When did you receive your first true real exposure to northern soul and decided this is for me and what was the 1st record if you can remember.

mine was wakefield tiffs circa 71/72 they used to have a side room the nocturne bar where we weere not allowed to go in due to age but you could here it......... AND IT WAS AWESOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE , better than all the pop sh#te played in teenie disco.

Rob

Edited February 2, 201015 yr by Naughty Boy

the kings hall globe lane, carlisle. circa 1971/72. tom foster dj and other locals, feds i think was one at the time. tammi lynne, doris troy, james and bobby purify, andre brassuer. coke cola and polos ben sherman look a likes outside of your falmers, feather cuts, sta pres with tartan round the cuffs. yip this northern was for me, but not sure if we knew it as northern. dickie or george hunt may know......no alcohol till the pink panther became the twisted wheel during the miners strikes ..................carlisle, our centre of soul. debbies cousin was mike walker of casino fame so next was casino.

You got no housework to do Barry ?????? Roll on the Civic. T Bone.

..at the crucial age of 14/15..youth club..fairground..(growing up in Skegness)..football grounds..even school disco..small collisions..pushing you toward the music..the style,girls etc were important but the driving force was always the music.So, the 'Skid' a fairground ride operated by Brian Saunders a local with enormous sideburns being older had all the Motown hits..plus Atlantic/Stax..was a popular hangout..he played mostly soul 45's thru a sound system to attract customers.First heard the Tams 'Hey girl'..heard ska at Molineux ..soul at Bramhall lane,Hillsboro,and City ground.I then hung out with two soul sisters from Boston who procurred a C60 tape from a local DJ/soul fan..no track listing..(it took me quite some time to figure it out) but many great tunes..'Darkest Days'..'Cigarette Ashes'..Barbara Lynn, Carstairs,Major Lance..this would be the summer of 1971..then with me in tow the Rainbow sisters took me to the Boston Gliderdrome..and the 'Starlight room..where many top acts had starred..Stevie Wonder,Ike & Tina.and many more..the first time there was similar to first time at the casino..kind of 'candy store'..feeling.I remember hearing 'Soothe Me'..'Thats enough'.'Thank you baby' ''Here i go again'..that was it..later in '72 at the Maple room in Skegness during the summer soul fans from Boston/Kings Lynn would bring records for the local DJ (Col Custers roadshow) to spin..Sam & kitty, Sliced Tomatoes..and the buzzword was ..THE TORCH..after the Casino opened , i moved to Sheffield so i go go each week..

southway youth club plymouth.1976...

You got no housework to do Barry ?????? Roll on the Civic. T Bone.

none, just enjoyin the sun.................................................................................

Aged about 14 and a pal called Ricky peace Lee played me Dobie Gray, out on the floor "Bang" HOOKED FOR LIFE

Great idea for a thread.

My first taste of soul was in '68 (the term Northern wasn't around yet, although I seem to remember the term "Uptown" being used) was at "The Revolution" club in Sutton -in -Ashfield Notts Capacity around 200). The music just hit me from the start and soon after started collecting records. I used to go with mates from (very recent) school days but realised they were more interested in downing pints and I was more into getting down! The club used to have live bands on and can rember seeing Inez & Charlie Foxx there. I was also working with a few people who went to the Mojo, Dungeon, Junction, Wheel etc. but those guys were so cool .....you would never dare to ask for a lift. A few years later one of my best mates was one of these guys and we had a few laughs about it. Records that first hit me where "Lets Go Baby", "Girls are out to get you", "Billy's bag" "Love makes a woman" all very common nowadays but totally unavailable at that time something I realised when trying to buy "Mr Bang bang man" at our local record shop, the asistant put me straight which led to sending for record lists, one of the first I received was from Brian "45" Phillips, sure enough "Bang Bang" was on it....£5 U.K. orig, trouble was my weekly wage was 4 10/-

Looking back getting on the scene just seemed a natural thing to do and have always felt that it was a path I was destined to follow.

Happy days that led to many happy years.

Ulyssees.

Great idea for a thread.

My first taste of soul was in '68 (the term Northern wasn't around yet, although I seem to remember the term "Uptown" being used) was at "The Revolution" club in Sutton -in -Ashfield Notts Capacity around 200). The music just hit me from the start and soon after started collecting records. I used to go with mates from (very recent) school days but realised they were more interested in downing pints and I was more into getting down! The club used to have live bands on and can rember seeing Inez & Charlie Foxx there. I was also working with a few people who went to the Mojo, Dungeon, Junction, Wheel etc. but those guys were so cool .....you would never dare to ask for a lift. A few years later one of my best mates was one of these guys and we had a few laughs about it. Records that first hit me where "Lets Go Baby", "Girls are out to get you", "Billy's bag" "Love makes a woman" all very common nowadays but totally unavailable at that time something I realised when trying to buy "Mr Bang bang man" at our local record shop, the asistant put me straight which led to sending for record lists, one of the first I received was from Brian "45" Phillips, sure enough "Bang Bang" was on it....£5 U.K. orig, trouble was my weekly wage was 4 10/-

Looking back getting on the scene just seemed a natural thing to do and have always felt that it was a path I was destined to follow.

Happy days that led to many happy years.

Ulyssees.its gud to no someones as old as me istarted in 67 down the wheel and still collect early soul and rnb

suppose my first experiance of NS would have been local youth clubs especially cantilever youth club near stockton heath in warrington, i would have been about 15, there was a lad from our school called "wacker" i think , a year older than me and was a fantastic dancer and i used to watch in awe to his spins and backdrops ect, he told me once that he used to go to Wigan Casino,which i hadn't heard about, anyway fast forward 6 months ish, mum and dad get divorced, dad lives in warrington, mum lives in Leigh and i,m on the bus with my mate going to stay at my mums in leigh, halfway there we have to swap buses in culcheth, as we are waiting for the bus to leave 2 girls get on it and come to the back where me and my mate are sat, these 2 girls are off there faces, whizzing there t*ts off and one of them ,JANICE THORPE lives behind my mums house in a bedsit. they were going to janice's to get ready and then onto wigan, me and my mate "Butch" then went to wigan with them, remember first record i heard "larry houston"-lets spend sometime together, fantastic, this was in july 81 and sadly only went another 4 times, but still had such an impact i,ve never been interested in any other music, went to wgan tiffs after casino closed, stafford,rotherham parr hall,morecombe pier ect and nearly 30 years later whenever i hear Larry houston i think back to the exact time place and even how old i was ,15 years and 8 months old

Hi I've been browsing around this site and come across your post Janice Thorpe was my cousin just thought I would let you know that she sadly passed away on the 5th October 2012 in Wigan Infirmary aged 48 she lived for Wigan Casino and Northern Soul music

1977 - Wigan Casino - Very first Allnighter - Opened the door to be hit with a wall of sound that was Eddie Holman "Where I`m Not Wanted". I will never ever forget that feeling of pure joy and amazement...

I was 12yrs old....some lads came to our school disco and asked the dj to put some records on theyd brought..

my friend Elaine told me it was her brother and his mates....they introduced me to the music....first northern soul night i ever went to was Colmans in Nottingham, went up the stairs,through the doors first song i heard,i think it was Sweet Talking Guy by the Chiffons....thats was it,totally hooked....never looked back.

KTF

Susan

Ahh, Colemans! Must have been the first venue for so many around these parts. Didn't they sell watered down cider or something? You'd serve your apprenticeship there then move on to the Brit with the big boys.

I was in Nottingham the other week paying a visit to the family and went in Viccy Market, sadly the hot pea's stall has gone but Pendulum Records is still there going strong. I used to get my records from Fox's records up in Viccy Centre, every Fraiday after work, get the bus into town loaded with my wage packet and come away with aminimum of two vynils. Happy days

Fox's for the new "issues", Pendulum for the second hand stuff. Picked up so many great sounds there.

in 1976 my mam and dad made me go to the local club,the tunnel club while they ere out (as they did not want the house wrecked) the things are parents think of us eh ? i was dancing to rock and roll at the time, when the dj announced that the next few tunes were for the northern soul fans then the dj dropped the needle on the record i now know and love.get him off my conscience,followed by turning my heartbeat up by the mvp's and theres a pain in my heart the poppy's as the last tune ! well the crowd formed round the dancers, who were peebles and little jonny and i think peter johnson all from wallsend ! ive not felt such a feeling since then as i was hooked and started collecting tunes and not too long after that i was on the bus for wigan with the likes of big rey johnna,peebles,ray callan,the late great tony connoly rip,ray forman,stutts,and others.those were the days eh ? amd my passion for the music has never wilted !!!!!

some old school buddies were raving about this club they had found in soho called the Scene Club ,but it was pricey to get in and i refused to go with them.

a guinea to join and 25 shillings to get in ,allnighter though.they must be mad i thought, that was most of my wages then . (this was 1963 )

but they kept on and i gave in and joined them on a saturday big name night , apart from the records played by resident DJ Guy Stevens ,theres a band called The Animals who were resident and Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames and various other bands thruout the night .boy am i glad they did pester me to go there.

Even though it was very pricey for the time ,that changed my life forever .

the records being played by Guy made your sphincter twitch they were so unlike anything we had heard and teenage spotty faced Eric Burdon belting out all the famous blues tunes was also remarkable for words !he sure had some energy as a boy singer .

after a while i noticed the teens popping pills and sellers outside the club ;offering 'you want some gear?' that was another step on the road of soul.it wasnt known as NS then that came later ,when it had faded down south and moved up north in a big way.

i still contend that although Godin claims he invented the term ,it was a street term being used by the London mods as a term suggesting it had faded in the south and was still predominant in the north.

i can recall it being heard long before he reckons he coined the phrase.

and there were also trips to the Last Chance , Flamingo , Le Disq , Coffee Ann ,and Le Macbre coffee bar .and also

the FREIGHT TRAIN famous Mod hangout of the time ,where major Lance was known to drop by when he was in town

Edited February 27, 201312 yr by sceneman

scholes conservative club midweek disco about 13yr old,then rugby club wigan about 15yr old to young to drink to fat to dance,guess what had a bloody good do at both

Fleet at Fletton 1982 on a Scooter weekend.

Went as a MOD and came away with a love affair for a style of music that 30 years later still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and no matter where I am when I feel like singing to it at the top of my voice or dancing ( M25 traffic jam for instance) I do and dont care what any one else thinks about me. Escapism personified.

Kev

1977 - Wigan Casino - Very first Allnighter - Opened the door to be hit with a wall of sound that was Eddie Holman "Where I`m Not Wanted". I will never ever forget that feeling of pure joy and amazement...

especially as it wasn't discovered until 1979

In 1971, at the age of 16, I thought I'd invented Northern Soul ha ha!! Let me explain. Our local cricket club had a brilliant social side with entertainment on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A middle-aged guy used to put records on an auto-changer (remember those!!) in no particular order, some A sides some B sides because basically he hadn't got a clue what the music was. One minute it would be 'I Got A Feeling' by Barbara Randolf the next it would be 'If Not For You' by Olivia Newton John followed by 'The Pushbike Song' by The Mixtures!!! One night someone called Joan Ratcliffe came up to me and said "If I bring in a box of records, will you play them. It's got be better than this crap!!" So one Saturday afternoon when the club was empty, I played the first 30 seconds of each record and placed them in two piles. One was 'Good Dancers' the other one 'Rubbish'. Unwittingly, all the 'Good Dancers' were northern soul and motown records! When I found out about Wigan Casino a couple of years later I thought to myself " I invented that 2 years ago!!" The record that gave me goosebumps back then, and still does, was 'You're Gonna Make Me Love You' by Sandi Sheldon and the one that ALWAYS makes me cry is 'The Drifter' by Ray Pollard. Happy days. Happy memories.

some old school buddies were raving about this club they had found in soho called the Scene Club ,but it was pricey to get in and i refused to go with them.

a guinea to join and 25 shillings to get in ,allnighter though.they must be mad i thought, that was most of my wages then . (this was 1963 )

but they kept on and i gave in and joined them on a saturday big name night , apart from the records played by resident DJ Guy Stevens ,theres a band called The Animals who were resident and Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames and various other bands thruout the night .boy am i glad they did pester me to go there.

Even though it was very pricey for the time ,that changed my life forever .

the records being played by Guy made your sphincter twitch they were so unlike anything we had heard and teenage spotty faced Eric Burdon belting out all the famous blues tunes was also remarkable for words !he sure had some energy as a boy singer .

after a while i noticed the teens popping pills and sellers outside the club ;offering 'you want some gear?' that was another step on the road of soul.it wasnt known as NS then that came later ,when it had faded down south and moved up north in a big way.

i still contend that although Godin claims he invented the term ,it was a street term being used by the London mods as a term suggesting it had faded in the south and was still predominant in the north.

i can recall it being heard long before he reckons he coined the phrase.

and there were also trips to the Last Chance , Flamingo , Le Disq , Coffee Ann ,and Le Macbre coffee bar .and also

the FREIGHT TRAIN famous Mod hangout of the time ,where major Lance was known to drop by when he was in town

Nice piece of history, you really were there at the start mate.

especially as it wasn't discovered until 1979

Whoops, spot the typo! Sorry, they don`t usually let me have a pc in the Northern Soul Twilight Home For The Bewildered...

A young local called Guy Hennigan at Skipton Youth Club 1976/1977.

 

 

   

A young local called Guy Hennigan at Skipton Youth Club 1976/1977.

 

remember guy and pete higson doing a mid week soul night in the barge around this time how the f$^#k we got in i don't know    

 

   

 my first time was at a place in stapleford Nottingham went with my brother who,s mate was running a night to be honest we only went on the pull it was so long ago cant remember what i heard but it won me over straight away the bad point about it was i didn't pull but me brother did god rest his sole. i remember the venue car fasteners i think 

just realised that i started going to northern soul allniters  about 7 yearsbefore they got called northern soul, april 24th 1965 was my first allniter 49 years ago and the purple heart amphet tablets didnt half help to make the night go well ,solomon burke was on ,i just wish i could go back and do it all again.and again..........

Towneley Technical High School Burnley 1974, our games teacher Miss Bentley used to bring her records in for us to play on rainy days, sadly I can't remember what was in there now, but I do remember Major Lance, JJ Barnes along with Motown stuff. I have her to thank for my introduction to great music.

 

Mrs KTBH

Uky club Todmorden.. Ginger and Eddie.. put the soul in my shoes for sure.

Too many fave tunes to mention. Just the innocence of discovering a new life style and it felt great cos it was our scene.

Take me back now please.

Must be Sunday. Already posted.

Edited June 1, 201410 yr by kev such

Mine was the Tinned Chicken club in Castleford part of the (then) new Crystal Bowl complex, at the start of the year a schedule of the TOP

soul acts would be published (see photo) and it was with great expectations we'd trot down to the club expecting to see The Drifters, Impressions, Fantastics or whoever but they never turned up, conned again, by a local impressario called Ken Dougherty, but we did get Jimmy James and the Vagabonds, Wynder K Frogg and a never never to be forgotten night when Junior Walker and the all stars ACTUALLY turned up with Pete Stringfellow djing 

The town centre was rammed with soulies, the night will live on in my memeory for ever.

The photo is of a poster taken at the Soul Lodge in Tenerife. that lists the act the SHOULD appear but never did  

Edited June 2, 201410 yr by the Happy Hooker