Back in the day (60's / 70's) many soul stars visiting the UK would be invited to be on BBC TV & radio shows (+ ITV TV shows).

Down the years a great many of these old audio tapes / videos have been pulled out and the stuff on them has been released. The most famous video's from UK TV shows are of course the RSG tapes but soul acts appeared on many more shows too. With regard to live BBC radio sessions, again many soul stars got to do these. 

Lots of old 'At The BBC' or 'BBC Sessions' tapes have been released on vinyl & CD  -- the lists of acts who have benefited from such releases include the Beatles, Kinks, Bobbie Gentry, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, Thin Lizzy, Queen, Who, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Deep Purple and many more.

However I don't know of any real attempt to pull out the sessions made for the BBC by the likes of Marvin Gaye, Miracles, Rufus Thomas, Howlin Wolf, Lou Johnson, James & Bobby Purify, Four Tops, Spellbinders, O C Smith, Joe Tex and the like. Surely, all the old tapes of soul stars sessions can't just have been binned. 

Well Roburt, BBC managed to tape over many episodes of TOTP so don't hold your breath, but to be fair "Motown at the BBC " was aired a few months back and it was very good. The Newspaper clips that stood out for me were the appearances of Lou Johnson and Joe Tex on "Scene at 6-30" a Granada news programme which aired after the main news in the 60s. I wonder if Granada still have any of those programmes in their archives?

as well as the Motown one ,the BBC have also done a soul one on MALE stars and groups, and another soul one on FEMALE stars and groups too

I have quite  a few recorded on my Sony HDD freeview recorder and have dubbed them onto dvd discs too

like

Classic soul at the BBC

Kings of soul

Queens of soul

there is a Gladys Knight and the Pips concert that was on one of the freeview channels years ago, which is on Youtube too

but I agree there could be many more out there in tape land and on dusty shelves

Edited November 8, 20186 yr by soundsOKEH

Spellbinders?

Thought they'd already split up in 67.

When did they come to these shores?

Ed

 

From Billboard Feb. 4th,1967 - 

I wonder if there’s any footage of the voices from east Harlem at the Isle of Wight . Watched a documentary recently and they’re are there on a poster in the background.

54 minutes ago, Colnago said:

I wonder if there’s any footage of the voices from east Harlem at the Isle of Wight . Watched a documentary recently and they’re are there on a poster in the background.

The BBC could release that but it might be Cashing In

32 minutes ago, soulski said:

The BBC could release that but it might be Cashing In

Get your coat and hat 😄

I've never seen any re runs of (Thank your Lucky Stars)Granada production, early to mid 1960,s every Saturday evening 6pm hosted by the late Brian Matthews every other week there would be a American R n B artist or group mid programme it would be great to see some of those again, I'm old enough to remember and watch first time round the Ready Steady Go specials  Tamla revue , Otis reading show ect and always remember an Old Grey Whistle test showing a clip of Tommy Neil singing Going to a happening, Of course two of the greatest Rock n Roll shows ever recorded live on Granada were the Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis shows featuring The Shirrelles, Gene Vincent, with Sounds incorporated backing band back in 1964 were saved thank God and can still be seen 

Remember the Good Times

ML

10 hours ago, tomangoes said:

Spellbinders?

Thought they'd already split up in 67.

When did they come to these shores?

Ed

 

They came in 66 they did Help Me on TOTP believed wiped, they toured at that time too I have a venue poster..

Sadly,if not shamefully ,only three episodes still survive of Thank Your Lucky Stars (the rest' missing believed wiped'/destroyed) one from 1963-a Merseybeat special-and two from 1966;happily the one from 25th June 66' features Roy C performing 'Twistin' Pneumonia ,his then latest UK release on Ember-who tried to cash-in on his Shotgun Wedding success with an issue of a 62' release by The Genies,Roy's old Doo-Wop group. It;s up on You Tube-enjoy Roy and the dancing nurses!  The same show also features Helen Shapiro performing her nice version of Shop Around,but sadly not the flip 'He Knows How To Love Me'!

• 5 hours ago, Michael V said:

  Sadly,if not shamefully ,only three episodes still survive of Thank Your Lucky Stars (the rest' missing believed wiped'/destroyed) one from 1963-a Merseybeat special-and two from 1966;happily the one from 25th June 66' features Roy C performing 'Twistin' Pneumonia ,his then latest UK release on Ember-who tried to cash-in on his Shotgun Wedding success with an issue of a 62' release by The Genies,Roy's old Doo-Wop group. It;s up on You Tube-enjoy Roy and the dancing nurses!  The same show also features Helen Shapiro performing her nice version of Shop Around,but sadly not the flip 'He Knows How To Love Me'!

  That's terrible news Michael . I do remember there were two Merseyside specials on in 1963 one in July and one later n in the year featuring The Big Three Billy j Kramer n Dakotas, Lee Curtis and the All stars , Searchers  ect with the Beatles topping both shows

• ML

Lots of posts about other TV shows BUT it's really the BBC radio show live tapes that featured soul stars that I'd like to get to hear the most.

RE: the Spellbinders  -- they played quite a few UK clubs including the Mojo and the Wheel ...

Just an heads up to a programme about to start at 7 pm on Yesteryear TV - Motown at the BBC ,   

Graham

Edited November 10, 20186 yr by shinehead

Can you get that on virgin 👍

27 minutes ago, shinehead said:

Just an heads up to a programme about to start at 7 pm on Pick TV - Motown at the BBC ,   

Graham

On yesterday channel on mine 👍

2 minutes ago, gogger said:

Can you get that on virgin 👍

sorry it is on  Yesteryear .

Just now, gogger said:

On yesterday channel on mine 👍

Sorry about that Gogger it is on Yesteryear not Pick .

Thanks, the usual stuff, but better than X factor 👍

2 minutes ago, gogger said:

Thanks, the usual stuff, but better than X factor 👍

Was a bit disappointed myself , a great start black and white Miracles , Stevie etc.. then it went veered off a bit.

Edwin Starr at the end was great as usual, pity about Martha Reeves though she sounded out of breath. 

So the Spellbinders came to these shores and played at various places including the wheel and mojo, singing amongst other ' help me '. 

You lucky buggers who got to witness that!

Did they get many record sales in the UK? 

Such a shame the split as there was so much talent involved.

Ed

2 hours ago, tomangoes said:

So the Spellbinders came to these shores and played at various places including the wheel and mojo, singing amongst other ' help me '. 

You lucky buggers who got to witness that!

Did they get many record sales in the UK? 

Such a shame the split as there was so much talent involved.

Ed

Their initial 2 UK 45 releases (Nov 66 & March 67) mainly only sold to soul & mod club fans as they didn't get too much radio exposure here. "Help Me" created a bit of a stir in the press / on the pirate stns but I don't think that transferred into big sales for the single. It managed to scrape into the bottom end of the Big L (Radio London) Top 40 chart in early December 66 but had gone by the 18th Dec (to be replaced by the likes of the Olympics - Baby Do The Philly Dog). Of course, the pirate stns charts weren't based on sales figures at all.

Their re-released 45 (the A side off their 1st 2 singles) sold much better as their stuff was highly desired by collectors by then (Feb 69).  

Edited November 11, 20186 yr by Roburt

Another BBC TV show 'missing in action' is the one recorded by Ray Charles on Friday Sept 20th 1968 ... quite a few decent still photos exist of Ray & the Raelettes in the BBC TV studio but the show itself seems lost forever. This is a great shame as I believe it was the 1st live recording made of his then new set of Raelettes (Susaye Greene, Barbara Ann Lesure (Beverly LeShure ?), Barbara Nell Terrault & Verlyn Flenaugh). This line -up had evolved since early August when the original group had quit over pay / treatment (Merry Clayton, Alex Brown, Gwen Berry and Clydie King). Before the make-up of the new group had settled as the 4 listed above, the likes of Rita Graham (of Rita & Tiaras) had been co-opted in at short notice.

The line-up of the Raelettes that came to the UK soon changed again & by early 69 the members were  Susaye Greene, Mable John. Vernita Moss & Estella Yarbrough. So the footage of the group that did the BBC show would have been quite historic. The whole Ray Charles package (including Billy Preston) went to do concerts across Europe straight from the UK and some footage (only B&W though, not colour) of shows from that period still exists ... 

 

Edited November 11, 20186 yr by Roburt

The Raelettes @ the BBC .... (other stills from the show can be viewed on the Ray Charles Video Museum blogspot site) ...

Edited November 11, 20186 yr by Roburt

More old BBC radio show live recordings that I'd love to get to hear .........