just a off the cuff thing

what decade did it all kick off for you ?

7ts

Started in the 70's. Due to unforeseen circumstances it ended and started again in the mid 80's! The feeling never really left though. Regretted leaving but more than made up for it later. You never realise what you had 'til it's gone..."Something Keeps Calling Me Back!"

80's - Through the 'Mod route'

All the best,

Len

Bit awkward to answer this one - I first listened to it in the early 70's but only started going out on the scene in the late 80s

Come on!!!!! There has to be more than 4 old people on here lol

First started hearing the music around 77'ish first dipped my toe 79

I started buying some of the tunes in the 60s without realizing or ever knowing what Northern Soul was.

It was only when i moved up North from the south in late 73,that i found out what it was.

First trip to a venue was 77,Wigan.Felt a bit out of place at first cause i was mostly older than the majority then,i was in my mid 20s.

Stu

mid 8ts hearing maurice williams "being without you" at a local soul do

1982 local youth disco. Never been right since really.

................'My name is Jim, and.......I am a soul addict........'

Regards

Jim.

LATE 71

September 3rd 1978 about 8pm-ish

Been totally into Northern since 74-75 proud to be never a returnee.

Hearing loads of stuff in the youth clubs from about '68.

fascinations

poets

tony clarke

tons of motown.

Then

1972, The Pendulum-The Big BANG

Edited February 23, 201312 yr by Citizen P

Probably May 69, possibly, May 68 and its been a ball

60s. Enjoyed every minute.

Early 72 for me, when I first heard my mates' older brothers records.

When I first went to Empire State Soul Club run by Warren Lee -- changed my fukcing life!!!

Come on!!!!! There has to be more than 4 old people on here lol

I'm 66 going on 67. Does that qualify?

I started buying records (Black American Blues, R&B, Gospel, Jazz) in 1953. You tell me when the first Northern Soul record came out, and I'll tell you I bought it new, found it in a bargain bin within 1 year of its release, or bought a similar record new. Not being a Brit, I was introduced to Northern Soul collectors in the early 1970s. I went to my first all-nighter in Lancashire in 1980 or 1981.

Late 60's, club soul back then I suppose

Bazza

1976 (never left the scene still going strong.)

early 1960,s

its in the blood for good!

Summer holidays 1974, local youth club - WTF is this music??

Never looked back

1965 WHEN NORTHERN SOUL DIDN,T EXIST,FIRST ALLNIGHTER 1966, CONTRARY TO WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK WE DIDN,T STUDY THE RECORDS LIKE THEY DO TODAY BASICALLY YOU WENT OUT TO DANCE TO CLUBS WHERE THE MUSIC WAS UNDERGROUND SO TO SPEAK,WE WERE ALL YOUNG CAREFREE LIVING LIFE AS IF EACH DAY WAS YOUR LAST AND AT THESE VENUES NO ROCKERS OR TEDDY BOYS SO WHEN WE TURNED UP IN OUR MOD GEAR AND DANCED IN A CIRCLE IT WAS ACCEPTED NOT A CUE FOR A PUNCH UP LIKE AT THE LOCAL PALAIS.MEMORIES TO TREASURE.

SAM MOORE

71 ... and never looked back

1975 for me

Started at Sheffield Samanthas and its been an obsession ever since

Martin

Born '59 and brain washed by my older sister's music during the 60's then started going to hear it played out early 70's

1977...ish, well, that was my first Nighter anyway...its been a joyous, car wreck of a musical adventure since, the sound track to my life....& it continues...

Russ

Sixties when I started DJing. Mixture then of Motown, Northern, Reggae, Ska, Bluebeat, and even West Coast American Rock.

I have since sold two record collections and am currently building a third.To my taste this time - not for others.

Early influences were Pep, Bob Crocker, and Carl Dene -Catacombes and Torch.

Progressed through Ian Levine and Colin Curtis at Blackpool Mecca birth of modern soul,

Moved forward through Garry Dennis, Gavin Page, Andy Davies, and Soul Sam in his modern days onto quality crossover.

West Midlands soul scene stagnated and I quit.

Still waiting for my local region to catch up.

I still love Northern Soul but am fortunate enough to be able to listen to what is being playerd in my region at home.

Restricted nowadays to travelling for something new to events like Soul Togetherness or Hinckley.

Loving this thread - you're all so old

73 for me youth club stuff 79/80 first allnighter Wigan did other stuff for 20yrs came back collecting in 2000

started seriously collecting 60`s/ 70`s uk soul releases in 1981 but only started goin to soul nights regularly 1986 when i came back from germany( i was in the army) never been away from that point,, i did have the obvious youth club 45`s in the ,70`s,,,,,,,,,,bought records all my life tho..well from 1972 all types

Ive been heavily into soul for the last 3-4 years. But I have just started collecting records in the last year or so. However my first introduction to the music was in the 90s my dad had a tape that he got off a friend, I remember it being of poor sound quality. We used to go on many adventures in the car to far away location doing deal related to scooters. The tape was the soundtrack to all that.

late 7ts mostly Motown though but stated going to a couple of youth clubs circumstance led me away though

Edited February 24, 201312 yr by night nurse

Buying Motown in the late 60's, first heard some northern tunes at a youth club in Alsager maybe 73/74? To young unfortunately for the Torch but took in all of the other Potteries venues, Up the Junction Crewe,Top of the World Stafford, Blackpool Mecca, Whitchurch (Bank Holiday) All Dayers!!! Drifted away from the scene mainly due to Family & Work reasons. Found it again at the Wyche Nantwich 90's? and Nantwich Civic. Was tipped off about Whitby and thoroughly enjoyed our 1st weekender for about 30 years in 2012 counting down the days for this years trip to North Yorkshire.

Loving this thread - you're all so old

Yeah,,

But we carry it well.

I'd say 77' through listening to pal's older bros tunes. Went to 1st All-dayer @ Central Hall Kettering in 78'...........great journey so far !!!

Loving this thread - you're all so old

old? bloody hell joan in my head i still have back combed hair and mohair suit but then i come back from the nighter to reality sam moore

It all began back in Derby in 1971, listening to the music that a freinds older brother was into. Turned out he was going to a club in Tunstall called the Torch. Sadly it closed almost as soon as I had heard of it. So, off we went to The Brit, in Nottingham. From then onto Wigan casino, Blackpool Mecca, Samantha's, Nottingham Palais All-dayers, Cleethorpes, the list goes on. I even gave up a job because the wanted me to work late on Friday, and Friday was Brit night, end of !!!

Summer holidays 1974, local youth club - WTF is this music??

Never looked back

Snap - identical time and place. Though not at your youth club.

Would say 1968 though the phrase hadn't been coined then. Was aware of the sounds being played at the Wheel but too young to go.

Never left me and never will I imagine.

It all started in a storage unit in central Texas in December 2007. I spent three days transferring records from nearly 90 banana boxes into boxes to ship home, bringing records to sort back at the hotel so I could bring some records back with me on the flight home. While there were records from just about any genre, the soul ones stood tall amongst all the others. I wanted to say to the records "Where have you been all my life?"

After going to SoulTrip Chicago 2009 (where I was only able to stay for about half of it due to a trip with my better half), seeing the live acts and making many new friends followed by Orlando SoulTrip 2011 where I was able to stay the entire time and meet even more new friends, I was hooked.

A chance table at a record show in August 2009 where I ran into a collector selling shedloads of Northern Soul, 60s and 70s soul, unplayed 60s Motown/Tamla/Gordy 45s fueled the 45-collecting obsession that still continues today.

Incredible music, amazing friendships. Good stuff indeed!

Me mate back then Duncan played me The Burning Bush - 'Keeps On Burning'...job done.

The affair began back in 73/74. I was young and Northern Soul was so mature mysterious and sexy. My affair with Bowie hadn't amounted to anything, looking back I was immature but he was aloof. NS and I flirted with each other whilst at school, we had a room as a music club and she beckoned me on in that way she does. I think it was 75 when we took our relationship to the next level and spent the night together at Nottingham Palais. Boy, did she lead me on, she had me buying records from that night. I knew there were others, and I've been unfaithful over the years, indeed Bowie and I still keep in touch. But she had me from that night in Nottingham, the bitch!

Snap - identical time and place. Though not at your youth club.

Ditto, except it was at YOUR youth club Pete!

Ditto, except it was at YOUR youth club Pete!

I bet you £10 you don't know where I first met you. Or rather, first encountered you.

I bet you £10 you don't know where I first met you. Or rather, first encountered you.

Hmmmmm.... has got me thinking.....

Hmmmmm.... has got me thinking.....

Won't bore everyone to tears with this so I'll pm you. You won't remember.

30 years for me this year and as someone said earlier, proud not to be a returnee - why would you?

bought hey little way out girl on grapevine in 78 aged 11...but had played my older brothers records a year or so before that but had played my dads motown 7s and little queenie in 73 when i was 5...then was dormant through my two tone/punk years

loved it in the early/mid 80s after leaving school getting a scooter and then suddenly hearing all those tunes again i knew my brother had in a big box under his bed...i had the best northern cassettes in our scooter club...

about 89/90 got out of scooters and started djing reggae with a sound system in norwich...always kept my northern..even bought a bit of modern in mid 90s for the sound and then after moving to bristol in 95...about10 years back got another scooter and started sneakin a few northern into my djing in pubs etc and for about the last 8 years been out soulin almost every weekend with very few reggae dj gigs

dean

Started listening and buying records regularly in '72, found out it was "Northern Soul" in '73. A bit later, a lad from school (not a soulie ) got a job in Global Records and the buying got a bit compulsive.