DJ Derek - An Obituary

Bristol is saying goodbye to DJ Derek Morris today - one of the most influential people on the West Country's music scene.

For five decades DJ Derek played reggae music at pubs and clubs around the city - and beyond.

Acts like Massive Attack and Roni Size describe him as an influence.

He was born in St Andrews in 1941. He became an accountant for Fry's chocolates.

He gave up his job and moved to St Pauls where he integrated where the West Indian community which had recently settled.

The landlord of the Star and Garter pub in nearby Montpelier invited Derek to play tunes from his extensive record collection. Soon he was DJ-ing seven nights a week.

A group of children would hang around outside the pub while Derek drank with their fathers inside. In years to come, some would become members of the Wild Bunch then Massive Attack.

Massive Attack's Daddy G describes Derek as a huge influence on their sound.

And word of Derek started spreading. The Womad Festival booked him and he proved so popular they sent him around the world. He had never left Britain before.

He also appeared in videos for acts like Dizzee Rascal.

Derek disappeared in July 2015. His family and friends began a search of countryside where they thought he might be.

His body was discovered in shrubland near Cribbs Causeway in March 2016.