You "I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song recorded by "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins and co-written with Herb Slotkin. The selection became a classic cult song, covered by a variety of artists. It was Hawkins's greatest commercial success, reportedly su ...

'' by

Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...

(1965), was from HMV record store in

Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running between Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road via Oxford Circus. It marks the notional boundary between the areas of Fitzrovia and Marylebone to t ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

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

ballroom dance Ballroom dance is a set of European partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and te ...

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

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

at the Queens Head pub that Allam first met the

pirate radio Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...

DJ Tom Edwards. 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

Herne Bay Herne Bay is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in South East England. It is north of Canterbury and east of Whitstable. It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne, Kent, Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury loca ...

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

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...

, London, which he eventually managed. It was at this hotel that he first met the actor

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 nonconformist figures as

Hugh Paddick Hugh William Paddick (22 August 1915 – 9 November 2000) was an English actor. He starred in the 1960s BBC radio show ''Round the Horne'', performing in sketches such as "Charles and Fiona" (as Charles) and " Julian and Sandy" (as Julian). He an ...

Kenneth Halliwell Kenneth Leith Halliwell (23 June 1926 – 9 August 1967) was a British actor, writer and collagist. He was the mentor, boyfriend and murderer of playwright Joe Orton. Childhood Halliwell was born in Bebington near Liverpool. He was very clo ...

, and

Victor Spinetti Vittorio Giorgio Andre "Victor" Spinetti (2 September 1929 – 19 June 2012) was a Welsh actor, author, poet and raconteur. He appeared in dozens of films and stage plays throughout his fifty-year career, including the three 1960s Beatles films ...

, 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.

Career

Early career

Tallulah started his DJ career in 1972 in a small club in

Pimlico Pimlico () is a district in Central London, in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by Lon ...

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 Hinge & Bracket 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 was so impressed by Studio One, a gay disco in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, that he returned to London determined to give the capital the same thing. The gay disco BANG opened in 1976 at the Sundown (a former ballroom/dance hall) in the basement of the

Astoria Theatre The London Astoria was a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England, that operated from 1976 to 2009. Originally a warehouse during the 1920s, the building became a cinema and ballroom. It was converted for use as a theatre in t ...

at 157

Charing Cross Road Charing Cross Road is a street in central London running immediately north of St Martin-in-the-Fields to St Giles Circus (the intersection with Oxford Street), which then merges into Tottenham Court Road. It leads from the north in the direc ...

. 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. 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 back from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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

Busby Berkeley Berkeley William Enos, (November 29, 1895 – March 14, 1976) known professionally as Busby Berkeley, was an American film director and musical choreographer. Berkeley devised elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geo ...

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

Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue in London, England, that opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. It was a small and relatively cheap club, in the heart of London's West End of London, West End. It was the location of the first ...

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

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

100 Club The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner ...

." Its instant success prompted the founders to open a second night weekly on Thursdays. The club attracted the likes of

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

and his entourage,

Rudolph Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev (17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer. Nureyev is widely regarded as the preeminent male ballet dancer of his generation as well as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all ...

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular film stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades, and was a prominent figure in the G ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

, actors, pop stars, film directors and London’s fashionista. Its 1,000-plus capacity took for the first time gay clubbing in the UK into the mainstream. 1976 was also when the first commercially available 12 inch recordings became available, which were ideal for a club like BANG.

Relocation to New York

In 1977, Tallulah visited

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

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

Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater and former nightclub at 254 West 54th Street (Manhattan), 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Opened as the Gallo Opera House in 1927, it served ...

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 late '80s was just a vanilla version of the New York gay lifestyle of the '70s." When Tallulah first went to

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

Steve Rubell Steve Rubell (December 2, 1943 – July 25, 1989) was an American entrepreneur and co-owner of the New York City disco Studio 54. Early life Rubell and his brother Donald grew up in a Jewish family in the Crown Heights and Canarsie sections ...

. '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

Fire Island Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy once again divided Fire Island into two islands. Together, these two isl ...

New York Shooting

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 horse tranquilliser. In later years Tallulah would boast, 'I was the first K tragedy.'

Return to London

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

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...

apartment of the pop musician Iain 'Rudi' Williams, who later became one-half of the pop duo

Big Bang The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models based on the Big Bang concept explain a broad range of phenomena, including th ...

. 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 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,

, (which was named after Tallulah) and was also an alternative cabaret/drag artiste named Gina King, who went on to win the

Porchester Hall The Porchester Centre is a Grade II* listed building at the junction of Queensway and Porchester Road in Bayswater, London W2. History It was built in 1923–25 by the local architect Herbert Shepherd, and was originally called Porchester ...

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

Bloomsbury Set The Bloomsbury Group was a group of associated British writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists in the early 20th century. Among the people involved in the group were Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster, Vanessa Bell, ...

' and after the bohemian district of Colville in

in which they resided. Many actors, writers and musicians lived in the area, including the writer

Charles Glass Charles Glass (born November 18, 1951) is an American-British author, journalist, broadcaster and publisher specializing in the Middle East, the First World War and the Second World War. He was ''ABC News'' chief Middle East correspondent from ...

, and musician Steven Luscombe of the band

Blancmange Blancmange (, from , ) is a sweet dessert popular throughout Europe commonly made with milk or cream, and sugar, thickened with rice flour, gelatin, corn starch, or Chondrus crispus, Irish moss (a source of carrageenan), and often flavoured wit ...

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

Bette Bourne Bette Bourne (; born Peter Bourne; 22 September 1939 – 23 August 2024) was a British actor, drag queen, and activist. His theatrical career spanned six decades. He came to prominence in the mid-1970s when he adopted the name "Bette" and a rad ...

, and further along Colville Terrace the actor

Philip Sayer Philip Sayer (26 October 1946 – 19 September 1989) was a Welsh actor. He worked for stage, film and television; his probably best known role was as Sam Phillips in the science fiction horror film '' Xtro'' (1983). Biography Philip Sayer was ...

. 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

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

Electric Ballroom The Electric Ballroom is a 1,500-capacity performance venue (primarily for rock and roll, rock bands) and indoor market located at 184 Camden High Street in Camden Town, London, England. History The Electric Ballroom started as an Irish ballr ...

Camden Town Camden Town () is an area in the London Borough of Camden, around north-northwest of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is identified in the London Plan as one of 34 major centres in Greater London. Laid out as a residential distri ...

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

Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a suburb of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, its ...

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." 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 ''Spanish Rooms'' n unlicensed barat 18 Denmark Place, 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. On 13 November 1983, Tallulah opened his own club night, ''Circus Circus,'' at Studio Valbonne in Kingly Street, Soho, London. Many celebrities attended the opening night including

Steve Strange Stephen John Harrington (28 May 1959 – 12 February 2015), known professionally as Steve Strange, was a Welsh singer and nightclub host and promoter. Strange began his career in several short-lived punk rock, punk bands of the late 1970s. Qui ...

April Ashley April Ashley (29 April 1935 – 27 December 2021), styled as The Honourable April Corbett from 1963 to 1980, was an English model, author, and LGBT rights activist. In the 1950s, upon being discharged from the Merchant Navy, she performed und ...

, Yvette the Conqueror and Vicky de Lambray. 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

Trident Studios Trident Studios was a British recording facility, located at 17 St Anne's Court in London's Soho district between 1968 and 1981. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield, drummer of the 1960s group the Hunters, and his brother Barry ...

with

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, five Grammy Awards, and has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards and a Tony ...

and guitarist

Alan Murphy Alan Murphy (18 November 1953 – 19 October 1989) was an English rock session guitarist, best remembered for his collaborations with Kate Bush and Go West. In 1988, he joined the jazz-funk band Level 42 as a full-time band member, and played w ...

. The story of how it came together, and Tallulah's involvement, is recounted in the 2020 article, 'The Story of a Song'. In 1990, Tallulah was featured alongside

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham a ...

and

Leigh Bowery Leigh Bowery (26 March 1961 – 31 December 1994) was an Australian performance artist, club promoter, and fashion designer. Bowery's performances featured striking costumes and make-up and were conceptual, flamboyant, outlandish, and sometime ...

in the Jesus Loves You 7-minute film short ''

Generations of Love "Generations of Love" is a song by British band Jesus Loves You, founded by singer Boy George, and was released as the second single from their only album, '' The Martyr Mantras'' (1990). The song also features raggamuffin toaster MC Kinky and re ...

'' directed by

Baillie Walsh Baillie Walsh is a British film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his work directing music videos and films for corporate brands. Career Walsh made his feature-film debut with '' Flashbacks of a Fool,'' starring Daniel Craig and ...

. The film was shot in and around

Soho, London SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall (SoHo), and ha ...

, 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

transvestite Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes traditionally or stereotypically associated with a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and express onesel ...

hooker. They visit a Soho porn cinema, where business is dealt. Boy George appears in the film briefly both in drag and as himself. On Millennium Night 2000, Tallulah DJ'ed at Delano South Beach club in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, '

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

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." 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. 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

Ladbroke Grove Ladbroke Grove ( ) is a road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, which passes through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue. It is also the name of the sur ...

North Kensington North Kensington is an area of west and northwest London. It is north of Notting Hill and south of Kensal Green predominately in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and partly in the London Borough of Brent and City of Westminster. The ...

to check that Tallulah was okay. Tallulah had suffered a cardiac arrest and died 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

Kensal Rise Kensal Green, also known as Kensal Rise, is an area in north-west London, and along with Kensal Town, it forms part of the northern section of North Kensington. It lies north of the canal in the London Borough of Brent, and also to the south, ...

. A

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

page In Memory of Tallulah was set up in his honour for friends and fans to leave their personal memories and tributes. Tallulah's lifelong friend Granville King died in 2013. A couple of months prior to Tallulah's passing, Tallulah met up with Iain Williams 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 ''Club Feet and Disco Dancing'' is centered on Tallulah's early career and his years spent living with Granville King and Williams in

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.

Clubs

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

Awards and honors

*First inductee into the UK's House of Homosexual Culture's Hall of Fame (2007) *Red Bull Music Academy (2016, inducted)

Promoter

*Circus Circus (club), Soho, London (1983) *Queenies (restaurant, bar), Kings Road, Chelsea, London *Sour Grapes (restaurant, bar) West Kensington, London

Discography

* Tallulah - ''Gimmee Your Lovestick'' - Label, 99 degrees (1998) * Tallulah - ''Gimmee Your Lovestick'' (T-Total Remix) - Label, 99 Degrees (1998) * ''Gimmee Your Lovestick'' appeared on ''Clubnight CD Vol.3'' disc 2 - (released on 14 March 1998) - track 14 on DJ Nico P.O.O.L’s chosen tracks.

Film

*
Generations of Love
7-minute short film to promote the single of the same name by Jesus Loves You, directed by

. The film features

, Tallulah and

. 1990. * �
Boys
�� (video) – featuring

, DJ Tallulah, Mark Lawrence, Matthew Glamore, Jeffrey Hinton, Dean Bright, et al. (1987). Director

Exhibition

* ''Leigh Bowery!'' exhibition, TATE Modern, 2025. ''TABOO'' (scratch film, 1985) by Jeffery Hinton, shown on a loop in the 'Back To The Club' room at the ''Leigh Bowery!'' exhibition, TATE Modern, 2025, contains footage of Tallulah filmed inside TABOO club in 1985.
LGBT History Month
during February 2025, celebrated Tallulah in their Schools Out program.

References

External links

*''The Times'', 8 April 2008, (retrieved 27 November 2017)
Obituary DJ Tallulah
*

Bishopsgate Institute Bishopsgate Institute is a cultural institute in the Bishopsgate area east of the City of London. The institute was established in 1895. It offers a cultural events programme, courses for adults, historic library and archive collections, and a ...

Gordon Rainsford Archive (photographer)
- Black and white photograph of partygoers Tallulah and Patrick Lilley at 'first night party' at Substation South (13 December 1994) photo ref: 1/2/7/355. *

Robert Workman Archive (photographer)
- Cowboy Night at BANG Disco (29 May 1978): 7 photos of Tallulah DJing at BANG on 29 May 1978 dressed in an American Indian Feather Headdress. The pictures are located within the files numbered, WORKMAN/840 (11 photos), WORK-MAN/841 (12 photos), WORKMAN/842 (9 photos) – Robert Workman Archive, Bishopsgate Institute. * Tallulah (DJ) Archive - ''In Memory of Tallulah'' ''In Memory of Tallulah'' (retrieved 22 September 2022): https://www.facebook.com/groups/12980738658/posts/10152242435683659/ * London DJ's - photographs by photographer Alex Gerry
photo of Tallulah (19 March 2008)
- the photo was taken 9 days before Tallulah died, so is possibly one of the last photographs taken of him. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tallulah 1948 births 2008 deaths Musicians from Kent English DJs British club DJs English record producers LGBTQ DJs British electronic dance music DJs History of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Notting Hill Musicians from Hamburg 20th-century English LGBTQ people