Source Team

Soul Direction have a new 45 out, details follow... Soul Direction Records are please to announce our next release. Ann Byers – “I’m Not Gonna Cry” / “Your Love Is A Wonderful Thing” – (Soul Direction) SD023 Release Date – 28th March 2025 (Pre Order from 14th March) Not much is known about Ann Byers as a person, but the Northern Soul scene is well-acquainted with her recordings on the Virtue and Academy labels. From her sparse biography, we know she was born in Philadelphia and began singing in church at the age of three. By the time she was 16, she had recorded her first 45 in 1963. She later made radio, TV, and personal appearances around Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Delaware. Her television appearances included performances alongside Roy Hamilton, Billy Paul, Bunny Sigler, and The Young Holt Trio, among others. She was also a firm believer in UFOs and had a deep love for ancient history. One of her dreams was to travel to the U.K. on a jet plane, where she hoped to achieve a hit single. Byers briefly entered the U.K. market in 1975 with the Power Exchange release of “This Man Is Rated-X” and “Gotta Get You Back,” both initially released on Virtue in the U.S. Her early recordings were on The Lyric Label under the name Anne Buyers, with the tracks “Was It Worth the Price” and “Natural Feeling,” and later on the Cougar label as Ann Byers with “Where Have You Gone” and “Talk of The Town,” believed to be released around 1964. The tracks Ann Byers recorded for Academy in 1964 and 1965 were written by the composing duo Fred Andrew Smith and Phil Hurtt, with production and arrangement by Leroy Lovett. The two featured tracks in this release, “I’m Not Gonna Cry” and “Your Love Is a Wonderful Thing,” include backing vocals by the group Les Tres Femmes. “Your Love Is a Wonderful Thing” was co-written by Howard Ravitsky and Phil Hurtt, who also wrote the Academy release “I’m Happy Without You,” a much sought-after 45. These two tracks were meant to be Byers’ fourth release on Academy, but unfortunately, the label went out of business in 1967. Byers also had three releases on the Virtue label around 1975-1976, and her name appears in the writing credits of two releases on the low-budget Fox Century Plaza label from Philadelphia, which operated between 1977 and 1980. While it’s uncertain whether it’s the same Ann Byers, it is likely. “I’m Not Gonna Cry” resurfaced in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s from the master tapes and received some airplay from DJ’s in the UK before being released on CD around 2000. It reached the test press stage with another label in the late ‘90s but never saw full production. After conversations with Howard Ravitsky, who wished to see the tracks released as they were meant to be, Soul Direction with the help of Dave Louis helped make this a fitting tribute to Ravitsky’s musical legacy. Recorded at: Sound Plus Studios, Philadelphia, PA. Engineer: Tony Luis Producers: Howard Ravitsky & Phil Hurtt Backing Singers: Les Tres Femmes on “Love Is A Wonderful Thing” Musicians: Guitars: Roland Chambers, Norman Harris Bass Guitar: Win Winfield Drums: Karl Chambers Organ: Pete Dino Horns: Sam Reed Horn Section Images Videos Ann Byers - I'm Not Gonna Cry - (Soul Direction) SD023A Ann Byers & Les Tres Femme - You Love Is A Wonderful Thing - (Soul Direction) SD023B Website for purchase options and more https://soul-direction.co.uk/

The weekends here already, a rushed heads up... Time for a quick heads up on the weekends soul direct from out dynamic Source Event Guide in an easy to view map format... Please note that the above image is just a screengrab of our feature and so it is a static overview of this weeks Uk events To view the most up to date and the dynamic Source Events weekly map just go to our Event Guide page (link below) and then tap the orange 'Launch Map View (Weekly)' button The latest and dynamic map view will then popup ready for you to drill down to all the events full details https://www.soul-source.co.uk/events/

News from Daptone Two New 45s - Thee Sacred Souls & Junior Scaife and a new digital releases from Jalen Ngonda, details below... Thee Sacred Souls "My Heart is Drowning" b/w "Stuck in the Mud" The second 45 from Got a Story to Tell offers up two staff favorites. The moody, mid-tempo mover "My Heart is Drowning" opens with a foreboding, echo-drenched drip that lurks behind singer Josh Lane's tale of a forlorn lover who's past mistakes have left him drowning in despair. "Stuck in the Mud" also leans towards an earlier R&B sound but with a subtle tinge of gospel via the call and response vocals that permeate this impeccably heartfelt composition. See all upcoming tour dates at https://theesacredsouls.com. Junior Scaife "Nobody Gets My Love" b/w "Too Much Too Soon" Stream "Nobody Gets My Love" now and pre-order the 45, out March 28th. https://daptone.ffm.to/prs1024.GTQ Junior Scaife returns with two strikingly soulful sides produced and co-written by Penrose staunchman, Anthony Masino. With its vibey groove and infectious background melody "Nobody Gets My Love" marries the visceral rawness of late sixties Detroit sides ala Hestor and Wylie with a relaxed West Coast je ne sais quoi. Jalen Ngonda "Just As Long As We're Together" Penned at his hometown of Wheaton, Maryland, Jalen Ngonda returns with “Just As Long As We’re Together.” Despite the narrators personal battles and onlookers he is comforted by his lover's affection as his worries along with space and time comes to a halt. Available digitally now. See all upcoming tour dates at https://jngonda.com

Time for a quick heads up on the weekends soul direct from out dynamic Source Event Guide in an easy to view map format... Please note that the above image is just a screengrab of our feature and so it is a static overview of this weeks Uk events To view the most up to date and the dynamic Source Events weekly map just go to our Event Guide page (link below) and then tap the orange 'Launch Map View (Weekly)' button The latest and dynamic map view will then popup ready for you to drill down to all the events full details https://www.soul-source.co.uk/events/

SOUL MUSIC OF ILLINOIS - Numero Group have just announced details of a new book that they are shipping, details including word about a bonus 45 follow below.. SOUL MUSIC OF ILLINOIS An Illustrated Catalog Of Records Compiled and Edited by Dante Carfagna Release Notes Numero Group is beyond excited to announce another insane addition to our literary output. A comprehensive overview of soul music from the great state (our home state) of Illinois, this 732-page, two volume set chronicles over 3200 artists, 1200 record companies, and 10,000 individual releases between the years of 1960 and 1990. From Chicago to Cairo, East St. Louis to Kankakee, from The Accents to Ze-Majestiks; Soul Music Of Illinois; serves as discography, field manual, atlas, telephone directory, and coffee table book, all presented in glorious full-color and wrapped in premium woven linen. Meticulously researched and compiled by if-you-know-you-know, music historian and record acquirer Dante Carfagna, this is the 2nd state to receive the Soul Music deep dive after 2022's Soul Music Of Ohio. This is an absolute must for every eccentric soul fan out there, or general music/record head, art and history appreciators. It's actually overwhelming but also kind of empowering having all this soul knowledge at your finger tips. So thick we had to break it into 2 volumes. It's more than double the size of the Ohio Book which is massive on its own. BONUS: As bonus, we've unearthed something that didn't make it into the book. Numerogroup.com site-exclusive bonus 45 sees a first time issue of Wind's 1980 previously unreleased Windy City modern soul monster "Best Things In Life," on the replica Eclipse label. This 7" is limited to 498 copies and will be sent to the first 498 pre-orders. ADDITIONAL BONUS: A few weeks ago while cleaning out the warehouse, we found a box of the unknown Ohio Soul white-label 45s that we gave away for pre-orders of that book back in 2022. For those that missed out, order the Soul Music of Ohio Soul book and we will ship throw in the bonus 45. PRE-ORDER: SOUL MUSIC OF ILLINOIS + LTD. ED. BONUS 7" https://numerogroup.com/products/soul-music-of-illinois ORDER: SOUL MUSIC OF OHIO + LTD. ED. BONUS 7" https://numerogroup.com/products/ohio-soul-book SHIPPING NOTES: This thing is massive so can be a bit heavy to ship. We are shipping this from both our US and UK Fulfillment locations so should save on shipping to UK addresses and help cut down on EU addresses. Additionally, we've partnered with some shops below that should be able to get a copy if you prefer local pick ups. UK: Norman, Stranger Than Paradise, Resident, Crash, Spindizzy, Piccadilly France: Gibert Joseph, Pop Culture Spain: Discos Marcapasos, El Genio Equivocado, Marilians Germany: Dussmann, HHV Japan: Disk Union New Zealand: Southbound Pre-order: Release date is April 18th - Orders will begin shipping in late March!