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Mark Wesley, real name
Martin Wesley Cole, was born on 24th
January 1948 in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, Mark started playing in bands while
still at school. One of them, The Specters, was managed by a certain Vince
Allen. When Vince got the job of Programme Director for a new
offshore station, to be called Radio Essex, he appointed the 17 year old Mark as
one of his DJs. Mark presented the very first show in October 1965 (as Mark
West). He stayed on
as Radio Essex changed into Station BBMS (Britain's Better Music Station) for
its last few months |
| on the air. When it closed down at Christmas 1966, Vince,
who had been appointed Programme Director of Radio 270, sent for Mark. He
followed in the footsteps of three other Radio Essex presenters, Guy Hamilton, David
Sinclair and Roger
Scott, who all transferred to this Yorkshire station. After three
months he moved on again, to Radio Scotland, where he remained until the
legislation closed it down in August 1967.
He then worked was Acuff Rose Music as a record
plugger in London for one year and then formed a songwriting partnership
with a friend.
Mark returned to sea in 1970 when he joined Radio Northsea
International. They already had a DJ with the surname West, Alan
West, so Mark became known as Mark Wesley. He remained with R.N.I.
until September 1970.
He then worked for DJM as a record plugger
before, in May 1971, moving onto Radio Luxembourg, with whom he stayed for 10
years. Spells on Radio Orwell,
Capital Gold (1993) and others ensued.
In the 80s Mark subsequently developed his own
commercial music production studios near Saffron Walden and went onto form
a film Company called Media Futures, which in 1993 produced a documentary
for Anglia TV on unlicensed taxis as part of their "First Take
2" series.
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