UK Southern Soul

[Guest MBarrett]

This got mentioned in another thread but I thought might be worth its own thread.

As I mentioned over there a small handful of local newspapers for the 1970s are starting to become available online. At the moment just Coventry, Newcastle etc. Therefore not very scientific but does give an idea of what was going on.

First mention of Northern Soul was 1974 as I posted over there.

But in the same year the term Southern Soul was used in adverts. Then also in 1975 but after that I didn't see another mention.

Northern Soul carried on unabated of course.

So looks like both terms might have been used openly for just that short period in 1974 and 1975. Unless anyone knows different!

A couple of examples of adverts below.

[Guest Shufflin]

I'm guessing the northern attendees didn't qualify for the free tights

first time I've seen southern soul mentioned like that, guessing the southern soul music was more mod/jazz/funk type stuff? no idea

[Guest MBarrett]

36 minutes ago, shufflin said:

I'm guessing the northern attendees didn't qualify for the free tights

first time I've seen southern soul mentioned like that, guessing the southern soul music was more mod/jazz/funk type stuff? no idea

I'm no expert on this but I think the Goldmine, Canvey Isand was up and running by 1974 wasn't it?

From what I can remember from around that time - what Wigan Casino was to Northern Soul the Goldmine was to Southern Soul. Although it looks like the use of the "Southern Soul" name was very short-lived.

I know I have read somewhere that (as with Wigan) coaches would go from all over to the Goldmine. I would have thought that somebody on here would remember that if it was true.

[Guest MBarrett]

Screen grab from You Tube. So I would say that for Southern Soul you can just read Jazz Funk.

There must be people on here who were on both scenes or defected from one to the other!

 

[Thinksmart]

There were a few funk based nights and clubs in and around London in early 1970s mentioned in books on dance music.  These were I think the inspiration that Chris, Froggy etc took to Goldmine.  By all accounts that was a black music scene of great dedication but almost no attention at all.  There definitely was crossover musically by mid-1970s onwards in some places.  I've read Chris Hill extended interviews where we talked about the Northern Soul scene and how they ran in parallel and was occasional overlap/conflict.