Casino Memories

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russ winstanley /

A COMPLETE INTRODUCTION TO NORTHERN SOUL (4 CD BOX SET)

As I first popped the needle down on the Temptations, 'My Girl' in 1965 and discovered the exciting, foot tapping, heart pumping, 'Northern Soul' in 1967, I never dreamt that I'd be working with my heroes at the club I founded and ran from 1973 - 1981, Wigan Casino.

Dusty Springfield and the Beatles used to champion soul music - especially Motown and covered many of their favourite tracks. Spurred on by my heroes, I started to seek out the originals and developed an appetite for Detroit's finest. I started to collect as many magical Motown 45 and albums as possible then widened my appreciation of this wonderful genre of music by hunting for similar records offered by a variety of small American labels trying to emulate the success of Hitsville U.S.A.

Spending all my pocket money on 5s/6d vinyl singles, I was bought an Elizabethan tape recorder which enabled me to record Radio Caroline and later Radio One, retaining my favourites and saving a fortune before I could earn a decent 'crust' and become a professional vinyl junkie!

My passion for the foot-tapping, up-tempo, exciting, happy go lucky dance tracks to be known by Dave Godin's term, 'Northern Soul,' just grew and grew, together with my record collection! Although too young for Manchester's Twisted Wheel which went 100% soul in 1967, I started working with local groups before leaving school in 1969 and then regularly attended The Highland Room at Blackpool Mecca. My favourite DJ Tony Jebb, with Ian Levine and Colin Curtis, spun the turntable terrors including 'At The Discotheque', 'In Orbit', 'Love, Love, Love', ''I Got The Fever,' 'Tell Me It's Just a Rumour' and 'One Wonderful Moment'. This was absolute heaven - this was my vocation - a Northern Soul DJ.

In 1970, I started spinning the sounds in the Wigan area - and with most mobile discos playing the same mix of mainly bland chart sounds, I decided to specialise in soul; landing my first Monday night residency at The Beer Keller then every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday afternoon at the Wigan Rugby League Club, Central Park. I concentrated on Northern Soul and the originals I managed to purchase at the Mecca and from various dealers across the U.K. and America. Another key to my popularity was my uncle living in Florida and touring the States for his job - this enabled him to keep shipping me 'in demand' and unknown discs. I set up a mail order business and also sold sounds at the rugby club and on Wigan market. My stall was next to a guy called David Whelan - wonder what happened to him?!

The town had always been associated with soul music. The Room At The Top tried to emulate the notoriety of The Twisted Wheel and Wigan was virtually in the middle of two very popular venues. These were The Golden Torch at Stoke and Blackpool Mecca which had free coaches bussing soulies there and back every Saturday.

With a capacity of just 750, I quickly filled the Rugby Club three times a week. When I heard The Torch was closing, I looked round for bigger premises and, hopefully, an all-nighter. If ever there was a custom made venue for the original dance music it had to be Wigan Casino; custom built in the late 30s as a Big Band dance venue, the acoustics were superb with a specially fully sprung floor which dominated the venue. When the Mayor opened the 'club' his actual word were "I'm sure it will soon become the heart and soul of the town!" A large stage complimented the arena and vantage points of the dancers could be secured on the massive balcony which led to a smaller version of the main hall, Mr M's which was around half the size - holding about one thousand. In addition, on the ground floor, there was another club called The Beachcomber which was opened early to keep the crowd off the streets and served breakfast in the morning. The Beachcomber held 500. Total capacity of The Casino, Mr M's and The Beachcomber: a staggering 4000!

After agreeing to provide all the DJ equipment, book the jocks and available acts and handle all the marketing, promotion and advertising for 50% of the profit, we opened at 2am September 23rd 1973. 652 Soulies visited The Heart of Soul on this historical occasion. Admission was 75p and drinks 10p (with an average weekly wage of £20). Just before our attendances soared to capacity, my profit was adjusted to £50 but I was allowed to run my record bar without having to pay rent! I soon ran four nights at the Casino attracting over 10,000 per week and over four million in almost nine years.

We also put on many live acts, started our own record label and, in 1978, The Heart Of Soul was voted the 'Worlds Best Disco' in America's Billboard magazine and I was voted the No.1 soul DJ. Always spinning the vinyl for the first and last hour every Saturday, I only missed one night due to being in America! Lots of sounds hit the charts and membership shot over the 100,000 mark.

Wigan Council demolished the Casino in the Spring of 1982 to extend the Civic Centre. Due to running out of money, this never happened. 26 years later in the spring of 2007, Modus Properties opened the £100 million Grand Arcade and thankfully included a permanent exhibition to our favourite venue plus the Casino Cafe. Each September we celebrate the anniversary on two levels at the centre, retaining the unique Casino atmosphere and attracting over 2,500 Heart Of Soul lovers.

RUSS WINSTANLEY

A selection of my favourite floor fillers:

Sammy Davis Jr. - You Can Count On Me 2:11

(Morton Stevens/Hermine Hilton) Copyright Control

p 1976 UMG Recordings Inc.

Surprising vocal to the Hawaii Five-O theme. You'll love or hate.

Terry Callier - Ordinary Joe 4:13

(Terry Callier) Warner Chappell Music Ltd.

p 1972 Geffen Records

Only ever mentions the title once! Sounds as fresh as ever and one of soul

lover Paul Weller's favourites.

The Dells - Wear It On Our Face 3:20

(Bobby Miller) Chevis Publ. Corp.

p 1968 Geffen Records

Classy 1966 sound on Cadet from the world's longest surviving vocal group.

Kiki Dee - The Day Will Come Between Sunday And Monday 2:30

(Pamela Sawyer/Joe Hinton) Copyright Control

p 1970 Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings Inc.

What's this? - Kiki Dee and on Motown?! Surprisingly didn't make it in 1970.

San Remo - Golden Strings Festival Time 2:31

(Joanne Bratton/Linda Bunten) Jobete Music Co. Inc.

p 1967 Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings Inc.

An incredible instrumental from Ric Tic Records' finest. Even hit the charts in Christmas 1971.

Bobby Hebb - Love, Love, Love 2:52

(Joe Renzetti/Jerry Ross) MCA Music Ltd.

p 1966 The Island Def Jam Music Group

From his hit album, 'Sunny' - crossed over to a No. 32 hit in 1972. Great feel good factor.

Frank Popp - Ensemble Breakaway 3:37

(Frank Popp/Peter Horsch/J¼rgen Dahmen/Sam Leigh Brown) Edition Unique Club

Music, Amv Alster, Reverb Music Ltd.

p 2004 Unique Records

Faultless 2005 dancer that really grabs you.

R. Dean Taylor - There's A Ghost In My House 2:26

(Eddie Holland/Brian Holland. Dean Taylor/Lamont Dozier) Jobete Music (UK)Ltd.

p 1967 Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings Inc.

Another massive smash courtesy of Blackpool Mecca and Wigan Casino. Hidden on a 'Music For Pleasure' album. Recorded by R. Dean Taylor in 1968 and made No.3 in May 1974.

northern soul memories /

On a Saturday evening, sometime in early 1974 when I was about 16 or 17 years of age, I experienced true 'Revelation'. That night showed me a world where dancing wasn't all embarrassing school-dance shuffles, or stumbling waltzes with your elderly Aunt, but strident self-expression, where 'discos' weren't just places to meet girls and drink, but excited gatherings of people with a common love and where the music policy wasn't just a lazy re-playing of the radio's 'Hit Parade', but had passion pouring from the speakers and that passion returned ten-fold from the crowd. That revelation was "Northern Soul".

I'd been an apprentice bricklayer for some 6 months or so, having left the local Grammar School with absolutely no idea of what to do with my life and just a couple of 'O' levels. My callow teen stature didn't really fit the profession with its burly, beer-bellied builders and I didn't last long in the trade.