A FORMER roadie and his wife have combined their two great passions by opening a cafe decorated with more than 40 years of music memorabilia.

Dean and Shirley Kennedy will officially unveil Roadies: The Great Rock n Roll Kitchen, in Furtherwick Road, Canvey, tomorrow.

Serving food from around the world, it has been designed to combine the couple’s love of food along with Mr Kennedy’s four decades on the road touring with some of the biggest names in music.

Life on the road began for Mr Kennedy in 1975 when he started out with two of the island’s biggest musical exports - Eddie and the Hot Rods and Dr Feelgood.

Mr Kennedy, 57, from Canvey, said he became increasingly disillusioned with the modern music scene and quit to set up the unique cafe, which has taken two and a half months to get into shape.

He said: “I’ve been storing all my memorabilia for years in a lock up, and we think this is the best way to find a home for it.

“The other thing is that from going around the world touring, it meant we got to try all different kinds of food, so it seemed a really good chance to combine it all.

“The cafe is like a tribute to the life of a roadie. We’ve got things from the Sex Pistols Paul Weller, The Clash, Rory Gallagher and Bob Marley. The things on the wall aren’t everything I have collected, there’s still more things that I have. So I’ll look to rotate things around, and bring new things in.

“I stopped with the touring because it really is a young man’s game, and I have grown tired and frustrated with how corporate the music scene is now.

“Hopefully there’ll be some food and music memories that everybody will like.”

Martin Tucker, Canvey Town Council mayor, has welcomed the arrival of the cafe and said he hopes islanders will show their support.

He said: “It’s a good thing for the centre of Canvey, and I would much rather have the cafe than just another empty shop.

“It’s great that all of these memories are being shared, and I might even call in for a cup of coffee myself.”

One of the items on display is a tribute to the victims of the November 2015 terror attack at the Bataclan concert hall, in Paris.

Ninety people lost their lives about 30 minutes into an Eagles of Death Metal gig.

One of the American rock band’s team working behind the scene, 36-year-old Nick Alexander, from Colchester, sadly died in the shooting.

Bunking off school to hang out with bands

TIME on the road took Dean Kennedy all around the world in what he described as his dream job.

His stints working with Dr Feelgood and The Hot Rods coincided with prolific times for both bands.

Dr Feelgood enjoyed great success in the mid to late Seventies, with six albums charting in the UK.

Their breakthrough came with the group’s third album, Stupidity, which topped the UK charts in October 1976.

The Hot Rods also enjoyed success in the decade, which included playing a set at London’s famous Marquee Club.

Their opening act that night was a young band playing their first London gigs – namely, the Sex Pistols.

Reflecting on his time, Mr Kennedy said: “I loved every minute of it, and I just think to myself how lucky I was to have that as my job.

“I used to bunk off school when I started out working with the Hot Rods, and then I started helping out with the Feelgoods. I knew Lew Lewis very well from the Hot Rods, and it all started from there really.

“A lot of people have asked me what my standout moment was on the road, there are just too many to mention, and I wouldn’t want to get anybody into trouble.”