Ian Cuncliffe

Just a intro about myself as requested. I started to collect soul-r&b records around 1966 while at senior school, this was the music that was being played in the youth clubs around the northwest which I attended . I left school in 1969 around that time I started to go to Blackpool Mecca with all my skinhead mates, its around that time I started to collect and trade the rarer soul singles, at the time in Manchester there was three brilliant places to get imported soul 45,s from i.e. Ralph's records---Global and a place not many new about at the time Shudehill Market.

Over the past 30 years I have attended all the major all-nighters from the Twisted Wheel just before its closure , the Torch, Cats , Wigan Cas to the present day, my favourites being The Wilton in Whitwood West Yorks and Lowton Civic which run around four per year great nites!!..

In 1980 I became seriously ill at one stage was only given weeks to live but after major surgery I made a full recovery!, it was then I had to sell the main part of my collection, christ!! I look back Lester Tipton--La Beat £25.......Al Williams £30 but those where the prices in 1981 it was only around 1983-4 that I began to realise I had made a huge mistake when the prices started to go higher and higher !! and I had sold two years previously most of the sounds that where commanding high prices not a good feeling!!!.

In 1986 I along with Keith Brady, Carl Farrington & Kev Appleton started to promote 3 soul nites around the Leigh--Wigan area under the collective banner of The Sounds of Soul at the time their was only one other soul nite within 30 miles that was Barry Maleedys club in St Helens, so as you can imagine we used to get some real packers playing sounds that even today are classed by many of the average soulies as newies? i.e Imperial C,s----Ray Agee---George Pepp---Phonetics---Tommy Ridgley--Chuck Holliday --Ruby Sherry ect etc total magic nites , we stopped promoting these nites around 1994 due to the amount of soul nites that had started within the 30 mile radius soulies had seen our and Barrys nites become so successful they decided to get a slice of the pie!! some more great nites started and some sad sad ones.

These days I only like to DJ at the more progressive venues, I still buy and sell the rarer 60,s 70,s soul sounds, and as anyone who knows me will tell you I still find bargains even these days, in the past few years I've found Herman Lewis Who is kissing you tonite Mercury when it wasn't even known to be on the label? Tempos --Ill never forget -- Diamond Jim both for a few quid up to recently I've been finding quite a few rare 70,s locally but there seems to be more collectors targeting 70,s in the past year.

A few years ago a bloke came to live round the corner from me his name was Kev Barrett from Canada he told me that he was into soul music and that he had shipped over from Canada the contents from a radio station WSAY record library, 15000 soul singles & around 5000 c&w rock -pop records, Kev asked my help in pricing them up christ !! the stuff we found multi copies of sounds like Johnny Bartell....Freddie North The Hurt......Houston Outlaws...O.C Smith & loads of rare DETROIT CHICAGO & philly 60,s 70,s rarities , some of the best days of my life I spent going thro that lot, Kev also gave me first shot at the stuff he wanted to sell !!! Kev,s now one of my closest friends ,mind you he's going a bit strange recently he keeps buying 90,s garage & house I think he's just trying to look hip to his sons friends!!.

Anyway that's a little insight into the crazy world of Ian Cunliffe, people keep telling me to write a book about my life on the soul scene, I left home late 1971 just as the Northern Soul Scene was beginning to spread its wings, so I have many stories to tell some good some not so good!!!. The main thing that has come from my life on the soul scene apart from the wonderful, wonderful music!! is all the friends I have made from all over , each one of them has a special place in my heart, giving me some magic memories that will linger forever....SOUL MUSIC WILL NEVER DIE !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Soulfully Yours Ian C.