The Disc Jockey

Starting in the late 1950s, a businessman named John Hodgeson had a record shop in the High Street called The Disc Jockey. With other business interests and political ambitions, Johnny advertised for a manger to run the record shop. Alan Jensen (formerly of Courts) was the successful candidate. Johnny became a councillor in 1972. Around the same time, Alan offered to purchase the record shop and Johnny accepted.

Described as something of a showman, Alan turned the business around and during the late 1960s, the shop moved into premises at 2 Queen's Road; the shop being known for a time as 'The Disc Jockey +1'. Alan created a bird figure - 'Big Al' - as a mascot for the shop which featured prominently on the shops bags and other merchandising/advertising - publishing a weekly chart of top selling records in the Hastings & St Leonards Observer. This continued for some 23 years in total. Partly due to ill-health, partly due to the pressure exerted on the marketplace by chain-stores such as 'Our Price', 'HMV' and other multiples, Alan decided to sell the business in 1984 and the Disc Jockey was no more.