Greg Belson

Please join us tomorrow on dublab.com as we celebrate the 50th Edition of The Divine Chord Gospel Show.... So far we've broadcast over 1,000 tunes that have gone far too long without the due recognition the artists and their body of work deserves. It's amazing to reach such a landmark, so thanks so much to all that support our monthly offering. There's plenty more in store for the future, so keep 'em peeled. Showtime is 2pm US PST (10pm UK time)....check your e-dials and see you there!

This long weekends set of gigs looks like this....tonight, I'll be at The Ace Hotel in Shoreditch for the 'Diggers Dozen' session, set time at 8.30pm sharp. Heavy duty collectors, pulling out some of their big guns....so why not drop on by and see what makes it on the turntables. Guaranteed, the good stuff! Then Friday, I'm off to Zurich, Switzerland to join Herr Wempe for a crackin' night of soul rarities, gospel big hitters and whatever else we can squeeze in....dancefloor friendly, all night long.....then on Saturday, I'll be taking the hours journey to Lucerne to hook up with the Swiss Soul Club crew for more of the modern soul, gospel disco selections. Had such a great time in Switzerland last year, can't wait to get things crackin'.....and then Sunday, I'll be on Rinse FM 106.8 with the Horse Meat Disco fellows from 1pm til 3pm (UK)....I'll be their first ever guest on the show, so I'm extremely honored.....a bit of chat, and a whole lotta gospel disco for your ears. Phew.....see ya out and about!

What an absolutely glorious weekend of gigs.....over 12 hours on the road and around 700 miles under my belt, but man....was it all worth the drive! Saturday was my first gig back in Falmouth for ages......hard hitting R&B, and all that malarkey, with my fine friend and compadre Mr Dante Gabriel. An absolutely peachy kean session of the good stuff that didn't hold up, let loose, all of the above. The dancefloor was rammed tight all night, until we heated the place up so much, the fire alarm went off.....proper heaters, as promised. I salute you people of Falmouth....you sure can shake a tail feather! And then yesterday......the gospel disco box got it's next outing at the voluptuous Horse Meat Disco....thanks so much to James Hillard for inviting me to play a dose of the holy ghost at this pretty special venue. DJ'ing here is a DJ's dream....no drama's no attitudes, just people that wanna dance to good music, even if they haven't heard it before. An amazing night packed to the rafters and I'll look forward to coming back here time and again. A truly special 48 hours in this years calendar....check the tunes out below for just how different these two shows were. Loved every second! One from 'Make with the shake!'.......https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu3OEDo_MEs And my last tune at HMD on Sunday...... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A40PLZJIZ94

Have to say I'm seriously looking forward to this weekends schedule of events....why so? Well these two gigs back to back couldn't be any more different, and I know I'm gonna have just the most fun at both of 'em! Kicking of at 'Make with the shake' @ MONO in the fair town of Falmouth, breaking out the early 60's r&b movers and shakers. A chance to spin the heavy duty boppin' 45's of the jumpin' juke joint jivin' variety....DJ'ing alongside Mr Dante Gabriel, a fellow of great taste both in tunes and icey confections. A dandy night goin' on in the west country! Then Sunday, I'll be heading back to the Big Smoke where you can find me at The Eagle in Vauxhall, joining the Horse Meat Disco guys Luke & James. Absolutely LOVED playing here last year....100% gospel disco to a packed out dancefloor.....like a little NYC Downlow reunion in the heart of London.Really can't wait to get things cooking at these glorious nights so please join us....let's get sweaty, one more 'gin.

Originally broadcast via Dublab.com back on 23rd February 2012, here's the inaugural 45's of Fury show featuring your hosts Greg Belson & Andy Cobb, with special guest DJ Brian Poust. https://www.mixcloud.com/gregbelson/45s-of-fury-with-guest-dj-brian-poust/ 45's of Fury was borne out of a fairly infrequent club night in Los Angeles.....45's of the harder, rarer, more sought after variety....it just made sense to approach Dublab and turn it into a monthly broadcast, reaching their worldwide listenership with music they might now have heard before. The remit is simple - bring your heavy hitters, the tunes you love the most....your jewels of the playbox....the stars of the crown. Just make sure everything is played on original vinyl. No serato, no CD's, no comps. Original vinyl, as the recording artist intended, back in the day. Mr Poust contributes some huge artillery with a few locally discovered treasures that are so low on quantity found, he could well be the owner of the sole copy. A great mix of tunes....these are the 45's of Fury.

The extended weekend starts here, kicking things off tomorrow in London Town with the mighty Majestic Soul crew @ the Horse & Groom, EC2A. A righteous midweek session where the music is totally upfront.....one of those places where soul folk go to listen, dance and immerse themselves in music they might not have heard before. Loved playing this night last year, so let's do it all again!!

Our special guest for last months 45's of Fury broadcast, was our learned brother Mr Brian Waters. He's a native Angelino known for his multiple residencies around the city as well as his amazing radio show ‘Boogie Disease’ on Luxuria Music. Brian’s collection runs the gamut from hard hitting soul to titty shakers, R&B shufflers, oddball big band and anything that tweaks the synapses of his twisted dome. He has an ear for the obscure, which always makes for a treat when you hear his set….just cos you’re never quite sure what you’re gonna get. One thing’s f’sure……Mr. W delivers a mixed bag of goodies right here….check out these furious 45’s for something a little…….different. https://dublab.com/greg-belson-wguest-dj-brian-waters-45s-of-fury-07-22-15/ The Strangers ‘Caterpillar crawl’ (Titan)T.L. Clemons & Combo ‘Let’s jerk’ (Combo)George (Wild Child) Butler ‘Hold me baby’ (Jewel)Tony Middleton ‘Blackjack’ (Triumph)Lloyd Price ‘Hello little girl’ (KRC)Big Jay McNeely and his Orchestra ‘The Goof’ (Federal)Claude McLin and Combo ‘Ruff’ (Allegro)Aaron Neville ‘Over you’ (Minit)Little Richard ‘Baby, don’t you want a man like me’ (Modern)Bessie Banks ‘(You should have been a) Doctor’ (Spokane)Tony Borders ‘Pass the word’ (Hall)The Virtues ‘Guitar on the wild side’ (Virtue)What’s Happening ‘Hot buttered buns’ (Coreco)The Pazant Brothers ‘Toe jam’ (RCA Victor)Gunga Din ‘Crab cakes’ (Valise)The Rance Allen Singers ‘Let’s get together and love’ (Reflect)Jack Wood ‘So sad’ (Lawrence)XL5 Minus 1 ‘Harlem shuffle’ (Cove)The Explosions ‘I seem to be crying’ (Lu-Bet)Johnnie Morisette ‘Run’ (Bay-Tone)James Brown & the Famous Flames ‘Tell me that you love me’ (King)Buddy Guy ‘Crazy love’ (Chess)Big Jay McNeely & Band ‘Psycho serenade’ (Swingin’)The Quarter Notes ‘Punkanilla’ (RCA Victor)Timmie Rodgers & his Orchestra ‘Teedle dee teedle dum’ (Mercury)The Pacesetters ‘Ronnie’s beat’ (Wink)The Vowels ‘The Stretch’ (Lebam)

Lotsa fun last night with the Love Vinyl crew @ Shutterbug buried in the heart of East London.....great sharing the decks with Mr Jake Holloway.....the selections were indeed righteous, all night long. Interesting DJ dilemma to deal with too.....moving from outside to indoors, playing on the same decks.....a bit of jiggery pokery and the skills of the wylie coyote Sean Innit, meant the transition was smoother than a buttery Werther's hard boiled sweet. Much fun, killer music and some fine laughy tales shared too....loved it chaps, so thanks for having me play alongside ya ;)

Here's the runners and riders for this weekends schedule of events....kicking off with a return visit to Hastings' new up and coming night spot....brand new management and a brand new music policy, so I'll be entertaining the troops at The General Havelock, Hastings. from 8pm til 12 midnight. Soul rarities along with a few classics, a sprinkling of R&B and a smattering of funk for your dancing consideration. Then Saturday night, I'll be joining the righteous Love Vinyl crew at Shutterbug, London E1 for some major league modern soul & gospel disco.....a healthy dose of the holy ghost too.....sharing the turntables with veteran digger Jake Holloway for this one, so expect some heavy selections. And then Sunday at 11am UK GMT, I'll be saddling up to Thierry J Cochet aka Dr Kruger for a 'House Call' on NTS Live Radio.....streaming to your homes via the glorious interwebs. See you fine folk out and about, or via your listening device!

Yesterday's gig at the Somersault Festival was one that will go down in the Belson memory banks for years....proper crazy.....after getting home from Second City Soul at 6am, I had to be out the door and heading to North Devon by 12 midday. 6 hours later (I'm looking at you, the wretched hive of scum and villainy that is the M25), I was greeted by a mudfest of epic proportions. The rain eased off whilst I got on site, and I was delivered to the field which was gonna be our office for the night. I decided well, it's Sunday, time to let loose the gospel disco. However....show time came along, and the heavens decided to open. Initially a bit of a slow starter, the crowd began building, my buddy Wrongtom joined me in warming up the crowd, for the imminent arrival of the headliner act, Norman Jay MBE. 11pm came and went, and still no sign of Norman.....the crew had lost Mr Jay....or he'd gone home....or disappeared into the forest. Ha!! So there we were, in front of 600 or soaking wet, drenched party people, giving them a show....and man, were they up for it. Under the backdrop of a beautifully lit vintage bridge, a small part of rain-soden North Devon, got down with us.....all a bit special, truth be told.....Norman Jay, not required.....just give the Dynamic Duo of WrongT and myself a call! ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOr33dMxwHc

What a crazy coupla days over the weekend.....great times indeed!! Kicking things off at the Second City Soul club on Saturday night. I had an absolute ball DJ'ing here. The calibre of tunes floating through the speakers, gave me the chance to play some records I've been dying to pull outta the bag. Great to share the decks with Sean Haydon in an impromptu spot of 'one on, one off'....his playing of the exquisite Antonio Castro 'W.E.L.F.A.R.E', was the catalyst for me to play a tune I've been itching to spin....just waiting for the right moment. Check the dropbox clip for a snippet of the Hightones 'Glad to be here'....thanks so much to Mark and Kevin for inviting me along. Great night, really. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/87406486/Hightones - Glad to be here.mp3

Huh....I didn't have my copy of the Clara to hand, so a quick look online for a scan of the artwork, and yeah, writing credits to Messrs Newley & Bricusse.....excellent.....hadn't clocked that before. Cheers for the education ;) I think the Capree is a working of it to a certain point....like a lot of gospel tunes, borrowing licks, verses, choruses etc.

Cheers for the post....just checking in though....could you possibly be thinking of 'Lord, don't move the mountain', which was covered by a stack of showtime artists....different tune entirely to 'Gonna move a mountain'

Here's the 49th installment of The Divine Chord Gospel Show which appears monthly on dublab.com, broadcast on 22nd July 2015. https://www.mixcloud.com/gregbelson/divine-chord-gospel-show-pt-49-glastonbury-festival-gospel-disco-recap/ This month, we roll back the clocks to just 4 weeks ago, when the clubbing wonder that is the NYC Downlow stage in the Block 9 @ Glastonbury Festival, hosted another stellar weekend of fantastic music. Kicking off the whole session was a healthy offering of primetime gospel disco, designed to get your feet moving and your heart rate jumping, whilst reaching out for a dose of the holy ghost. A selection of tunes that work the dancefloor, from rare underground movers to hands-in-the-air gospelized cover versions. Once again, in a small part of the world called Pilton, the Downlow proved that there's no other place quite like it......all played on one of the best sound systems a DJ can ever hope to perform on. Such an amazing session! Feel free to join the facebook group 'The Divine Chord Gospel Show'!

Here's the mixcloud archived link for the Divine Chord Gospel Show pt. 49, the Glastonbury Gospel Disco Recap session...100% bonafide dancefloor killers, for your consideration! Dive in and put a lil' shake & vac down on your carpet.....electric glide the day away ;) https://www.mixcloud.com/gregbelson/divine-chord-gospel-show-pt-49-glastonbury-festival-gospel-disco-recap/

Thanks so much to those that tuned in live to The Divine Chord Gospel Show pt. 49, the Glastonbury Festival Block 9 Disco Recap. An uninterrupted mix of tunes that had a packed out and sweaty NYC Downlow reaching out for a dose of the holy ghost. Here's the tracklisting.....the archived mixcloud link will be available shortly. Cheers! Divine Chord Gospel Show pt. 49 Glastonbury Festival Block 9 Disco Recap 2015 The Sims Sisters ‘Keep trusting in the Lord’ (Simcob) The Sensational Williams Brothers ‘Sunday’ (Savoy) California Flight Project ‘God gifted’ (PPD) Passage ‘Power’ (A&M) Laura Lee ‘I’ll fly away’ (Myrrh) Macedonia Singers of Albany, Louisiana ‘You can’t hurry God’ (Chapel) Moments of Faith Singers ‘Lord you’ve been good to me’ (Harmony Missionary Baptist Church) Don Degrate Delegation ‘He’s somebody to me’ (Avi) Willie Neal Johnson and the Gospel Keynotes ‘Ain’t no stopping us now’ (Nashboro) The Lady Lois Snead ‘I found out what you mean to me’ (Savoy) Brockington Singers ‘Stretch out’ (TSOP) The Clark Sisters ‘Everything’s gonna be alright’ (Sound of Gospel) Genobia Jeter ‘Call on Jesus’ (Savoy) The Golden Wings of Atlanta, Georgia ‘Jesus changed me’ (Meltone) The Meadowlarks ‘Bible’ (Nasha)

Here are this weekends slew of soulful events, where you can catch me terrorizing the one's and two's.....starting off playing alongside my learned friend Wrongtom @ The Secret Garden Party tomorrow, Grange Farm, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, PE28 2PH....we'll be headliner closing the Chai Wallahs stage on Thursday 23rd July, bringing a widespread selection of hard soul, dancefloor funk, and Tom's inimitable skankin' boss reggae. Then it's off to Second City Soul and an opportunity to break out the rare 45's once again......deep selections, primetime dancefloor 60's soul....you know the score. Be weary of the venue change for SCS....now being held at Walsall Wood FC, Lichfield Rd, Walsall. Then it's back in the saddle with Wrongtom again, as we weave our way to the Somersault Festival in Castle Hill, North Devon. Catch us DJ'ing on Sunday 26th July, warming up for the one and only Norman Jay MBE. Party tunes....many hands in the air-type stuff. Smashin'!

Please join me on dublab.com, Wednesday 22nd July @ 2pm US PST (10pm UK time), for the next installment of the Divine Chord Gospel Show pt. 49.http://dublab.com/Fresh back from the wonder that is the NYC Downlow located at the Block 9 field at this years Glastonbury Festival, and man, what another incredible session! This show is dedicated to some of the tracks that kicked the whole weekend off, playing nothing but 100% gospel disco to 2,000 or so happy, smilin', hot and sweaty clubbers. Once again, this will be my landmark gig of the year, so please tune in for an interrupted dose of the holy ghost, brought to you from West LA to the West Country of the UK.If you missed the last 'soundclash' show featuring my special guest DJ Aaron Bushman, here's the archived mixcloud link; https://www.mixcloud.com/gregbelson/divine-chord-gospel-show-pt-48-with-guest-dj-aaron-bushman/ Also, please feel free to explore and subscribe to our youtube channel featuring some of the choicest 45's to be played on the show. We've just surpassed our 200th video, so please check it out and subscribe here; http://www.youtube.com/user/DivineChordGospel/videos?flow=grid&view=0 Thanks everyone and see you there!

Finally managing to gather my thoughts after what was a stunning Soul Funk-tion gathering last Saturday. I was still feeling a little under the weather, so had every intention of getting home after my set.....oh how wrong was I......I crossed the SF line at 9pm and waddled out at 6am, after being blessed with some of the most forward thinking music to be played in one night. Marvelous sets from all the DJ's involved.....stepping behind the decks just brought it on home how up for it you lot really are. Mr Haydon insisted on me breaking out a mahoosive gun or two, which was when my tempo's peaked.....really hard-as-nails aggro soul, which blew out a few cobwebs, then it was back to the serious business of the rarities. I think we might well have found our new Sacred Four too.....Rance Allen, stand up! Thanks to Southside and Sean for the invite to play for you guys.....see you lovely people again sometime soon! One for the ages.

This weekends worth of gigs looks a little like this....tonight in Dalston Kingsland, East London, I'll be pulling out the righteous gospel disco beats at this smashin' event to raise awareness in Nepal. Lookin' forward to dropping the dancefloor beats at this great venue.....set time is around 10.30pm....get there early, find your space on the floor.....and I'll see you there! Then tomorrow, I'm Birmingham bound for the wonder that is Soul Funk-tion pt. 12. One of those gigs that it's a complete honor to be asked to play at....widely known on the underground circuit as at the forefront of cutting edge underplayed and freshly discovered 45's that others elsewhere might latch on to several years down the line. Legends are made at this venue, and tomorrow night has an all star stellar cast assembled for your dancing pleasure. Proper.

Please join me on dublab.com, Wednesday 22nd July @ 2pm US PST (10pm UK time), for the next installment of the Divine Chord Gospel Show pt. 49.https://dublab.com/Fresh back from the wonder that is the NYC Downlow located at the Block 9 field at this years Glastonbury Festival, and man, what another incredible session! This show is dedicated to some of the tracks that kicked the whole weekend off, playing nothing but 100% gospel disco to 2,000 or so happy, smilin', hot and sweaty clubbers. Once again, this will be my landmark gig of the year, so please tune in for an interrupted dose of the holy ghost, brought to you from West LA to the West Country of the UK.If you missed the last 'soundclash' show featuring my special guest DJ Aaron Bushman, here's the archived mixcloud link; https://www.mixcloud.com/gregbelson/divine-chord-gospel-show-pt-48-with-guest-dj-aaron-bushman/ Also, please feel free to explore and subscribe to our youtube channel featuring some of the choicest 45's to be played on the show. We've just surpassed our 200th video, so please check it out and subscribe here; https://www.youtube.com/user/DivineChordGospel/videos?flow=grid&view=0 Thanks everyone and see you there!

So quite frankly, I'm still in recovery mode from last nights gig....and not just the coughing and spluttering stuff, on my part. Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens hit it squarely out of the park, delivering a bounteous set of classic funk cuts, a couple of inspired cover versions and of course, their own great material. The show started with a minor hiccup, with Naomi finding the onstage entrance a tad difficult for her ailing leg....but not to worry....she called for her wheelchair, and performed the whole show sat right there in front of the audience, like royalty seated resplendent on a throne. In a bizarre twist, it almost gave the night a whole new meaning....I for one, had a tear tumble down my cheek when her wonderous voice hit time and again those magical, gritty, down home notes that only a seasoned vocalist can reach. None more so than when she unleashed a monstrous version of Sam Cooke's 'A change is gonna come'....a tune that resonates hard to this day....Naomi delivered it with such eloquence and an underlying layer of angst, pleading for a change to come....it was the defining moment, that right there for me, was the gig in a nutshell. Everything else, was a bonus. The Gospel Queens themselves are truly a nod to how the Daptone organization are so revered. A perfect compliment that other labels might overlook....it's not just about the lead vocalist, it's about the complete package. We're lucky to have such a marvelous resource at Daptone....littered with jewels and gems of pure quality. And last night, Naomi Shelton's light shone so bright. It was an absolute privilege to be there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jviZ66DccJo

London Town....are you ready? Tonight, quite simply one of the gigs of the year. At 7pm sharp, I'll be guiding you through 2 hours of top shelf gospel soul and funk 45's....y'know....the GOOD stuff. Then at 9pm, Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens will take to the stage, delivering their unique blend of soulful euphoria....an education in spiritual soul and mindful messages. A word to the wise....this will be one for the books!