I wasn't quite sure what to do regarding paying my own small tribute to the dj who played a pivotal role in establishing a flourishing soul, jazz and funk scene here in the UK back in the 1970's and 80's. He wasn't "just a dj" however, he was a consummate entertainer in his own right and had that rare knack of having a great ear for all kinds music and recognising the latent talent of many musicians.
As part of his activities, Chris was also co-owner of the Ensign record label which boasted not just many of the UK's Britfunk groundbreaking acts but also a good number of successful rock and pop artistes on its roster too. You may have heard of the Boomtown Rats and the Waterboys but at the same time not have realised that Chris and his Ensign partner Nigel Grainge signed those bands up and propelled them to the top of the pop charts. Chris was also the "man behind the curtain" who first discovered and signed Sinead O'Connor to Ensign. Her amazing rendition of Prince's 'Nothing Compares To U' hit the top spot in many countries and was Billboard's designated number one world single of the year in 1990. Although she was still with Ensign the release was under the Chrysalis banner who had taken Ensign under their wing whilst it was still being run by Chris and Nigel.
Due to the fact that a fair amount of Ensign's output was inevitably soul and jazzfunk I thought that a 2 hour showcase of music taken from that area of the label would be a good way of paying tribute to a man who hugely influenced many dj's and music lovers over the years. All of the tunes during this two hour journey bar one are from his label, the odd one out being a track on the famous Blue Note jazz label. Chris was a dedicated jazz fan and an avid collector of Blue Note and Verve vinyl so I decided to include the tune as a reminder of his love of the genre.
The music is interspersed with my personal recollections of Chris (I dj'ed for many years on the Caister Soul Weekenders team which was headed by Chris). It wasn't scripted so everything is ad lib, if I got any facts wrong I apologise in advance. There were a number of tunes I had earmarked for the show which I just didn't have time to fit into the 2 hours, maybe I'll do a follow up if there's a demand for it.
Chris sadly passed away on 11 September 2025 at the age of 81.
