Ian Parker

There are alot of great dj's But my fav's would have to be........................ Ian G - A man that can fill any dance floor with a great selection of oldies Pete & Liz - There clubs "For Dancers" was superb & now "Follow Your Heart"......60s Underplayed oldies Brooksey - Always a superb selection of rare & underplayed with a bit of early R n B Cressy - Always an interesting selection of oldies & underplayed........I love that Cashmeres-Showstopper Ian P - My very own Ian.........I know im bias but he is great on the decks & can fill a floor playing, his fav oldies, & a bit of rare & underplayed........The Antellects-Love Slave & The Deadbeats No Second Chance...........my fav's! Debbie x

That was a great venue But yes.......i know what you mean Joan Debbie x

Hi Joan, Nick used to be my teacher for Latin American & Ballroom, he is a really lovely bloke & a first class teacher, he won medals when representing England in his younger years This is only my opinion..............But i dont really agree with Northern Soul dance classes, because its more of a social night out & there is no set steps, so nothing to learn not like Latin & Ballroom, where you have Cuban Breaks, Reverse Cortays, Alamar Turns, Vulta pogos, etc etc............there are hundreds of steps to learn, all with various names, so you have to go to classes The basic steps in Lindy is really easy to pick up, but if you want to add the Charleston steps, you need to take the classes But Northern Soul Debbie x

Spot On! Yes i have seen you, & your a lovely man Some styles are not everybodys cup of tea, but there is a nice way of saying it Some of those 50+ ladies could get offended! Debbie x

Alot of folk seem to think its about the clothes & a good chance to take the mick out of the bags or 50 year old women wearing circle skirts i wear my own version of the skirts, but im not 50 yet, but if a woman in her 50s wants to wear them, then go for it ladies! ........No one has the right to tell you what you should or should not be wearing! One of the main reasons that i got into Northern Soul was for the music, my all time fav track is The Antellects-Love Slave , i tend to listen to 60s rare & underplayed, oldies, & i like the sounds from The Tourch Era, (but i was too young to remember it first time around), plus early 60s R n b (carried over from my mod days in the 80s). I also love to talk to like minded people about the music & some of the record labels, (which are pure Art), I know Ian .......Anorak! So i would say that this is what Northern Soul would mean to me Another part of Northern Soul for me would be the dancing.......I have always enjoyed dancing, & i started when i was 5 years old with Ballroom, Latin American, Ballet, Lindy & Jive, Tap & Jazz, so seeing some of those early Northern Soul dancers gave me the passion for this style......i could watch a good dancer for hours! I dont like the modern side of this music scene, as i just dont feel the music .........I studied classical music & i do listen to other very early styles of music from the 1920s to the 1960s, especially Bix Biderbex, Jelly Roll Morton, Little Joe Turner & Lead Belly because early music has more of a raw sound, alot of the 60s bands, (that we now call Northern Soul) got inspiration from these earlier styles of music In my opinion, i just find modern music very over produced, so i dont feel like im getting the real thing! If you ask my partner Ian.......I have not listened to the radio since the late 70s Some folk may not like it & say im stuck in a time warp of music, dancing & dress but i have been doing it now for 20 odd years & i like what i like So for the narrow minded of you ........i still have my 24" waist so i will wear what i like, whilst listening & dancing to what i like! Debbie x

Tony Clayton was a local legend to us Granthamites..... many sunday afternoons spent at his vicarage talkin nonsense and playin a few tunes. i even remember us setting up his PA and having an impromptu afternoon session in a tiny village hall . Also lugging his gear up them bloody stairs at Oddfellows in Leicester before (and after) a niter ! He's a nice chap, always has a chat to me about old friends on or off the scene. those mid 80's clips are ace, don't we all wish we still had 30" waists and hair . thanks for posting, great stuff . IAN

a few quids worth there Harry Mike, in answer to your question : we'd certainly love the idea

yes i remember all of those. not heard Billy Purcell since those times, still hear Holly StJames and Lynne Randell quite regular.... i even played Eddie Regan at an event nr Wigan two weekends ago thankfully , not heard Lou Roberts for ages

yes Mick, the 'theatre' or oldies room... i can see it now, pitch dark, gym equipment?? , just light from the DJ corner. i always thought the light was from a door into an adjecent room (long time ago). that room used to be heavin with grantham folk. wonderful place The main room was the first place i heard things like the burning bush, the ellingtons, billy watkins, billy prophet etc. they may have been played at other venues, but St Ives is the place i heard em first

wow I'd forgotten how that place looked inside. over 30 yrs since i set foot in the St Ivo recreation centre !! . i could only dream (around 76/77) as my peers went along to those niters at that time. the Rice brothers, Paul Sadot, Kev Doughty etc etc were just a tad older than me and were goin places. Late 78 i first went there. thumbed a lift and managed to get a lift back in someones car. one of my fave venues ever, i loved it there. IAN

These old photo's are great Mick Its so nice to see all these old styles Myself & alot of my friends still like to dress in these styles, i know a couple of us girls are pleased to see the old photo of that smart young woman in the circle skirt & hair ribbons, spot on! Debbie x

Whats Wrong with me baby - Mojo issue wanted -- on a side note, my old copy had 'my' baby instead of 'me' . were they all a misprint? .... anyone got one for sale?

Only being a youngster! I did not get onto the scene until the early 80s I was living in London, so i went out in London all the time, it was great! So it was about 82 at The 100 Club, then The Capitol Soul Club & Scenesville, (chuffed to bits to find my old membership cards), but i still heard quite alot of the music on the Mod scene, at The Mousetrap, The New Untouchables nights, Almost Grown(in Southend), & The Undergroud nights Cant remember what track i heard first at The 100 Club, but a couple of records from this time still spring to mind The Cashmeres-Showstopper The Ivories-Please Stay These are still 2 of my fav tracks today Debbie x

Now chaps!, here is some advice................Dont buy the lady in your life flowers if she has a very possesive pussy Because if they are anything like Mr.Tinkles???............You end up with the flowers pulled to bits & thrown around your living room floor Debbie x

We'd love to see some footage and good quality photo's. bear in mind, the 'run of the mill' cameras most folk had were pretty basic. i had a dreadful 110 jobbie. it took pic's but anything further away from close up was destined to be mediocre in quality and clarity. I have one photo of me in Mr M's and one of a friend in the main hall. both are awful quality..... as for cine footage, that would be fab, fingers crossed, ya never know

The Antellects - Love Slave Because its the best record ever made & Ian my love, i have nearly worn my copy out! Debbie x

Nowt wrong wi' Grantham Spanner Ian

I shall be watching that! Looking forward to seeing some Latin dancing Debbie x

Blimey Tony. Martha Reeves (imo) is'nt even in the same league as Gladys Knight. at her best, MR is mediocre i've always thought, but GK is absolutely faultless, live or studio. anyway i'm off topic now, this is another debate IAN p.s. Female stalwarts of the Scene ?? ermmmm , for the number of tunes played, i'd say Linda jones too. who incidently is a remarkable singer i personally think.

two to choose from ... Curtis Mayfield Van Mcoy

not knockin it Pete, was just posting on here coz i've not seen it done before. (hence the 'fair play' & ). i spose you're right about the shitty UK soul section.... mind you, there are some goodies crop up occasionally IAN