I frequently have a tendency to delve into researching a particular subject, only to find myself veering off course after about a month or so, leaving some interesting facts sat on my computer’s desktop. Some might attribute this behaviour to ADHD, but who knows?
Navigating the soul and R&B scene can be a labyrinthine journey, unbelievably it’s a small world where boundaries can blur effortlessly. Delving into research often leads to a mass of discovery, and you can easily lose track of
From 1971 before Northern was even called northern this account of his trip to the sea side is a fascinating look back to those far off days, cover ups, pillheads etc all feature and to me a tribute to a place which nowadays doesn't get the recognition it deserves.Thanks to Katie and Chris for sending the scanned original in. Read on for a piece of living history and one of the best written articles on site............
site note - article reformated
From Blues and Soul - 1971 - Dave G
Off top of head not 100% sure of orgin - please shout if know so can add credits etc
Mary Love Discography by Paul Dunn
MODERN
1006 You turned My Bitter Into Sweet I’m In You Hands
1010 Ive Got To Get You Back Hey Stoney Face
1020 Let Me Know Move A Little Closer
1029 Lay This Burden Down Think It Over Babv
1033 Baby Ill Come Satisfied Feeling
1039 Talking About My Man Dance Children Dance
1042 Is That You (Duet by Arthur Adams & Mary Love
We are now hitting issue #36 of this very long running informative 'Northern Connections' series from ken Brown aka @Kenb
Northern Connections # 36 Deception
Today (2023) it would hardly be considered the crime of the century to operate a 'near victimless mail scam' or cause a deception for the benefit of a few 45 records. However, not so in Virginia 1972. Back then, defrauding a record club and stereo tape club carried a U.S. District Court indictment. Some still may say t
Introduction
For over 15 years I wrote a monthly column in the now defunct Manifesto magazine, latterly under the editorship of Mike Ritson. This was a premier, glossy monthly publication that in my opinion surpassed everything since Black Music and hard copy Blues & Soul went under. Most of my submissions were record reviews interspersed with articles on labels and artists. My many box files contained information from various sources from old copies of the Detroit Free Press to heart f
FOOTIE AND 45s WEEKENDS By Dave Moore
As lifelong Burnley Football Club fans, I am so chuffed that Bev, my Grandkids, (who are also season ticket holders) and the club, play a central role in this tale. We left Burnley in 1985 but as a family we still attend most home games and quite a few away games which, when your grandson plays grass roots football on Saturday and Sundays, can be a challenging programme at the best of times, as even the home games result in a 300 mile round trip for
We have just reached #34 in @Kenb's long running informative 'Northern Connections' series. Read and digest below
Northern Connections # 34
Lew Hanson, Mary Mundy & Soul Syndicate/Seven Sense
Insurance City Records said it would give 10% of its profits to The Newington Children's Hospital & Bellevue Square Boys Club, from (this} its first original production release. The record was cut at Creative Sound and released in early 1972.
Two musicians and three businessmen started
THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER RARE NORTHERN
This list contains what I consider the most sought after and rare original release Northern soul 45s at this point in time. It contains some seriously rare 45s and includes many that have been deemed to be ‘the hot collectable to have’. Records that have eluded collectors over the many years of searching for them and the ones that keep you awake at night, brooding if you’ll ever own them. The records are not listed in any particular order, just as they
The Tempos Story by Rob Moss
The TEMPOS Story
The lineage of vocal groups, male and female, in the 1950s and 60s can be as difficult to establish as any family tree. Line-ups would frequently change as individual members came and went, group names could be dropped and replaced completely or entirely different personnel brought in to replace decampers. On a few occasions in the 1960s several different groups, with the same name, managed to co exist. An entire book, devoted to the variou
A REVIEW OF 'IT AIN'T RETRO DAPTONE RECORDS & THE 21ST -CENTURY SOUL REVOLUTION: JESSICA LIPSKY'
(JAWBONE PRESS)
Daptone Records, the Brooklyn -based record label reached it’s 20th anniversary this year. With any celebrations under a pandemic having to be kept small they are releasing a live album from their 2014 soul revue at the famous Harlem Apollo in October before that, just out is ; It Ain’t Retro: Daptone Records & The 21st -Century Soul Revolution by Jessica Lipsky, a
Site note - this article was originally published on Soul Source in full back in 2006, it was clipped approx 2012 at the author Rob Moss's request. Rob here in 2023, has just given us the ok to revive and re-publish this and others in full.
This is the second revived one and the plan is to revive the others on a weekly basis.
Famed Detroit producer/songwriter Clarence ‘Clay' McMurray once stated "...there are only two real voices in Detroit of any consequence - Emanuel Laskey and James Ep
The Just Bros Story by Rob Moss
Site note - this article was originally published on Soul Source in full back in 2006, it was clipped approx 2012 at the author Rob Moss's request. Rob here in 2023, has just given us the ok to revive and re-publish this and others in full.
This is the first revived one and the plan is to revive the others on a weekly basis.
The Just Bros Story by Rob Moss
As a Northern Soul anthem, "Sliced Tomatoes" by the Just Brothers stands alone. It re
IVY JO HUNTER
Motown’s phenomenal success in the 1960s was due, in large part, to the abundance of talented songwriters the company nourished and nurtured from within. From his own experience in the 1950s with Jackie Wilson, Berry Gordy Jnr. knew that good songs were the lifeblood of commercial musical success for a record company. It didn’t matter how talented the performers, musicians or producers might be — without great songs, it would all be for nought. In the early days, the bulk of c
Twisted Wheel - loads of articles here, format is a bit haphazard after transfering it from old site, but still interesting reading.......
THE TWISTED WHEEL BY DAVE PHILLIPS
The Left Wing Club in Brazenose Street in Manchester changed to become the Twisted Wheel.
Twisted Wheel membership card circa 1965
Slowly moving from it's roots in, folk and jazz, to blues and RnB, it was to become the originator of Northern Soul. Mainly due to the two brothers who ma
Now at #35 in the long running informative 'Northern Connections' series by @Kenb.
Northern Connections # 35 - Child Of Friendship, Train Robbers
The eagle-eyed amongst you will have spotted two different addresses on the 2 versions of Natural Records 1516. 1516 25th Ave versus 1510 16th St. The latter being a small room and the location for Black Unity, Inc-at least from 1971 to 1974. Black Unity, Inc was incorporated in 1967 and was essentially founded to raise the political conscio
MD 117 – Blinded by Pride / I Found A Love – The Sensations
At MD Records, our main mission has always been to ensure that the music we release is handled fairly and ethically. We put a significant amount of effort behind the scenes to ensure that all legal requirements are met before we make a release public. Sometimes, this task can become challenging when dealing with tracks that come with limited information. This challenge becomes even more pronounced when many of the people who contri
There is an opportunity to celebrate Lea Manor and meet up with friends on 23rd September 2023. The promoters are Martyn Bradley, Kev Spittle, Sharon Spittle and Kev Bodley.
Martyn has been out and about over the last year or so and had many folks asking for a Lea Manor meet-up. So, finally, it’s happening!
As many of you will be aware, Martyn, Kev and Sharon were also promoters of the popular United Sounds of Soul (USoS) events. These were also nights with a loyal following and reputa
Sandy Hollis : Lost Detroit Soulstress Found.
In 2008 Soul Junction Records issued a cd album project on the Detroit group, The Falcons entitled “Good, Good Feelings” which featured their entire Big Wheel label output. The album also featured both sides of the then unknown artist Sandy Hollis’s Big Wheel 45 “I’m Tempted/Tables Will Turn” which incidentally featured The Falcon’s on backing vocals. Now having spent many years tracking down artists in the pursuit of records and master tapes it
Soul Galore - Dave McCadden - Review with clips, please note this was posted in1999
Soul Galore
If vinyl is your thing this is a mag for you, all it contains is vinyl reviews vinyl reviews and vinyl reviews. But heres the sting it is well entertaining and a good reference.
Reviews range from a sharp few liners to a full page. A good reference guide and interesting read. Edited by Dave McCadden highly recommended. Find out yourself, here's some clips of reviews taken from a back is
Gripped by the Flu over Christmas and new year I needed something to keep the brain engaged and fill the endless hours, and it seemed the right time to delve into something that had been at the back of my mind for a while. So, it was time to scratch the itch, venture into the abyss of the internet and get going. With Paracetamol and Cold and Flu remedy at my side the journey began.
Throughout the years there have always been strange situations and circumstances surrounding the music busin
DEBBIE TAYLOR
LOST AND FOUND
DEBBIE TAYLOR is a highly acclaimed but relatively obscure soul singer who released nine singles and an album during an eight-year period from 1967 to 1975, during the ‘golden days’ of soul music. Three of her 45s reached the R&B charts but, despite her obvious talent, she failed to make a significant impact in commercial terms and her name was soon forgotten by most.
THE MARKET WAS CROWDED in the golden days and dozens of new r
Doris Duke - Deep Soul Queen
Another quality fully featured article by @Peternickols
Again to ensure that both his layout, images and text layouts are respected we have published this as a pdf version
Today, we have another story to share - the remarkable tale of The Gambrells, a previously unknown girl group from the heart of Detroit. Thanks to the efforts of our researcher and label partner, Jordan Wilson, and the discovery of long-forgotten studio tapes within the Pioneer Studio vault, we can now shed event more light on the incredible journey of Sharon, Pat, and Sandra.
The Gambrells, a trio consisting of sisters Sharon and Sandra Gambrell, along with their close friend Patricia Hunt
It took me many years to track down this guy, but eventually I was sitting with him on Detroit’s East Side. Over a ten year period I had been down several blind alleys looking for Tyrone Edwards and Tyrone Pickens, the name he wrote under. But his story starts as one half of the singing duet Tony & Tyrone, who built up a strong reputation around the Detroit city clubs as a lively stage act with undoubted singing skills. Early on they became close friends of Carolyn & Aretha Franklin, who
Joey Jefferson is a well known producer and label owner that released many excellent 60s soul sides. Breakthrough & Mutt & Jeff are two of Joey’s labels that are of the most interest to Rare & Northern Soul collectors. The most highly sought after 45 on Breakthrough is of course by “No One Else Can Take Your Place” by the Inspirations. Over the years myths and misinformation has surrounded the recording. Johnny Hendley who recorded solo on Mutt & Jeff and later on TIE as John &
The latest Northern Connections episode, it's #33 in this long running series from Kenb
Northern Soul Connections #33 - The lnvaders / E.Lampkins
Figuring out the participants of, and then 'attaching' them to, Earth Record Co F/W 18740 A-B has been a tricky business!
The result has mainly fallen to investigating a mash-up of USA geography, people time & place, and combining it with some intuitive wild ass guesswork.
There was a number of differing Louisiana 'Invaders' (plus at
Burford Fishback - A man with many irons in the fire (aka Sonny Fishback / Sonny Fisher)
Burford 'Sonny' Fishback was born in Nashville, Tennessee but moved to Louisville, Kentucky at the age of 13. He attended Madison Jr. High there in 1953 and in 1957 he transferred to Central High School joining Mohammad Ali there. Sonny's plan and dreams included becoming a nightclub singer and a recording artist. In 1957 Sonny wrote a song called "You Ain't Going Nowhere" which was a mild local hit. S
Around 1968, a Philly vocal group, the Naturals, were looking for a fresh bunch of musicians to back them up on live shows. A local band found out about this and made contact with the singers. Thus the Soul Crusaders and the Naturals teamed up to form an 11 strong ensemble. There were already a number of recording groups using the name the Naturals and so their managers came up with an appropriate new name for them; the FUTURES. Life & their career progressed for the Futures & after 4 ye
Site note article updated 2023 , text format added.
Dave Godin column including his account of visiting Paynes Cafe Royal while on holiday in Llandudno back in 1972
As you can read part of the article features his account of a holiday visit to Llandudno where he stumbles across Paynes weekly event.
Dave Godin in Llandudno - Blues and Soul Issue 82 -1972
Easter this year came as a chance to escape the City for a few days, and so I repaired to Llandudno m North Wales for a muc
It has taken a long time for the news to reach me but I felt it wholly appropriate to pass on the news that Linda Tate died in July 2015 at the age of 72.
Linda was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and lived most of her life in Metuchen. Linda was an international relations coordinator for Merck and Company for 33 years before her retirement.
Linda is known to us through her recordings at Shrine Records, as Linda & The Vistas, and Assault Records where she fronted the Pretenders
Thanks to Paul Rice for the words below charting the story of what till now may not have been a well known story.
Also many thanks to Nick Risi for the use of the photos from his own personal archives
PAT POWDRILL AND NICK RISI By Paul Rice
Pat Powdrill's mother and Nick Risi's father worked for the same company in Los Angeles. They started talking about Pat and Nick's interest in music and came to the conclusion that it would be beneficial for them to meet each other. At that tim
The latest Northern Connections episode #32 from Kenb
Northern Soul Connections #32 i.e. that is Disciples of Soul
Disciples of Soul-Phantom
The Disciples of Soul vocalists on 'Together' & 'That's The Way Love Goes' were Bill Ferrell, Steve McKeown, and Bud Rand. They were under the management of Jeff Reed (Rand & McKeown names you can find on the Phantom label & credits) and the sides were recorded in the summer of 1968 and released in Feb 1969.
Whenever I've lis
The upcoming release of the Shrine Vinyl Lp from Kent Records stirred Andy Rix aka @Andy Rix to pass on his second set of his Shrine related sleeve notes, the ones written for the 'Shrine - the Rarest Soul Label Vol.2' 2000 Cd release, which dovetails nicely with the set of original uncut sleeve notes from the Shrine Volume One Cd already posted in our Article section (link at bottom)
Shrine - the Rarest Soul Label Vol.2 Sleeve Notes by Andy Rix 2000
The story of Shrine Records, from i
Anyone who grew up listening to pop or R&B radio in Philadelphia (as I did) in the late 1960’s is familiar with The Show Stoppers’ raucous hit, “Ain’t Nothin’ But a House Party”. Frequenters of the Soul Source website may be familiar with the song from its release on Beacon in 1968 (more on that below).
In 2017, the song was featured as the lead cut on Kent Soul’s excellent compilation, Nothing But a House Party – The Birth of the Philly Sound 1967-1971, a Compilation of the Year pick b
A LESSON IN PERFCTION - CREATING A MUSICAL MASTERPIECE
By Dave Moore
At last year’s New Century Soul 10th Anniversary Allnighter we had the pleasure of the company of 2 Philadelphia Legends, Bunny Sigler and Ronnie Walker. I was lucky enough to spend the week with them and Martha, Bunny’s wife, as we chaperoned them from airport to rehearsals to gig etc resulting in finally seeing Bunny sing a whole Northern set.
Well folks...it’s that time of year again! When Chris Waterman gave
30 Years Of Northern Soul In Todmorden.
A commemorative booklet issued at the Charity Anniversary Evening 20th April 2001. Walsden Cricket Club
Site note the first 2 pages of this booklet are reproduced in text format below, the other pages are via scanned images only.
Todmorden is known around the world as an important centre for soul music due to the Goldmine record label. Accolades fall thick and fast on the label and its leading light. Tim Brown. There are in life very few tru
The Post Wigan Years By Karl ‘Chalky’ White
Much has been written about the Northern Soul scene up to the demise of The Wigan Casino, but very little has actually been written about what followed. For many, the scene died when Wigan Casino closed its doors for the final time. These same people would perversely discover that the scene was far from dead and that a hard-core crowd had continued to keep the flame burning and in the process, had taken the scene back underground with an aggress
Charles Hatcher (Edwin Starr) was born in Nashville in January, 1942 but his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio while he was still young. Here Edwin was educated at the city’s East Technical High School. Whilst a student at this school his interest in singing developed. This isn’t surprising as the school seems to have been a spawning ground for male vocal groups at the time. The likes of the LaSalles & Carousels, who were both to go on to secure recording contracts, started up while the member
Mary Love Remembered
I first came across Mary Love’s wonderful music as a teenager, dancing to ‘You Turned My Bitter Into Sweet’ and ‘Lay This Burden Down’ at “Old Soul” gatherings for lovers of the uptempo mid 60s soul sound (soon to be coined Northern Soul in the UK). As a record collector I had picked up other Modern label recordings like ‘Let Me Know’ and ‘Hey Stoney Face’ over the years and got to love her ballad ‘Baby I’ll Come’ too. In the late 70s my friend and eventual co-founder o
I've finally managed to find this….enjoy
LETTERS TO THE EDITQR
write to the Mag address with your soul letters
Dear Blackbeat
I Have just got to have a say in the 60s newie versus modern soul/played out oldies argument, as I have been on the scene since 1972, having started at the Torch through Blackpool Highland Room, Mecca, Va Vas, Wigan Casino, Yate, Catacombs. All the good clubs, with the exception of St Ives and Samanthas. l experienced the first split in 1976-60s v New
Northern Soul Connections #31 - Welcome to the latest in this now very long running series of soul connected connections from Ken B aka @Kenb
Northern Soul Connections #31
Colstar label, FIRE, VIP's, Magicians
A San Francisco Pop Festival that never happened, an associated album of that festival that didn't have the artists perform who were credited on it, and a Kiwi mod behind it.
Upfront. I'm genuinely fond of the people and company's written about in this piece. Non of wh
We regret to learn of the sad passing of Bonnie on 8th June 2020 and of Anita on 31st December 2022
The Pointer Sisters achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. Their career spanned four decades and their repertoire has included such diverse genres as pop, disco, jazz, blues, soul, funk, country and dance.
The Pointer Sisters have won three Grammy awards and received a star on the Hollywood Hall Of Fame in 1994. The group had 13 US top 20 hits between 1973 and 1985
They Danced All Night - Gethro Jones - ISBN 9781523393183
This is a very personal history. One which focuses on the lifestyle that became known as Northern Soul.
It’s quite hard doing a review of a biography without giving the whole story away really, so I’m just going to do a quick synopsis of how the story goes, and throw in why I found it so interesting.
Gethro’s story starts with a couple of very sad and heart wrenching chapters about how grim his life was, thrown into the
SHOPPING AROUND FOR HITSVILLE……………CHRISTMAS IN DETROIT 1960
A Detroit Christmas Story.
A few years ago an envelope arrived. In anticipation, I opened it rather quickly and the contents fell to the floor. As I reached down, I wondered what it was. I picked it up, removed the paperclip and…………………whoa
SHOPPING AROUND FOR HITSVILLE……………CHRISTMAS IN DETROIT 1960
Christmas in Detroit, cold, snowing……...
Close your eyes…....
……….……..…….. ..…Picture the scene
Margaret Little was born in Detroit on August 7th 1945. She was the oldest of 3 children. Her parents divorced when she was very young and her father, a member of the Four Kings who recorded for Fortune Records, was absent for most of her formative years.
Her early years were no different to her peers; she attended Central High School in Detroit. Her first son was born in 1961; Margaret was only 16 years old and had to drop out of school for a year. She graduated, aged 19, in 1964.
She
Thanks go to Andy Rix for making this article available to all. Originally written and published to accompany the fairly recent auction (2009) of the 45 via John Manship and for inclusion in a special catalogue that was distributed to those who subscribed, given the recent sad news regarding the passing on of Frank Wilson yesterday Andy had passed on what could be called the 'definite' story ...
‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’ — The Story
“Music has always been part of my life. In 1960,
Chuck Cockerham Interview (albeit A Very Brief One).
After following up on a few leads I finally got to speak with the man behind the voice of one of the most iconic crossover records of all time, “Have I Got A Right” released on the Bell records subsidiary label Mala, the one and only Mr Chuck Cockerham. A very nice guy who agreed to briefly answer one or two of the questions that I wished to put to him. He is reputedly working with another party regarding the compiling of memoirs for a fu
Yet another "oldie" Pete Smith from the 90s
Here's a bit from Pete Smith , regarding a letter that was sent to him a few years back. Interesting stuff for those who used to think legal re-issues helped the artists
Dear Pete,
My name is Lorraine Silver of "Lost summer love" fame. Hopefully your eyes have lit up with instant recognition!! Ive just read your article in Richard Domars fanzine and just had to write to you failing to obtain any phone number from GPO. My story goes like
TOPPS 45s — “Yeah, But Can You Play ‘Em?”
The memorabilia available to collectors of Berry Gordy’s Motown and its subsidiary labels and companies covers the whole spectrum of artefacts. From rare unreleased acetates that never made it past the infamous Friday quality control meetings to The Supremes vintage advertising on wrappers of loaves of bread, the Motown collector’s thirst for all things ‘Hitsville’ knows no bounds. In the past I’ve found every type of artefact from beer glass
“Miss Motown” Raynoma Gordy & Jack Gibson By Graham Jarvis
"Miss Motown"
The "Miss Motown" record (is one of two 45's) that completely surprised, excited and confused any and all "Motown" collectors or "Motown" interest, when one of the two 45's suddenly appeared on "Ebay" in 2015. The 45 record on a Motown Label was a gift to an unknown "Miss Motown" in 1964. This summary is how we finally resolved the "Miss Motown" mystery, following numerous searches, records
