Stars And Stripes Magazine

[Rick Scott]

Would love to hear from anyone who bought this magazine way back in the early days of Soul And R'n'B

or has more Knowledge about it than i do.

I never owned a copy personally but bought Blues and Soul, and Black Echoes from way back then and l was always 

led to believe that Blues and Soul was an off shoot (or name change) of Stars and Stripes. Maybe you Could Share Images

and content with us and how it differed from Blues and Soul as it must have Pre Dated the Birth of the Rare Soul Scene

And well before Northern Soul and must be a very collectable Magazine, So over to you Ladies and Gents, thank you in anticipation. 

[Shinehead]

Never seen a copy myself and always wondered about it mainly due to the fact it always used to state on the mag "Blues and Soul " incorporating Stars and Stripes when I first started buying the mag around 1971 and for a long time after , be interested to find out a bit about the mag myself.

Edited April 24, 2023 by Shinehead

[Shinehead]

Seem to be no mention of this mag on the internet for sale or any other mention all I can find is on the covers of early seventies issues the price of Blues and Soul is on the cover price  plus the price of Stars and Stripes , I always thought it said incorporating Stars and Stripes sure it did at one time.

I have no copies anymore all went to landfill years ago so cannot check myself.

The cover of Blues and Soul also says International Music Review which indicates it was distributed world wide , maybe Stars and Stripes was just a subtitle for the U.S. market , someone out there will know for sure.

[Rick Scott]

Seem to remember reading some where that Stars & Stripes was aimed at American Servicemen stationed across Europe and UK which i suppose would make a lot of sense. 

[Stateside]

I think I've got the B&S issue that first introduced the merger with Stars & Stripes. I'll have to wade through them all to see if I can find it.

[Roburt]

I could well be wrong but I think Stars & Stripes was just a section of B&S that was aimed at US military guys in the UK and Europe. . . . HOWEVER it could well be that it was originally a US military publication (pamphlet) put out by news guys on US bases over here to be read by 'GI's stationed here' that dealt with music related issues. That publication was probably discontinued as many US Bases in the UK were run down around 1970 with B&S starting a section in the mag to cater for the old publication's recipients. 

In the 60's / 70's there were loads of US bases in East Anglia and they certainly had their own 'on-base' publications. Copies of some of those old publications were kept (up to a while ago at least) in the archives by Norwich Library Services. I used to be able to access old issues on-line via that library service. The on-base GI publications detailed all that was going on at each base and included details of the US music acts (many soul) that were flown over to the UK & Europe to provide on base entertainment for the GI's / airmen.

I accessed those old US military mags in 2013 to get details of which soul acts (& when) did shows on UK & European US bases when I was writing my book on Kenny Hamber. He played gigs on UK bases in 1990 or 91 (he couldn't remember exactly when). He played at Mildenhall / Lakenheath & at Upper Heyford in Oxfordshire. At Upper Heyford the base theatre had a capacity of just 220, so I guess they emptied it out & allowed new guys in for each show. The main AFN radio stn over here was at Mildenhall & Kenny did some radio interviews there to promote his shows. 

I have tried more recently (about 4 years ago) to access those old GI mags but wasn't able to do so anymore.

Some pics of Upper Heyford US airbase back in the day showing the SKYLINE THEATRE there .. 

   

Edited April 24, 2023 by Roburt

[Roburt]

BTW, Upper Heyford base shut down not long after the Syrian war concluded (that war being in the early 90's).

The site of the old base is now becoming a giant housing estate, with most remnants of the base swept away.

[Stateside]

After wading through several years of B&S and getting sidetracked by articles that caught my eye, I think this is the first copy to refer to Stars & Stripes and as mentioned above relates to American Servicemen. The reference was dropped later on. I can find out when, if anyone is desperate to know.

B&S later incorporated the title & "Disco Music Review"

[Amsterdam Russ]

Quote

Stars and Stripes is a daily American military newspaper reporting on matters concerning the members of the United States Armed Forces and their communities, with an emphasis on those serving outside the United States. As well as a website, Stars and Stripes publishes four daily print editions for U.S. military service members serving overseas; these European, Middle Eastern, Japanese, and South Korean editions are also available as free downloads in electronic format, and there are also seven digital editions. The newspaper has its headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stars_and_Stripes_(newspaper)

[Stateside]

I presume that B&S must have been distributed through S&S and Contempo had struck a deal with them to get access to the servicemen in Europe. Hence the 75 cent price tag. Just guessing now.

[Stateside]

Issue 81 has a bit more info but no S&S on the front cover, which is strange.

[Shinehead]

41 minutes ago, Stateside said:

Issue 81 has a bit more info but no S&S on the front cover, which is strange.

Thanks for your input , looking at the issue you posted I must have started buying B&S after 1971 definitely did not own that copy. 

You and Roburt seems to have cleared the question by Rick up perfectly.

Did feel a bit nostalgic looking at the old copies today on Google images but fortunately no regrets about dumping the lot I had which must have been hundreds because I subscribed for about 14 years they were just taking up room.

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Shinehead

[Rick Scott]

mmmmm, i always thought talking to other soul folks way back when Blues And Soul appeared that Stars and Stripes  was a mag in its own right that looked like the Blues and Soul publication and dealing with music and this other Stars and Stripes being referred to was a "News Paper" with nothing to do with music, 

[Shinehead]

31 minutes ago, Rick Scott said:

mmmmm, i always thought talking to other soul folks way back when Blues And Soul appeared that Stars and Stripes  was a mag in its own right that looked like the Blues and Soul publication and dealing with music and this other Stars and Stripes being referred to was a "News Paper" with nothing to do with music, 

Think the Stars and Stripes as the Wikipedia link is a totally different publication as you state .

[Rick Scott]

not sure we have got to the bottom of this one but hey, thank you one and all for your very knowledgable contributions x Soul Source Members Doing What They Do Best

Rick 

[Shinehead]

28 minutes ago, Rick Scott said:

not sure we have got to the bottom of this one but hey, thank you one and all for your very knowledgable contributions x Soul Source Members Doing What They Do Best

Rick 

Just to add I have come across a few covers of Blues and Soul on the net early seventies which state American edition includes Stars and Stripes and on others it stated the price of the two mags separately,  probably muddied the waters more I know could it be they were sold separately in the states at one time and then just amalgamated for the U.S editions

Edited May 1, 2023 by Shinehead

[Rick Scott]

I'm With You on that one and you can put your wellington boots on and  muddy the water on this subject as often as you like as i like you would like a diffinitive answer, 'uff said (for now Ha Ha)  

[Roburt]

Further to my post above in which I mentioned publications put together on US military bases in the UK telling GI's, etc. about visiting soul stars playing the bases, I found this on-live ...

During spring 1965, the Second Thoughts cut more unreleased tracks at RG Jones studio in Morden, near Wimbledon – the Wilbur Harrison classic “Let’s Get Together” and a second version of “Cocaine”.

They also started to play more widely across the Southeast. This included playing US airforce bases in Oxfordshire with Percy Sledge, John Lee Hooker and Jimmy James & The Vagabonds.

The Second Thoughts also made their first trip to Hamburg in (probably) 1965 to perform at the Star Club where they shared the bill with Rory Storm & The Hurricanes and Duane Eddy.

Back in England during April 65, the group was performing at Beat City (100 Club) on Oxford Street when the musicians were approached by French singer Teddy Raye, who wanted to hire a British backing group for a month initially in Madrid.

............  playing US airforce bases in Oxfordshire  .. most probably Upper Heyford.

[Rick Cooper]

On 01/05/2023 at 14:43, Rick Scott said:

I'm With You on that one and you can put your wellington boots on and  muddy the water on this subject as often as you like as i like you would like a diffinitive answer, 'uff said (for now Ha Ha)  

Rick

John Abbey is on Facebook and seems to post things fairly regularly, he may answer a question about this if you contact him.

I should think he could write a very worthwhile book as he was a major player for quite a few decades. 

[Rick Scott]

14 hours ago, Rick Cooper said:

John Abbey is on Facebook and seems to post things fairly regularly, he may answer a question about this if you contact him.

thank you for that but unfortunately i am not a face book member as i left it after being on it for a month or two and found it wasn't for me, maybe some one involved with this thread who is on face book would like to do that for us because he is the one person who would have all the answers, Thank You Rick for that, Very Grateful   

[Johndelve]

I'm coming to this one a little late, but I'm with "Stateside" 's earlier posting where he stated:

"I presume that B&S must have been distributed through S&S and Contempo had struck a deal with them to get access to the servicemen in Europe. Hence the 75 cent price tag. Just guessing now."

I think that is almost certainly the case and was a means of distributing the magazine to U.S. personnel over here at a reduced cost and /or to circumvent some sort of rules regulations in force at the time.   (Or maybe just to make sure that "B & S" included a little bit more info that would be of particular interest to servicemen/women over here. )  The front cover appellation, "Stars & Stripes",  stopped some time between the end of 1973 and the late summer of 1974.

In short, "Blues" and Soul" grew from an earlier publication of John Abbey's, "Home of The Blues", it did not evolve from a magazine called "Stars and Stripes", which, imo, did not ever exist.

 

 

 

[Rick Scott]

Many thanks Johndelve and  i have to admit i had forgotten about "Home Of The Blues" Well done that Man