A ROCK hero will make a triumphant return to Clacton 50 years after he performed as part of an all-star line-up at a legendary music festival.

When Ray Dorset, founder of Mungo Jerry, arrived at the 1971 Weeley Festival, not even he could have predicted the response.

What started out as a small village event blossomed into Tendring’s own take on Woodstock, with an astonishing line-up of 50 premium bands including T Rex, King Crimson and Status Quo.

Weeley was flocked by more than 150,000 fans.

Mungo Jerry were arguably the star attraction, with their track In the Summertime having recently topped the charts.

The train station was so overwhelmed by the hordes of fans, organisers even made a plea for no more to turn up.

People walked along the A133 from Colchester with tents on their backs.

Fights famously broke out between biker gangs, stall-holders and festival security.

Mr Dorset recalls heading to the festival on a converted double decker bus, kitted out with a bar and a DJ.

He said: “There was a video shot on 16mm film outside that bus, lots of other people decided to make their way on.

“One guy was Rod Stewart, he came upstairs and presented me with a copy of his latest album - the one featuring Maggie May.”

While Mungo Jerry were on stage, he urged fans to stay calm after witnessing fights breaking out.

He said: “We went out on stage, I wouldn’t say it was the best show I ever did in my life but it was a big festival.

“They had decided to try and use the Hell’s Angels as security and a massive fight broke out.

“It was crazy, people were swinging in the trees and all sorts.

“I have always thought music should be free and I used to talk to the audience to see if I could calm them down.

“In this instance, I don’t think it worked.

“Weeley Festival was great, I always like the shows where people don’t necessarily know me beforehand, and the reaction you get when people hear something they love for the first time and it gets to them.

“For me, that’s an honest way to do things.

“It’s why I don’t have a set list, I have enough material to play for five hours without stopping.”

Mr Dorset will pass through Weeley when he arrives in Jaywick to perform at Eldofest on Sunday, a growing community festival which attracted 3,500 fans last year.

It was started by Steve Garrett, owner of the Eldorado Bar, who wanted to show the positive side of his town.

Headlined this year by Mungo Jerry, 14 bands will perform across three stages on Sunday.

The free festival is a way of promoting Jaywick following a wave of negative publicity, largely courtesy of TV shows such as Channel 5’s Benefits by the Sea.

Mr Garrett is hoping to welcome 5,000 fans this year.

Around 200 volunteers will give up their time to keep things running smoothly.

But Mr Garrett is calling on Jaywick businesses to throw their weight behind the festival and help to support it through sponsorship.

He said: “These negative programmes about Jaywick don’t show the Jaywick I know.

“It isn’t like that, we have a great little community here and I wanted to do something positive for a change.”

The festival will raise money to support the Dream 100 Kids Trust, Little Havens Children’s Hospice and the Robin Cancer Trust.

About 12 hours of music will begin at 12.30pm on Sunday, at Eldo Bar, Broadway.