Blue plaque honouring South Tyneside entertainer Gary Gillespie Davison officially unveiled on site of former South Shields nightclub La Strada
and live on Freeview channel 276
All-round entertainer Gary Gillespie Davison was known to many for his DJing at the La Strada nightclub in South Shields.
He was also noted in London’s West End as a choreographer, where for a time he worked alongside dance legend Arlene Phillips.
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Hide AdOthers remember him for performing at The Customs House, where appeared in numerous musicals, pantomimes and ballets.
Sadly, Gary died from kidney failure in February 2020 aged 64, shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, which meant those closest to him felt he went without a proper tribute.
The plaque was officially unveiled on Saturday, May 14, with the ceremony attended by Sanford Goudie, the former owner of the nightclub, the Mayor of South Shields Cllr Pat Hay and Mayoress Jean Kopp.
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Hide AdSpeaking at the event, Colin revealed where the idea for the plaque came from.
He said: “I walked past here 22 months ago and I thought this is where Gary dee-jayed and where he worked so wouldn’t it be nice to have something on the wall?
"Obviously you can’t just put anything you want on the wall so I went to the council, they approved it and it is just fantastic.
"The turnout is tremendous, especially since he was robbed of his wake in 2020, so I’m looking forward to catching up with everyone that knew Gary.
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Hide Ad“He would have probably not wanted any fuss but he would be absolutely elated, to think that that he was a DJ who worked here all those years ago and now his name is going to be on the wall forever.”
As well as DJing at La Strada, Gary was also known for playing The Chameleon pub and The Chelsea Cat nightclub, and he was a regular performer at the annual Miss Tyneside competition, which was also a fundraiser for the Mayor’s Charity.
He was also known for his gift-of-the-gab sales skills in Binns and South Shields Market.
Among the many other strings to his bow was as a UK disco dance champion, with one of his favourite tricks being to do the splits in order to pick up a handkerchief.
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Hide AdAnd one of his more unusual credits was as “Chislington United player” in ITV’s 1980s hit children’s show Super Gran.
The blue plaque to Gary was one of two recently approved by the council.
South Tyneside Council launched a formal blue plaque scheme in 2017 which allows members of the public to nominate a person or building they feel is important to the heritage and history of the borough.
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Hide AdTo meet the criteria, individuals must have made a “significant contribution to the cultural, industrial, social, economic, scientific or civic legacy of South Tyneside or Britain.”