This article was published in 2005.

From his days at Leeds Student to Leeds based Backbeat magazine, Tony Woolgar has been writing about and photographing bands for many years. As well as editing his own publications, he opened opportunities up to new journalists who quite often went on to greater things whilst Tony stayed on in his beloved City, Leeds. His reviews are down in legend and there are many Leeds bands who received their first review from Mr Woolgar. When Radio 1 came to Leeds for Sound City, it was Tony's photographs that were used to embellish the brochure.

Tony is an insular kind of guy and doesn't have any living relatives, an only child his parents died while he was still at University in Leeds. He considers Leeds music people to be his adopted family. Most evenings he can be spotted at one of our many venues, camera in one hand and a half of hand-pulled beer in the other.

On Monday 4th July at The New Roscoe we are throwing a 50th Birthday party for Tony, it's free admission and we'd like anyone who knows him to pop in and wish him well. There will be a PA available and bands wishing to play already include members of The Scaramanga 6/Being 747/Landspeed Loungers as well as Xi, The Exploding Hearts and Andie Mills. Anyone else wishing to add their talents to the evening's entertainment please contact: jfk@liveinleeds.com.