THE life of the man who brought the Beatles to Swindon will be celebrated at a memorial service today.

Bringing the Fab Four to McIlroys Ballroom in 1962 was far from being the only claim to fame of Bill Reid, who died aged 84 last month.

He was better known for founding the Brunel Rooms, the Swindon nightclub which was a major force in the Swindon music and dance scene for many years, and hosted early performances by future global stars including Blondie, Iron Maiden and The Jam .

Married to Jacky, who died in 2003, Mr Reid had two children, Stephen and Jude.

According to Stephen, who also ran the Brunel Rooms, one of the secrets of his father’s success was his eagerness to embrace the new, with the club hosting everything from disco nights to raves over the years.

“A friend of mine described him as an early adopter,” said Stephen. “When computers came in he had everyone computerised.

“He was gregarious. He liked being around people, he liked to talk a lot. He always said to me, ‘Life’s not a dress rehearsal, son.’ He didn’t want to die waiting.

“People can talk about it, the whole carpe diem thing, but not many manage to do it.”

Originally from Middlesex, Mr Reid was a jazz musician in the 1950s, playing double bass with Terry Lightfoot’s New Orleans Jazzmen and the Alex Welsh Band, and toured with greats including Louis Armstrong.

As a music promoter he dealt with performers such as the Who, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie in addition to the Beatles.

When the Liverpool band played McIlroys, a modest 360 people turned up and the band shared a £27 10s fee - equivalent to £27.50.

His clubs included not just Swindon venues such as the Brunel Rooms and Vadims but others across the region.

Away from music Mr Reid, who lived in Minety, had other interests including farming and hunting; he served as Joint Master of the Vale of the White Horse Hunt.

His memorial service was set for 1pm today at Cirencester Parish Church,with donations invited to the Attitude is Everything charity, which works with the music industry and venues to improve access to live music for people with hearing impairment and other disabilities.

Its website is http://www.attitudeiseverything.org.uk