Chris Hewitt interview: from Deeply Vale to Pink Floyd

Chris Hewitt is something of a legend in the North West music scene. He was manager for Tractor, who played at Gigs Live Music Club in early 1982. He ran Tractor Music, a music and PA hire business based in Rochdale – bringing large PAs to the Northwest for the first time. He was one of the organisers of the Deeply Vale Festivals, held between 1976-1978, just outside Bury. He runs CH Vintage Audio – the largest stock of vintage musical sound equipment in the UK, including some from Pink Floyd and The Beatles. He’s also a biographer, whose titles include Tales of Deeply Vale Festival and Martin Hannett - Pleasures Of The Unknown.

Chris Hewitt, with PA equipment which used to belong to The Beatles. Just part of his impressive collection.

It was on one of the hottest days of the year that I interviewed Chris. He’d been suggested to me by Bernie Wilcox, one of the organisers of the Rock Against Racism Northern Carnival, which took place in Alexander Park on 15 July 1978 – Chris had provided the sound and staging for that and other events.

As you can imagine, we had an extensive and sometimes rambling discussion, which was always entertaining and informative – every digression was in itself a nugget of information. It’s really hard not to be bitten by Chris’s sheer enthusiasm and knowledge of the North Manchester music scene in the 1980s – and of course his jaw-dropping equipment collection.

The Gig Live Music Club connection, at least the direct one, is that Tractor played at the club in 1982. Tractor was founded in 1971, in Rochdale, by guitarist/vocalist Jim Milne and drummer Steve Clayton. John Peel was so impressed with them that he bought the band their recording equipment and PA system, and got them to change their name from The Way We Live.

Equally important is that events like the Deeply Vale Festival brought many bands north for the first time and also created an audience for a wide range of music. It’s hard to imagine that the Northwest music scene would have become to rich and vibrant without people like Chris.

As with my other interviews, this will be released more or less in full, online or as a podcast episode.