Guest Account

I really enjoyed my day in Blackburn and it looked superb from the balcony. Anyone who has seen the YouTube clips of the dance classes will see how authentic Elaine can make it. I attended several of the London dance classes and the reason I went back each time was just the pure energy that was created in the room by the young dancers. It was worth endurung the same records at each session just to be in the room. It was that sort of experience that first got me into Northern Soul in the mid 1970s and that is what is being captured here. Meanwhile, we all know that the scene also has some very sad and picky analists (and I mean ANALists not anylists) who will quibble about minute details and miss that the essence of what made the scene great is being captured. I really hope that the saddos do not rule the day by continualy highlighting trivia like the brand of cigarette being smoked ceased to be available in mid 1974, Swan Vestas were more red in 1975, that the average hair length was quarter of an inch longer in 1975, the girls' socks used a different type of elastic before 1978 and that the bouncers' bow tie is made of the wrong material or what ever feeds their pickiness. My daughter went to some of the London classes and to Blackburn. She sees Northern Soul as energetic and vibrant.These sesions inspired her. However, on the journey home she commented about some sad old people there trying to spot anything that didn't quite match their memories of 1975...apparently they were so dull and trivial that it gave a very negative view of both them and the scene to my daughter. Bags on the stage, fair point, but it never occured to me until I read it here. Clapping after records, I have no idea when it came in but don't recall it my first few times at Wigan....but would it make any difference to the film? Authenticity is important, I agree, but it isn't ever going to be 100%. But more than creating a museum of authentic props I want the authenticity to capture the (positive) spirit and excitement that was Northern Soul in the mid 1970s. To steal a phrase from the Olympics: LET'S INSPIRE A GENERATION! Well done Elaine, this is looking great.

RIP CARL DAVIS great loss.

Hi Carms Tony's has been sitting empty for a couple of years now, it was last used as a dance studio for children. The lease is now back in Blackburn councils hands, unfortunately the building is not safe for public use, they have major issues with dry rot below the sprung dance floor, asbestos and lack of a legal the fire escape. The interior of the the building still looks the same as when the last niters were held there, the council are looking to refurb the building but at present do not have the funds and probably never will, I know there are plans to video the interior of the buliding for a short documentary. Best Chris W

Here's something I wrote about Carl in 2005... CARL DAVIS is a legend of the music business and was perhaps the most important man during the Chicago soul boom. He was the driving force behind the Okeh label in the 1960s, Brunswick and Dakar Records from the late '60s until the early '70s, and Chi-Sound in the late '70s and early '80s. Born on September 19th, 1934, Carl Davis developed his talent for picking the hits while typing playlists for WGES radio DJ Al Benson in 1955. He then got a marketing job with a local distributorship and by 1961 had teamed up with Bill 'Bunky' Sheppard, scoring a minor hit with 'Nite Owl' by The Dukays - featuring Gene Chandler - for Nat Records in January 1962. While working for promotions executive Granville White in the Chicago distribution branch of Columbia Records, Davis produced Gene Chandler's 'Duke Of Earl' hit for Vee-Jay Records in 1962. The success resulted in him being hired as a staff producer by Columbia A&R chief Dave Kapralik. The following year Davis was promoted to A&R director in charge of Columbia's Okeh subsidiary and he quickly turned the label into a huge R&B success. During this time Davis also continued to manage and produce acts (including Gene Chandler and Mary Wells) for other companies. With assistance from Curtis Mayfield, Davis produced hits by Major Lance, The Artistics, Billy Butler, Ted Taylor, Walter Jackson, The Opals, Gerald Sims and others. He was promoted once again in 1965 but resigned soon after following a dispute with Columbia executive Len Levy. In 1966 Davis was asked by Nat Tarnopol, vice president of Brunswick Records, to help revive the flagging career of his star act Jackie Wilson who was badly in need of a hit at that time. Following the success of 'Whispers (Getting' Louder)', Davis became the A&R director of Brunswick which was then jointly owned by Nat Tarnopol and the Decca subsidiary of MCA. To establish a Chicago base for Brunswick, Davis and his team moved into offices at 1449 South Michigan Avenue, formerly the home of Vee-Jay Records. Jackie Wilson's hits continued - particularly 'Higher And Higher' which sold two million copies in 1967 - and Davis expanded the roster by signing The Chi-Lites, Gene Chandler, The Artistics, Billy Butler, Barbara Acklin, The Young-Holt Trio and others. Brunswick quickly replaced Okeh as the home of Chicago soul music. While at Brunswick, Davis continued to operate his own production, publishing and management companies, and in '67 he launched two new independent labels, Bashie and Dakar. Bashie was quickly forgotten but Dakar scored in 1968 when 'Can I Change My Mind' became a monster hit for Tyrone Davis, resulting in a national distribution deal with Atlantic Records. Tarnopol acquired the remaining half of Brunswick from MCA in 1970 and Davis was promoted to vice president. It seems that MCA were happy to end their relationship with Tarnopol, even though they were to lose out on crossover hits by Tyrone Davis and The Chi-Lites, fronted by hit songwriter and producer Eugene Record. Dakar was then merged with Brunswick (Davis was given a ten percent holding in the combined operation) and the distribution of Dakar Records was switched from Atlantic to Brunswick in late 1971. Dakar continued to have major success with Tyrone Davis while The Chi-Lites delivered an amazing string of international soul and pop hits on the Brunswick label. By the mid 1970s the Dakar label was also successful with Hamilton Bohannon but the focus was no longer entirely on Chicago soul. In fact, following the merger, more of the business was increasingly handled from Brunswick's New York offices and A&R executive Alonzo Tucker signed several New York-based artists to Dakar - including Ben Monroe, Donald Height, Eddie McLoyd and B.W. & The Next Edition, a group led by Billy Nichols and featuring Willie Collins on lead vocals. As Brunswick's New York head office took more control, Davis was less involved. In fact, two years before he left Brunswick he had formed another label, Innovation II Records, with veteran Chicago radio DJ E. Rodney Jones. Innovation II was initially distributed by Warner Bros. and had success with The Lost Generation in 1974. They also issued product by Simtec Simmons, Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign, Sir Wales Wallace and Barbara Hall. As The Chi-Lites faced charges of tax evasion in 1976, Brunswick already had difficulties of their own. "They had a big payola problem," recalled Davis. "They were selling records and not putting them through the books." In 1975 Nat Tarnopol and several other executives were charged with fraud and conspiracy and were named in a payola scandal. Tarnopol was convicted in 1976 but his conviction was overturned on appeal the following year. He was later sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion and other offenses but that conviction was thrown out on a technicality and he passed away in 1987. Carl Davis and promotions man Melvin Moore were also tried but were acquitted. It seems they weren't aware of what had been going on in the New York office. All of a sudden it was all over. Jackie Wilson was in a coma, having suffered a major heart attack on stage in September 1975, and the remaining acts started to desert the company in 1976. Tyrone Davis was snapped up by Columbia and Eugene Record left The Chi-Lites for a solo career with Warner Bros. The rest of the group pacted with Mercury Records, as did Hamilton Bohannon the following year. Brunswick would struggle on until the early 1980s but the company was just a shadow of its former self and had few hits of any significance. Jackie Wilson remained in a coma until he died in January 1984. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Detroit. Vital to his success were the teams Carl Davis assembled at Okeh, Brunswick, Dakar and Chi-Sound. And if there is such a thing as the 'Carl Davis sound', it was created with help from musical directors and arrangers such as Sonny Sanders, Johnny Pate, Gerald Sims, Willie Henderson, Tom Washington and Riley Hampton. William 'Sonny' Sanders left Motown after having an affair with Berry Gordy's ex-wife Raynoma. He teamed up with Carl Davis and introduced elements of Motown into the Chicago sound - quite literally. He arranged for Motown musicians to work 'moonlight' sessions in Chicago. "On a weekend they would rent a van and the whole rhythm section would come over!" remembered Carl. Although arrangers made a significant contribution, most important of all were the songs of Curtis Mayfield and Eugene Record who both played crucial roles in Davis' career as a producer and A&R executive. Curtis Mayfield was assistant producer on many of Carl's early Okeh sessions and Eugene Record was the 'secret weapon' at Brunswick and Dakar. Mayfield and Record were the key architects of the Chicago soul sound and both are sorely missed. Behind the scenes, Davis was supported by Otis Leavill who balanced the roles of A&R assistant and occasional artist. "Otis was my right arm," said Davis. "He would bring me the artists because he had a really good ear for talent. I was not in the street like he was." Leavill was responsible for discovering many of the Dakar and Brunswick artists, including Barbara Acklin who also served as a secretary to Carl Davis and became a successful singer and a hit songwriter, remembered most for her wonderful collaborations with Eugene Record. Paul Mooney 2005 Introduction to liner notes from 'Carl Davis presents Chicago Soul Survey' (GVCD 3027)

As others have said, a Real legend. I dont know about others on here but as a young lad growing up in the uk getting into soul first I got into Motown and detroit, mirwood, the genius of Gamble and Huff in Philly.....you love them all ....but then you discover CHICAGO !!! and you start noting that some names just keep turning up again and again and again on the label credits of all the greatest records ! But above them all one name stands out more and more. Carl Davis. RIP

as a great lover of jackie wilson what about those great brunswick recordings "i`ve lost you" and "nothing but blue skies" brilliant anybody who wants a quick masterclass in carl davis`class check out the kent lp "on the upbeat"and as instrumentals go "california montage" is right up there

R.I.P.Sir.

Sad news.

Very sad news. At least Carl is at peace now because life has been hard for him recently. Rest in peace, Carl. Paul GVCD 3027 (issued 2004)

Looking forward to the filming to start, been a lot of hard work, but doing something you are passionate about makes it easier. Thanks everyone for the kind words. Would love to see you all at Black Bee Soul Club on the 17th August at Kraak in the Northern Quarter of Manchester. All the best Paul Bailey

Saw it at cinema. Brilliant movie with fantastic soundtrack of course!

It certainly was, top form James.

ive had the pleasure of working with theses kids.fantastic all of them,and just to dispel any myths around are they genuine or actors,i can safely say all the kids from the northern sessions in bolton are gen 100 per cent soul fans and were asked to get involved purley because of the fact that they are into the scene before the film was even mentioned and some have their own soul nights ie WYS have a soul night once a month and the black bee soul nights in manchester are run and dj'd by these guys,go and check their events out.

ill be there on my own so if you wanna meet up inside contact me thru here

Am soo sorry..when i first clocked this ...thought ..oooh ...has there been a secret discovery transcript...of the Charles Dickens character Jacob Marley???...then thought ..well isnt it a bit early for Christmas tales???!!!!!... .sorry...Delxxxxx

Is that the old light blue transit van . We're you with me and Jan when we overtook the police car in Shenstone, and escaped to tell the tale. Jan says she still hates Lou Pride.

Got a ticket but no one to go with anyone else in same position ? x

Great clips! Looks fab!

great stuff

I've got a few stories regarding finding records. If you're interested get in touch. Soul galore BrumBowers.

Great shots.

Gonna get one. Anyone know what that dub tune is at the end of the film?

That's true jordi..very humbling. I work in TV too and am aware what a couple of cameras can get in the can. To be honest the session was well orchestrated by Dennis Coffey and all done and dusted in 5 days, leaving reasonably early from the studio each evening without any of these midnight affairs trying to get something to work. Had it been filmed, it would have shown the professionalism of all, and how good music can still be recorded in a studio in 2008. The musicians started recording the rhythm section at 10.30am on the Monday and we were sat in a Mexican restaurant at 2.30pm after laying down 4 songs! In the afternoon the vocalists played with the songs and set the stall out for the b/v's. What I found leading up to the session (and I mean the previous 15 years or so) is that at my level, nobody wanted my songs, ideas, notions or dreams, especially in the UK and worse, in London. It was only the discovery of soulfuldetroit and some of my heroes being on there that things started to buzz and where I created the relationship that took me to another level. So, why would anybody want my video footage and as you know, all the hard work capturing it and editing etc? Whilst on that session I did allow a video to be made for the people of Detroit - in other words for the history of their music industry. Bearing in mind Uriel, Ray, Dennis and Bob had appeared in SITSOM and were being celebrated at that time, I felt humbled that anybody would think this session be significant enough to tape. So maybe one day, that footage will be seen on TV where it should rightly live and broadcast notes of Motown, soul and dance music to audiences that would appreciate it. So getting back to Rikki Hicks, yes I guess I have unique footage of him too, in a recording studio rather than on stage with The O' Jays. And as for dear Bob Babbitt who has recently passed away as well, again, there is something in the can for others to see maybe one day, and not just from the movie.

There is not that much footage. I should have bought an HD video camera with hindsight. All this is in SD. However, I did not go to Philly to video...it was about the music, and the last place I want to be is getting in the way watching through a black and white view finder in the studio. These men were craftsmen and I respect that. I did offer exclusively to Sky Arts to video both my sessions and they could own the rights for a payment to the musicians. They declined...no budget. If it had been done as a professional affair...but alas, it did not work out.

I was also privileged to see the funks at the Apollo, was it 8 years ago....my my! RIP Mr Bassman!!