Disco-loving 80 year old hailed Britain’s oldest DJ – despite needing a hearing aid

AN 80-year-old has been hailed Britain's oldest DJ - still spinning records despite having a hearing aid and many of his fans dying off.

Party-loving pensioner Don Barker - nickname 'Don Disco' - has been entertaining crowds with his favourite tunes for decades.

He has always regularly attracted a devoted following of around 70 fans known as 'Donettes' who turn up each week to boogie with him.

Despite being recently fitted with hearing aids and his crowd numbers diminishing with age a steadfast following of around 30 are still supporting him.

Don, who lives in Plymouth, Devon, with his wife Marie, 72, was once in the Royal Navy but gave it all up to play full time as a disc-jockey, which he has done since 1977.

He said that although he's now winding down, he's not ready to stop his regular Thursday night gig for the adoring hordes at the Agerton Social Club in his home city.

He said: "I was going to finish earlier this year but they asked me to stay.

"I don't charge much, I just do it for the love of it.

"I used to have around 70 people that would come and see me but lots have died and then their friends don't come anymore.

"But I still have a strong fan base of at least 30."

The active pensioner said he plays what he calls "the golden oldies" but will accommodate requests.

He added: "I love my music.

"I can't dance though, I'm useless at dancing.

"But I make other people get up and jig about."

Mr Barker, who began his music career in two popular holiday clubs at Whitsand Bay and in Looe, Cornwall, said that even if he was to give up his DJ-ing in the near future he could never escape his fans.

He added: "I have a motor home and everywhere I go they ask me to play so I can't ever get away."

The music man, who said he started DJ-ing "purely accidentally", found his love for music when he listened to the likes of The Clancy Brothers and Dusty Springfield on his travels.

But he said that his main influence has always been Lonnie Donegan - the first British pop superstar who provided early inspiration for The Beatles and a host of other music sensations in the 50s and 60s.

Ron said: "He was seen as the biggest single influence on music in the world and the Beatles even acknowledged that.

"I love his song Pick a Bail of Cotton and his rendition of Somewhere over the Rainbow was stunning."

The DJ, who lives on the same road as his social club venue, picked up the gig through a lucky break.

He said he managed to prove to the club that disco was something they needed at the club by performing when a group it had booked failed to show.

He added: "They had never had a disco there before, it was at a time when disco was still seen as a dirty word.

"But the group they'd booked never turned up and they needed to fill the space so I stepped in.

"Ball room dancing was popular at the time so I started with something they could waltz to and then slowly brought in more upbeat music - everyone had a great time and I've been playing there ever since."

Controversially Mr Barker says that music today "isn't music, it has no melody" and that king of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, was not all he was made out to be.

He said: "He had a lot of hits with other people's songs and he did a lot of rubbish in my opinion."