Cockney Mick (Webb) passed away earlier today

 

he was set to DJ 'one last time' this coming Friday at West End Center Social club, Woking (details below)

 

Fridays soul night will be a Memorial to Cockney Mick ...and a fundraiser towards his funeral expenses

 

(Hopefully) later today there  be  paypal account details for anyone who cant make the Memorial but would like to donate

RIP Mick.

  I'll never forget the many journeys to All-nighters and a couple of All-dayers  we took in his car in the late 70's and early 80.'s!.

So sad I haven't seen him since 1993. A great guy.

Oh no, Mick was a good friend to me when I first started out on the scene, used to travel to venues with him many times in his Mark 1 Cortina, he was a true gentleman and a soul man through and through, had the pleasure of DJ'ing with him as well many times during the early to mid 80's, he used to make me laugh so much with his dry whit, last time I saw him was when I DJ'd down at Bisley must be well over 10/12 years ago, one of the originals and a diamond geezer.

An 'ornery old soul pioneer of the Northern scene down south. Dedicated and knowledgeable and nobody's fool. It was a pleasure to have known him and I'm very sad he's gone.

Paypal  for anyone wanting to donate to Mick's funeral expenses etc (as F&F ) wilson1111@outlook.com

 

thanks

Edited April 27, 20169 yr by Sarge

Sad news indeed. Last saw him 25 March at Hoodoo in Walton on Thames & Bisley just before that where he was a regular despite recent failing health. A real nice bloke & one of the great old characters on the scene.  In the late 70's he's drive me & some of the Guildford lads up to Wigan in his MK2 Cortina (as per Mark Bicknell's post above) & for any new passenger his joke was to remove the steering wheel while driving & pass it to the opened mouth passenger in the back seat! (Once he did this on the motorway & had trouble putting it back in place -we were all in a panic but Mick was laughing as the car moved across the lanes towards the hard shoulder. He also used to wave it out his window as we passed by the Casino to the leaving puzzled hoards after an all nighter - great fun!). Also have a great pic of him I took in May 1990 with Ronnie McNeir outside the Old Trout function pub in Windsor having just had his copy of 'Sitting in my class' autographed. He had a great collection over the years & wrote for NS Fanzines. He will be very much missed

Mick was a fun guy who was passionate about his music.

A regular contributor to Blackbeat magazine in the 80s, and he was it's most successful salesman. Whilst trendy bookshops like Compendium in Camden managed to sell 10-20 copies of each issue, Mick used to shift upwards of 50 copies and ask for more!

Had a last pint of Newkie Brown with him last year at the Phillipines charity alldayer up at Tuffnel Park.

RIP Mick Webb. 

Knew Mick for many years, at niters & the like. A good fella, last saw him on a regular basis when he went to the soul nights in Newbury. RIP

Edited April 27, 20169 yr by Roburt

I last saw him on New Years Eve at Southampton Soul Club. He was still driving himself around and about to events pretty much every weekend and he told me then that his time was nearly done, which makes his passing no less saddening.

He was a real character and, as Ady alluded to, was never shy in giving you his musical opinion, no matter how brutally frank!!!

It was before my time, but he is perhaps most famous for an incident at an all dayer in the mid/late 70s at Reading Top Rank. I am sure some on here would have been there and will remember the event. Apparently, Lacy Lady DJ Chris Hill had led the main room funksters on a conga line into the Northern room upstairs. On their return to the main funk/disco room, Mick walked up to the decks, grabbed the copy of Magic Fly by Space which Chris Hill was playing, snapped it in half shouting that he didn't pay good money to hear shit like that!! Many years later, Mick and I went to a night near Tower Bridge and got chatting to Dr Bob Jones - when the subject of that incident got mentioned, Mick at first didn't let on that it was him. It soon became apparent who he was and, on realising who he was talking to, Dr Bob gleefully asked "you're Cockney Mick, aren't you??!"

Others have mentioned it as well, but he was responsible for getting many youngsters into the soul scene, particularly in the early/mid 80s when he was a regular DJ at events around Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Herts and surrounding areas. He was a genuine inspiration to many young soulies back then. He loved soul right across the board too and had some superb 45s in his collection, particularly British labels. I have some very fond memories of Mick Webb.

RIP mate.

Just echoing above what Mark has already said. Too many funny stories to mention and most certainly a huge influence on me and others around at the time, Moody Scott - My lovely lady a record i will always remember as his choon. So long fella, R.I.P

Can't believe that I'm reading this.  It was only a few days ago he came into my mind, and I was wondering how he was, having not seen him since 1993, and I am deeply saddened to learn of Mick's passing.

I first got to know Mick in 1982 after visiting one of his nites in the West End of London.  We got chatting, and I bought a few records from him.  Ever since then, we'd keep in touch by phone, enjoy a beer at various clubs, and share numerous jokes, most of them blue (of course).  My best memory of Mick's outspokenness was at a club in North London, where he was guest DJ.  One mod went up to him and requested some Rolling Stones.  The next thing I know, he's faded out the record he was playing with "Listen, I've come here to play good soul music tonight, not f**king s**t like The Stones, The Who or The Kinks, and if you don't like it then f**k off"!

Mick was also a keen UK collector, and had some very lovely bits in his collection.  I remember going through his record shelves when he lived with his mum in Windsor in the early 80s, and he had some jaw-dropping items then.  Around this time, his tastes moved into modern soul - a direction none of us thought he would ever take!

As said, I haven't seen or heard of Mick for 23 years, due to other commitments on both sides, but I always considered Mick a very good friend in the 12 years I knew him personally.  

An all-round top man with a generous heart, a wicked sense of humour, and a great collector and DJ.  Rest in peace, big man.

Edited April 27, 20169 yr by Gene-R

I hadn't seen Mick for many years but the 'steering wheel' episode Jez describes and the Reading all-dayer debarcle are etched in my memory banks. RIP Mick.

oh dear RIP Mick...

Andy and Susanne .

2 hours ago, markw said:

I last saw him on New Years Eve at Southampton Soul Club. He was still driving himself around and about to events pretty much every weekend and he told me then that his time was nearly done, which makes his passing no less saddening.

He was a real character and, as Ady alluded to, was never shy in giving you his musical opinion, no matter how brutally frank!!!

It was before my time, but he is perhaps most famous for an incident at an all dayer in the mid/late 70s at Reading Top Rank. I am sure some on here would have been there and will remember the event. Apparently, Lacy Lady DJ Chris Hill had led the main room funksters on a conga line into the Northern room upstairs. On their return to the main funk/disco room, Mick walked up to the decks, grabbed the copy of Magic Fly by Space which Chris Hill was playing, snapped it in half shouting that he didn't pay good money to hear shit like that!! Many years later, Mick and I went to a night near Tower Bridge and got chatting to Dr Bob Jones - when the subject of that incident got mentioned, Mick at first didn't let on that it was him. It soon became apparent who he was and, on realising who he was talking to, Dr Bob gleefully asked "you're Cockney Mick, aren't you??!"

Others have mentioned it as well, but he was responsible for getting many youngsters into the soul scene, particularly in the early/mid 80s when he was a regular DJ at events around Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Herts and surrounding areas. He was a genuine inspiration to many young soulies back then. He loved soul right across the board too and had some superb 45s in his collection, particularly British labels. I have some very fond memories of Mick Webb.

RIP mate.

Yep the legendary all dayer in 77 I think. A group of us from Kent were there. To fill in the gaps, the Jazz funk room was upstairs, and was absolutely heaving as coaches had come from Essex (while the northern room was quieter). Anyway Chris Hill led a conga of jazz funk fans downstairs and they were all dancing round the dance floor in a big conga. He then took to the mic. and talked about uniting the soul scenes and bringing us all together, and then put on Magic Fly of all records. Cue Mick Webb on stage, took the record off, smashed it, had a few words, and then Chris led the jazz funkers back upstairs. Next time it was jazz funk in the main room, northern upstairs. Heady days. 

The only guy I've ever seen playing crib in his carpet slippers at a soul do.

R.I.P Mick

Dave & Louise

Mick was as well-known for his excellent sense of humour, as he was his knowledge of black American music and his amazing record collection.  A couple of examples of his humour which made me smile:

My phone rings at home. "Hi Gene, it's Mick".  "Mick?"  Yeah, it's Mick".  "Mick who?"  "There's only one Mick, you ding-dong"!

On an occasion I phoned Mick one Sunday morning;  "(in a tired, stretchy voice) 'Ello?".  "Hi, is Mick there please?".  Hang on a minute, I'll have a look.......yeah, I'm here - who's that?".  

His other usual address when answering the phone was "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssss???"

Conversation over a beer.  "'Ere's one for you mate.  Why do the crabs on the beach all walk sideways"?  "Erm, I don't know.  Why?"  (starts walking sideways) "Oh I do like to be beside the seaside....".

 

Edited April 28, 20169 yr by Gene-R

He had a lot of bottle too, I remember him fucking off a gang of funkateers who were taking the piss at a small Northern do at Crackers in the early 70s

19 hours ago, Louise said:

The only guy I've ever seen playing crib in his carpet slippers at a soul do.

R.I.P Mick

Dave & Louise

And Glynnis his Missus was always in her slippers at Soul do's....Glynnis also passed a while back....so sad, just looked at the picture posted earlier & find it hard to imagine that guy is Mick Webb, I knew Mick off n on for about the last 20 odd years, but he always looked old in the time I knew him lol....always supported my promotions did Mick n Glynnis, will be missed for sure....

RIP Cockney Mick Webb

1 hour ago, Russ Vickers said:

And Glynnis his Missus was always in her slippers at Soul do's....Glynnis also passed a while back....so sad, just looked at the picture posted earlier & find it hard to imagine that guy is Mick Webb, I knew Mick off n on for about the last 20 odd years, but he always looked old in the time I knew him lol....always supported my promotions did Mick n Glynnis, will be missed for sure....

RIP Cockney Mick Webb

Didn't realise Glynis had also passed away.  That's  really sad.  They only got married about 1990/91, I think.  I know Mick married quite late in life, when he was in his early 40s.

Edited April 28, 20169 yr by Gene-R

16 hours ago, Gene-R said:

Didn't realise Glynis had also passed away.  That's  really sad.  They only got married about 1990/91, I think.  I know Mick married quite late in life, when he was in his early 40s.

Yes she was from the Norfolk fens I think, somewhere near Kings Lynn. I remember when I was living in Peterborough, he just turned up one night and said he was on his way to see her. It was typical of his all round good-egg character to take a detour and pop in for a cuppa.  

1 hour ago, Steve G said:

Yes she was from the Norfolk fens I think, somewhere near Kings Lynn. I remember when I was living in Peterborough, he just turned up one night and said he was on his way to see her. It was typical of his all round good-egg character to take a detour and pop in for a cuppa.  

Sounds just like Mick.  Probably one of the most humble and modest characters you could ever wish to meet on the scene.  I doubt we'll ever see his like again - he really was one of a kind.

Didn't know him very well but a genuine character. So sad he couldn't make tonights event...

On 28 April 2016 at 12:26, Gene-R said:

Mick was as well-known for his excellent sense of humour, as he was his knowledge of black American music and his amazing record collection.  A couple of examples of his humour which made me smile:

My phone rings at home. "Hi Gene, it's Mick".  "Mick?"  Yeah, it's Mick".  "Mick who?"  "There's only one Mick, you ding-dong"!

On an occasion I phoned Mick one Sunday morning;  "(in a tired, stretchy voice) 'Ello?".  "Hi, is Mick there please?".  Hang on a minute, I'll have a look.......yeah, I'm here - who's that?".  

His other usual address when answering the phone was "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssss???"

Conversation over a beer.  "'Ere's one for you mate.  Why do the crabs on the beach all walk sideways"?  "Erm, I don't know.  Why?"  (starts walking sideways) "Oh I do like to be beside the seaside....".

 

Can just see him saying all the above 

;-)

Mick had been a regular at the Teddington and Walton monthly soul nights over the past three years. He turned up out of the blue one night and we joked that we thought he had died  (Mick had a great sense of humour as has been mentioned elsewhere) but were glad to see him. He had spent some time caring for Glynis and after she passed he started to come out again. He was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago and the treatment took its toll on him but it never stopped him coming to the soul nights, he said it was his only respite. I last saw him at Teddington in April and we joked about some of the letters he exchanged with Pete Lawson (and others) through the pages of Blackbeat and he wondered what Pete would have made of the scene today. Always a realist he also said that the treatment was not helping him and he felt like shit. R.I.P. Mick.           

Very sad news - I'm remembering some really good times and a lot of laughs back in the late 70s and early 80s.  Sadly we didn't meet up very often in more recent years.  RIP Mick, No more pain.  Lots of love - Sue & Roger 

last saw mick at buckys do in January.allways a gent,rest in peace my friend

1976ish

Got a lift with Mick from Aldershot in his Mk 2 cortina not sure if it was a 1600e , got to Wigan car park, and he took the steering wheel off and put it in the boot, "fuckem they ain't stealing this" he would say, good laugh, great guy, always time to talk, always great stories, respect big guy.

Another sad, sad loss to the Soul Scene. Mick was a real top bloke. RIP CM.