I guess I'm at the age where names, places and dates have become over-important, but here's a question that I'd love to get ananswer for:

 

Can anyone recall that Major Lance booked some UK dates in 1973 but failed to show up?  But does anyone know when?  If I could establish that, I'd know the date of my first trip "up North"!  

 

I was all set to see him at an all-dayer at the Top Rank Hanley and made a special trip from Worcester with my sister and bro-in-law.  Major didn't show up, but nevertheless I had the most memorable debut on the scene.

 

Duke Browner really was the first record I remember and yes hundreds of people clapped in just the right spot, and yes, I know it's become a cliche but that just blew me right away.  Other massive records were all the late Torch faves. I remember dancing to Rat Race, Exus Trek, Right Direction, Bob Relf, Howard Guyton, The Superiors,  and many more.

 

Ok, so fast forward a few days and I'm still desperate to see my hero Major Lance.  So this time, along with a small bunch of Worcester Soulies, it's down to a venue in Gloucester or Cheltenham - the Town Hall?  There's no social media or mobile phones and it doesn't occur to me that if Major Lance couldn't make it to Top Rank Hanley, then he's unlikely to be at a one-off soul event in the Cotswalds either!  

 

Of course, he doesn't show up and there are no refunds as the promotors put on a replacement act, which, if memory serves, were billed as the Flirtations.  We harrumph to a nearby venue where the latest pressings like "Unsatisfied" do a little bit to ease the double disappointment.

 

Anyone else remember the aborted Major Lance tour?  And what were the why's and reasons for it?   And - crucially - when was it roughly/exactly?

 

Many thanks!

Edited March 23, 201510 yr by Dayo

When I was a lad it was said that he appeared at The Vikings pub in Goole or is this just an urban myth?

Cheers

Martyn

No myth Martyn, he did appear but not at one of the infamous alldayers, it was a special Ray Nortrop presents Saturday night, no doubt he was appearing somewhere else for Ray nearby, I remember it well, what a night, a Northern Legend appearing in little old Goole. The Vikings had many acts appear there; Johnny Wilder & the Chicago Heatwave, Real Thing, Doris Troy, Mac & Katie Kissoon, Roy C, Limmie & Family Cooking and more. In 2009 in Chicago I met Majors Daughter and even had a dance with her, just gotta meet the other 8 kids now.    

Spot.  

martyn , not much help but can remember going to an all dayer in goole , ended up being cancelled so not sure who was supposed to be on , quite a few turned up so it must have been someone half decent.

Gogger if it was anything to do with Ray Nortrop then the acts were often cancelled, he promised the 3 Degrees on numerous occasion's and I mean numerous, we always ended up with Limmie & family Cookin or Real Thing, I saw RT over a dozen times.      

Spot.   

No myth Martyn, he did appear but not at one of the infamous alldayers, it was a special Ray Nortrop presents Saturday night, no doubt he was appearing somewhere else for Ray nearby, I remember it well, what a night, a Northern Legend appearing in little old Goole. The Vikings had many acts appear there; Johnny Wilder & the Chicago Heatwave, Real Thing, Doris Troy, Mac & Katie Kissoon, Roy C, Limmie & Family Cooking and more. In 2009 in Chicago I met Majors Daughter and even had a dance with her, just gotta meet the other 8 kids now.    

Spot.  

Hiya Pete. Have you not met his son Thermic (Mick for short)? Ray Nortrop, did he reside in Scunthorpe? he did have some success with live acts at the Attic, Doncaster, in the 60's i believe, but he was some character

Gogger if it was anything to do with Ray Nortrop then the acts were often cancelled, he promised the 3 Degrees on numerous occasion's and I mean numerous, we always ended up with Limmie & family Cookin or Real Thing, I saw RT over a dozen times.      

Spot.   

spot , at the back of my mind i think the drifters where supposed to be on , the actual event was cancelled as can remember loads of people stood around ,probably waiting to lynch mr nortrop  , don't know who the promoter was to be honest

I saw him at the Scene 1 or whatever at Scarborough . The Viking in Goole must have had more than one all sayer because I saw Ben E King & the Exciters double bill one time there!

also saw r dean taylor  and many more at the Vikings pete

Saw him at Manchester Rafters about 1972..

Think it was a Thursday night scene

Mike Shaft possibly DJ??

Saw him at Manchester Rafters about 1972..

Think it was a Thursday night scene

Mike Shaft possibly DJ??

ditto, but I think it was more like 1973..not sure about Mike Shaft, but Malcolm Barry definite..

Stuart, same all dayer had my cassette confiscated and a recording done at the Mecca with all Levines new stuff on it was wiped off!

did you realise what  that the reason for confiscating was officially?  the Steam machine had the most modern and expensive light show in England at the time and supposedly were worried about rivals

bullshit ! i think it was levine worried about bootleggers

Steve

Major was a tricky character and would often create problems for promoter Chris Burton. We tend to overlook it due to ML's legendary status.

I was a resident every Sunday at the Heavy Steam Machine in 1974 along with Chris Williams. The venue was completely wrong for Northern due to the 'light show heavy' club feel plus..... a cinema above didn't help. Tony Clarke's Landslide upset quite a few trying to watch BENJI. We were safe though if The TOWERING INFERNO was shown

Major was a tricky character and would often create problems for promoter Chris Burton. We tend to overlook it due to ML's legendary status.

I was a resident every Sunday at the Heavy Steam Machine in 1974 along with Chris Williams. The venue was completely wrong for Northern due to the 'light show heavy' club feel plus..... a cinema above didn't help. Tony Clarke's Landslide upset quite a few trying to watch BENJI. We were safe though if The TOWERING INFERNO was shown

I didn't mind the Heavy Steam Machine actually. The sound system was really good as I recall - not surprised it caused problems above!

Hiya Pete. Have you not met his son Thermic (Mick for short)? Ray Nortrop, did he reside in Scunthorpe? he did have some success with live acts at the Attic, Doncaster, in the 60's i believe, but he was some character

No Neil he was from Donny, Google him (Interesting reading), he was a man of the people it appears. I remember him doing the Attic and we can remember him Dj'ing at Top Rank on a Saturday Afternoon when we were spotty youths. Gail was looking on the Inter Web at Goole, The Beatles got nicked here & George Harrison had to return to Court, Ike & Tina Turner played the Paradise Club, Gogger the Drifters eventually played the Vikings as did The Elgins, R. Dean Taylor,The Bay City Rollers, Detroit Spinners, Detroit Emeralds & many I've no doubt forgotten.  

Spot.  

No Neil he was from Donny, Google him (Interesting reading), he was a man of the people it appears. I remember him doing the Attic and we can remember him Dj'ing at Top Rank on a Saturday Afternoon when we were spotty youths. Gail was looking on the Inter Web at Goole, The Beatles got nicked here & George Harrison had to return to Court, Ike & Tina Turner played the Paradise Club, Gogger the Drifters eventually played the Vikings as did The Elgins, R. Dean Taylor,The Bay City Rollers, Detroit Spinners, Detroit Emeralds & many I've no doubt forgotten.  

Spot.  

Spot on Spot. It was another Attic promoter that was from Scunthorpe. I remember reading the newspaper now about Ray N committing suicide in his Cantley (Donc village) flat..... some character he was

ditto, but I think it was more like 1973..not sure about Mike Shaft, but Malcolm Barry definite..

Wow. After I posted I thought about the DJ and eventually came up with Malcolm Barry. 1973 sounds about right...big sounds were Sam & Kitty, Ed Crook, etc Torch plays .

Thanks

Two visits to Barrow-in-Furness One Friday May 30th 1975 or 76 and another to the Civil Hall no date (Does anyone remember) See attached scans maybe of interest.

When I was a lad it was said that he appeared at The Vikings pub in Goole or is this just an urban myth?

Cheers

Martyn

The Major did appear at the Vikings in Goole. I think he appeared twice. 

The Major did appear at the Vikings in Goole. I think he appeared twice. 

Correct as always Graham.

He was booked to appear in Edinburgh, Tiffanys all dayer in 1977!

i thought he wasn't let out of the states, due to owing tax!

we got. Appearances from JJ Barnes and the Exciters! At the all dayers.

i think it was Chris Burton. That was bringing the acts up!

 

On 26/03/2015 at 11:27, spot said:

No Neil he was from Donny, Google him (Interesting reading), he was a man of the people it appears. I remember him doing the Attic and we can remember him Dj'ing at Top Rank on a Saturday Afternoon when we were spotty youths. Gail was looking on the Inter Web at Goole, The Beatles got nicked here & George Harrison had to return to Court, Ike & Tina Turner played the Paradise Club, Gogger the Drifters eventually played the Vikings as did The Elgins, R. Dean Taylor,The Bay City Rollers, Detroit Spinners, Detroit Emeralds & many I've no doubt forgotten.  

Spot.  

Ray Nortrop used to have the acts at 2 venues on the same night

First the Side Saddle Doncaster then the Viking x

Greg G

Good read this with Major living in Southend and 1973 pops up and the drugs thing

"He told me that the good times at OKeh ended when Columbia, the parent label, wanted Carl Davis and his artists to move their operation to New York. Davis refused, stayed put, and started his own label, Dakar (which would do well with Tyrone Davis and Hamilton Bohannon). “It had a lot to do with jealousy inside the company,” Lance said, “and problems that could have been solved but weren’t.”"

(You know how when someone sets up a Soul night, so someone else then does ? Sounds a bit like The Motown move being copied or vice versa ?)

"Later in his life, Major hit hard times. He stayed with Contempo for a couple of years, touring the Northern Soul clubs, and then went home, where he recorded for Playboy, his own Osiris imprint and Soul, the Motown subsidiary. He served a jail term for cocaine possession, lost most of his sight, and died in 1994."

Artists, talent, ego, fame (and sometimes drugs) 😭

 

https://thebluemoment.com/2017/07/05/remembering-major-lance/

On 25/03/2015 at 15:29, spot said:

No myth Martyn, he did appear but not at one of the infamous alldayers, it was a special Ray Nortrop presents Saturday night, no doubt he was appearing somewhere else for Ray nearby, I remember it well, what a night, a Northern Legend appearing in little old Goole. The Vikings had many acts appear there; Johnny Wilder & the Chicago Heatwave, Real Thing, Doris Troy, Mac & Katie Kissoon, Roy C, Limmie & Family Cooking and more. In 2009 in Chicago I met Majors Daughter and even had a dance with her, just gotta meet the other 8 kids now.    

Spot.  

As he's mentioned, thought I'd post this up ...  

On 24/03/2015 at 01:56, Neil Rushton said:

I went to that All-Dayer in Hanley when he didn't turn up.

I was there as well. The djs got us around the stage playing his records, us clapping like crazy and then the announcement. Gutted. I made up for it though when me and a mate blagged our way into his changing room at the Palais Leicester and he signed my " you dont want me no more" and my mates Kenny Carlton. ML said WTF is this? lol. Still got the signed photo as well. KTF

On 23/03/2015 at 15:09, Ian Parker said:

The gig he failed to turn up at was peterboro niter. Jnr walker and Eddie holmn did show, then proceeded to entertain us with a fabulous gig

I was at that gig, he DID turn up and stood in front of me watching the other acts for a while  There weren't many there so I guess they couldn't pay him, Jnr and Eddie.

16 hours ago, Adrian Spicer said:

I was at that gig, he DID turn up and stood in front of me watching the other acts for a while  There weren't many there so I guess they couldn't pay him, Jnr and Eddie.

"Weren't many there?" 

  it was heaving in there.   

Me and my mate drove to Northampton to see him must have been 1973 I was still a learner driver.

On arrival was told he wasn't going to appear but his backing band would be performing instead. They were mainly long haired white males carrying their instruments inside.

Decided to go home......wish I'd stayed now dont know what I missed 

Memories of a trip from Morecambe to see the Major at the Gallopers in Cleveleys. Would have been 73 or 74. He deffo turned up.

6 of us in a decrepit mini-van that reeked of petrol due to a leaking tank. I don’t think you’d be allowed to smoke in the back nowadays, due to woke health and safety regulations.

Edited December 16, 2024Dec 16 by Saxafone

apologies ,  i read the above post wrong

Edited December 16, 2024Dec 16 by Ian Parker