Trevor Simpson was born and raised in the Calderdale area and spent most of his working life in Halifax. After joining the legal firm of Bearder and Son, Solicitors, from school, he spent over thirty two years working for them as the agency manager for the Abbey National Building Society. When Abbey decided in 1990 to open a full Branch office in direct competition to Halifax Building Society they wisely offered Trevor the job of the manager of the new Branch. A promotion followed to the regional office as a Business Development Manager where he worked for several years, before he took early retirement and began the research for this book.
A keen sportsman, Trevor played as a goalkeeper in local junior football before being approached by Halifax Town where he played for several seasons but never managed to break through into the first team. An injury in 1966 enforced his change of direction by becoming a Football Referee and after learning his craft in the Halifax & District Leagues he progressed all the way to the Football League where he spent ten seasons officiating at the highest domestic level. Two appearances as referee at Wembley FA finals, various European and International matches and as a linesman at a World Cup qualifier completed his career as an active referee. He still retains his activity in Football in the employment of The Professional Game Match Official Ltd as a Referee Coach and also operates as an Assessor of referees on the FA Premier League. He holds a proud record as a referee at the Dallas Cup International Youth Tournament in Texas where he has completed over 30 consecutive years.
His greatest interest outside of sport has always been popular music. An avid record collector since his teenage years, he possesses practically every version of every song ever sung by Elvis Presley along with a complete collection of every chart topping record issued in the 78rpm format since the British record charts began in 1952. His love of country music is illustrated by having the complete number one recordings in the American charts from 1944 up to the current week. As a writer he has contributed articles to Goldmine, Elvis The Man and His Music, the Dusty Springfield Bulletin and is a regular contributor to Essential Elvis, the Graceland approved bi-monthly magazine publication.
Following a very successful career as a local disc jockey the Calderdale Hospital Radio station charity was formed by Trevor in 1981 and since then he has the proud record of doing a live programme every Christmas day. His regular Friday weekly show is performed on the hospital airwaves and he was instrumental in setting up links with the Shay and the Victoria Theatre so that sporting events and concerts could be relayed direct to every bedside in the Hospital. The proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the Charity to ensure a continuation of this community service. His other charitable work in the Calderdale area is with The Bearder Charity which was formed by his former employer John Alfred Bearder MBE, TD, MA (Oxon) and Trevor was appointed Chairman following the death of Mr Bearder in 1998.
With both volumes of Small Town Saturday Night, Trevor has not only uncovered fascinating facts, but has also fully illustrated and chronicled the untold story of how Halifax was remarkably at the cutting edge of the performance of popular music from the end of World War II until the world changing decade of the sixties. The extensive research that he has undertaken to tell this history has taken over eight years to complete.