Ady Croasdell

Kent 25 Years Celebration - A Lookback by Ady C Thanks for all the great comments and sentiments from Soul Sourcers and I agree it was a truly great night. It's been just about the toughest period of my life work-wise and if I looked a bit distant on Friday night, it was because I was still working up to 1.45, dealing with an event like that was new territory for me. I think we had about 1500 people through the doors including guests and though it was a big success all round it was totally Kent's backing that made it possible. All the directors and staff supported me and the project completely, through some bleak moments as well as good. My immediate boss Roger Armstrong was responsible for the initial idea, gave me lots of good advice and stuck his neck out and put his company's finances on the line. One of the most gratifying moments for me was seeing him grinning from ear to ear over the whole thing. In fact there was a lot of that going on, from my 16 year old son and his mate who ended up on stage with Maxine (not nepotism, everyone else nearby bottled it!) to 60 year old stalwarts of the soul scene who remembered the original 60s revues and compared this one more than favourably. Neil Scapelhorn Ace's press person put in a lot of hard productive work and Yvette Deroy who ran the Kent stall contributed immensely too. photo from soul source members gallery - supercorsa see below for link The acts really excelled and pulled together, they didn't even ask where they were on the bill until rehearsals and were all happy with being vital parts of the show. Winfield Parker was a slight gamble in that I'd never met him or heard him sing but Tommy assured me he was good and how right he was. Professional, energetic, cool and talented about sums him up and the clothes he wore to rehearsal were as stylish as the suit he was sporting on stage. Mary has always been dear to mine and Kent fans' hearts since she sang track 1 on Kent 001 and every time I hear that opening drum roll and beautifully sung "You" I get goose bumps. She was the star act at the first Cleethorpes Weekender and sang at Ace's 25th and the Jazz cafe celebrations for us too. Every time she's on stage her church singing and love of her music gives us a memorable performance and her rendition of Randy's favourite I'm In Your Hands was just perfect. The Flirtations not only provided glamour with a capital Wow, but also showed they can sing their socks off, as well as shimmy their butts off. Their UK Deram tracks in particular sounded at least as good as most songs cut in the States at that time and were full of soul. They brought along Jimmy James, Carl Douglas and a whole UK soul entourage too. Linda Lewis turned up as well and got to talk with Mary about them both cutting Bitter Into Sweet as their first records. Tommy Hunt looked resplendent and sang beautifully, particularly on his great ballads which is always the sign of a class singer. Lover was a treat for me, having originally unearthed it and his charm and enjoyment of the occasion won the crowd over effortlessly. Maxine has been the patron saint of the 6TS Rhythm & Soul club since 1979 and her presence is always an honour and a treat for us. This time though she really surpassed herself and I believe it was her greatest performance, if not ever, then certainly since she came back into our lives in the 90s. Utterly prepared and professional, she combined that with her natural singing talent and a great stage presence. Every move was for a purpose and I really felt we were in the presence of a great star. The acts all got on like they were the best of friends and enjoyed every minute of their stay. They were knocked out by the audiences support, knowledge and love for them. I eventually got to DJ for the last 15 minutes after original 6TS DJs Tony Rounce and Roger Stewart had kept the dancefloor buzzing to the end, my thanks to them and MC Eddie Pillar who was called upon at very short notice and did a great job for us. Like the acts, I too was so pleased with the fantastic turn out and the sea of faces of soul friends and family that filled that huge, noble venue up. People had made a lot of sacrifices and effort to get to a do that could only go on until 2 am an expensive affair, but that made the previous months of work totally worth-while. Even though it's going to be a long time before anyone tries something on that scale again, at least we know we can now at least consider it. View a whole hatfull of photos from @Chalky Chalky and @Supercorsa Supercorsa in the Soul Source gallery https://www.soul-source.co.uk/gallery/album/1460-kent-25th-anniversary/ https://www.soul-source.co.uk/gallery/album/1467-kent-25th-anniversary/ Visit 6ts Website Visit Forum thread - Lookbacks https://www.soul-source.co.uk/forums/topic/58550-kent-25th-anniversary-do/ loads of views of the event from the floor and beyond and more pics

We'll be selling tickets up to 2pm on Friday afternoon, after that there'll be plenty on the door at the venue. if you've reserved to buy them and have not paid yet just queue to the right with the paying on the night punters. Due to the post strike Ace Records and myself will be putting any tickets bought and not received yet on the door at the Forum. They will be on a separate table by the guest list at the left hand entrance to the foyer. So if you've paid or are on the guest list queue to the left. Reserved or paying on the night queue to the right. The first of the live acts will be on stage at 8.15pm the live music should run to approx 11.15 and then it's a 6TS soul record rave up until 2am. There will be tickets on sale on the night we are holding back a few hundred for that purpose (the venue holds 2,000+). Be early to make sure you get a ticket if you are planning attending this way. Ace Records still has tickets, £22 each; state either Upstairs (with unreserved seating) or Downstairs (standing and dancing). Credit card only bookings now (due to the strike) to Bus Stop 020 8453 1311 office hours. There are no additional booking fees. See you at the Forum, Ady Kent records celebrates its 25th anniversary on Friday October 19th 7.30pm – 2 am at The Forum, Kentish Town, London. A spectacular 60s Soul Revue has been arranged with US soul singers Maxine Brown, Tommy Hunt, Mary Love, The Flirtations and Winfield Parker performing in front of a full backing band and celebrity MCs announcing them on stage. The live show will be followed by a three hour 6TS and Northern Soul disco with original 100 Club DJs Ian Clark, Tony Rounce and Ady Croasdell. It's been 20 years since an authentic 60s Soul Revue hit London and brings back memories of the Stax/Volt and the Motown Revues of the 60s. It will be a major event for all the music fans who remember those heady days and for all the younger ones who will want that atmosphere recreated. Kentish Town is an apt area to stage this celebration as the Kent label was formed in the legendary Rock On record shop (said to be Nick Hornsby’s inspiration for High Fidelity) and the offices were in Kentish Town Road for its early years. Maxine Brown Maxine has been singing soul since its very inception. The late music journalist and soul guru Dave Godin considered her self-penned hit ‘All In My Mind’ to be one of the very first soul records and a pinnacle of Deep Soul artistry. Maxine’s most prolific and best loved work was recorded for New York’s Wand label and included the original and best version of Goffin and King’s soul anthem ‘Oh No Not My Baby’, a big hit for Manfred Mann. While at Wand, Maxine cut a string of sublime 60s soul dance tracks that have been adopted by the UK’s Northern Soul crowd. These include ‘One In A Million’, ‘Let Me Give You My Loving’, ‘One Step At A Time’ and ‘It’s Torture’. She continued to record through the 60s and 70s for Sony’s Epic label and Commonwealth United records, but it was not until an appearance at the legendary Cleethorpes Northern Soul weekender in the 90s that she revived her career singing her hits and new material to sell-out crowds around Europe and the USA. Tommy Hunt Though Tommy has had a hit-studded singing career in the US, he is most famous in this country for his live appearances at Wigan Casino at the height of its popularity in the mid-70s. His live LP recorded there is a classic of the era and he has been a resident of the UK since those heady days. His best known hit here is ‘Loving On The Losing Side’, a Northern Soul recording in 1976 which became a disco smash all around the country. Prior to that he had a massive US R&B hit with his ballad ‘Human’ and he recorded the first version of Bacharach and David’s seminal ‘I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself’, a big hit here for Dusty. Tommy is a legend for his fabulous live shows at New York’s Apollo theatre and he is going to treat his UK followers to just such an event at the Forum on the 19th. Mary Love Mary was the first voice to be heard on the Kent label when her Northern Soul classic ‘You Turned My Bitter Into Sweet’ opened the first side of the “For Dancers Only” LP in 1982. She had a string of classic 60s soul recordings for LA’s Modern label and her ‘Lay This Burden Down’, apart from being a perennial Northern dancefloor filler, has been re-mixed by several inspired soulful house DJs. She continued to record into the 80s and beyond but mainly gospel tracks since the late 70s. One of these, ‘Come Out Of The Sandbox’, was adopted by the Modern Soul crowd at the Southport weekenders and is a soul anthem to their educated ears. Mary has appeared at the Cleethorpes Northern Soul weekender and the Jazz Café before and brings the house down with her magnificent vocals every time. The Flirtations Like Tommy Hunt, the girls came to the UK in the early 70s due to public demand and loved the country so much they stayed for good. Originally known as the Gypsies, they had a big R&B hit with ‘Jerk It’ for the Old Town label and a massive underground Northern Soul hit with ‘It’s A Woman’s World’ for the same label. On moving to the UK they cut a great version of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Little Darling’ for Polydor before recording a string of classic soul singles for the Deram label. Best known among those are ‘Someone Out There’, ‘Need Your Loving’, and ‘Nothing But A Heartache’, which has a massive London club following and was made more famous by featuring in one of the recent KFC adverts. They regularly perform to their legions of fans throughout Europe and have just emerged from the recording studios with a brand new Ian Levine-produced Northern Soul dance track. They are thrilled to be appearing on this prestigious 60s soul revue and will be singing up a storm for their home town crowd who may not even realise they are their fellow citizens. Winfield Parker This will be the first visit to the UK for Baltimore, Maryland Deep Soul singer Winfield Parker. He has been singing for local labels in his home city since the early 60s but gained a much bigger following when he started to record out of nearby Philadelphia in the late 60s and 70s. His ballad ‘I’m Wondering’ for Wand Records is considered a Deep Soul classic and his 1971 cover of Edwin Starr’s ‘Stop Her On Sight’ was a 1971 national R&B hit for him. Further records, including the excellent ‘I’m On My Way’ for New York based Spring Records, were critically acclaimed and ‘I Wanna Be With You’ for his own P&L label in 1978 is regarded as a modern soul anthem, so his first appearance in the UK will be a big deal for a lot of soul fans. Ady Croasdell 2007

Due to the uncertainty caused by the post strike Ace Records and myself will be putting any tickets bought and not received yet on the door at the Forum. They will either be on the door of the Box Office where people are paying on the night, or we'll have a separate table in the foyer which we'll tell you about on the night. Either way queue to the right of the building unless told differently. There will be tickets on sale on the night we are holding back a few hundred for that purpose (the venue holds 2,000+). Be early to make sure you get a ticket if you are planning attending this way. Ace Records still has tickets, £22 each; state either Upstairs (with unreserved seating) or Downstairs (standing and dancing). Credit card only bookings now (due to the strike) to Bus Stop 020 8453 1311 office hours. There are no additional booking fees. OR PayPal to ady.croasdell@btinternet.com £23 each ticket by this method to cover PayPal's charges. Again state upstairs or downstairs. IN ADDITION the following outlets have tickets for sale at cost price at the stated hours. The Jazz Cafe, Parkway Camden Town 12 - 6pm Mon to Sat, closed between 2-3 for lunch Hammersmith Apollo - Box Office is open 4 - 7pm on Show Days Only (Please call in advance) The Forum - Box Office is open 12 - 6pm on Saturdays only In addition an independent ticket agency near Oxford Circus has tickets, they will charge a fee but not as much as seetickets, to be sure ring them first for details. - Stargreen Ticket Agency Open 10.15am-6pm Mon - Sat 20-21 Argyll St, Oxford Circus, W1F 7TT 0207 734 8932. Take the Tube to Oxford Circus (Bakerloo or Central Line, Zone 1). Leave the station by Exit 8, which brings you directly out on the east side of Argyll Street. Stargreen Box Office is on the other side of the street, between Warehouse and Laura Ashley See you at the Forum, Ady