murgs

Definitely qualify as one of the 'older guys' on here so here are my recollections of first seeing kicks & back drops on the dance floor. Between 1965 & 1967 we frequented a dance hall in Halifax we called Pailings after the owner (officially the Princecess Ballroom?). At that time it played mostly what now would be called Club Soul and attracted mod types, however presumably because a few years earlier it was a Rock & Roll venue a few Greasers hung around which caused a bit of tension! To appease the Teddy Boys the DJ played 2 or 3 records for them halfway through the night and they did kicks, back drops etc in the middle of the floor whilst the rest of us looked on in amazement, really bizarre thinking about it now. In my mind this is where this element of NS dancing comes from, nothing to do with Kung Fung at all. Towards the end of '67 the more uptempo records increased in popularity, no doubt influenced by Wheel attendees and essentially the dancing evolved from basic shuffling from one foot to the other to a faster more fluid 'floaty' style with spins (for those that could) and hand claps.

Thirty minutes to explain to the uninitiated what the last 45+ years of our scene is all about was a tall order. I reckon it was well put together and entertaining, hardly a 'waste of time' & 'pointless' considering what other stuff makes it on to the telly.

Thanks Crooky & Stevie T Got there eventually! It was called Clarence's in my time 67 - 69, prior to that Big Daddie's and later on The Good Mood or just Mood. Found this article on Plebs with references to Clarence's: freespace.virgin.net/julian.moseley/dreamland/jazzclub.htm Perfectly captures the scene.

Halifax was the place to be! From late 1965, me and best friend Dave Miller travelled upto 3 times a week from Huddersfield, which was a soul free zone at that time and never really was a soul 'hotbed'. Pailings, Plebs and the Vic Lounge were our introduction to the music that made you want to dance. Agree about the Juke Box in the Vic Lounge, never heard a better one, blew your mind when you compared it what was being played oon every other Juke Box! I think that the great stalwart of our scene, Graham Slater had a hand in what was played on it? There was another club around 1967 which I cannot remember the name of, it was in a yard and upstairs. A little bit more 'sophisticated', Little Carl Carlton, Archie Bell & Drells, Jose Feliciano & Ann Peebles are records I remember from there. Can anyone tell what the place was called please?

I'm always fascinated by recollections of these early years and how our scene developed being around at the time. The fact that soul music was thriving in similar venues up and down the country against all the odds was amazing. No or very little exposure on radio or TV, the mainstream pop being dominated by the Beatles et al, no internet and the lack of mobility of the average person. Still we knew when we heard those early records we just had to dance, never thought though that it could last a lifetime! There are many things that make this scene so special, our history being one, thanks for sharing your early memories. Murgs

Some amazing memories on here, Stevie Wonder in Nelson, talk about 'culture shock'! The US artists must have wondered what the hell was going on with these white kids so into their music, especially considering the political climate in the States at the time, all seems like a world away now. As for JJ Jackson, I read somewhere that he was actually recording stuff in the UK at this time, can anyone shed any light on how this came about and the who were the UK members of his band etc?

I recall seeing JJ Jackson perform in July or August 1967 in Bedford or Luton (it was a long time ago!), backed by 'The Greatest Little Soul Band in the Land' British musicians I believe. Got me wondering about other members recollections of U.S. Soul artists who performed over here, and who could claim to be the first?

Boogaloo Party - Flamingos Barefootin - Robert Parker Murgs

Didn't think so at the time but looking back it was the most unlikely place run by a very unlikely person. The Princess Ballroom Halifax, known to al as 'Pailings' was run by a lovely middle aged lady called Pearl Pailing. Started going there in 1965 and over the next 12 months I was exposed to what later was dubbed Northern. Arttists included Miracles, Isleys Four Tops, Temptations, Impressions, Darrell Banks, Homer Banks, Garnett Mimms, Mitch Ryder, Willie Mitchell plus Atlantic and some Ska. It was also a venue for live acts and amazingly as early as 1966 there was an excellent local band doing Temps and Impressions cover, can't for the life of me remember their name, does anyone out there remember them? Thankyou Pearl for introducing me to uptempo (northern) soul, never left me!

Hiya, yes the String of Beads certainly stands out as I was there for the allnighter when it was raided and closed down! Could probably check the date of that from newspaper archives, somone should start a database eg clubs, dates, dj's, records, owners, punters etc now there's a project for somone who doesn't get out much! Still it would make fascinating reading. Regret I never got to the Wheel in the 60's, so just had to make the pilgrimage last year. The only song I remember from Jimmy Cliff was King of Kings raw ska but must have liked it as a West Indian friend found a copy for me, Plebs was a fairly multi racial club, unusual back then. Cheers murg

Either Plebs, or possibly String of Beads (Bradford) same period 1967/1968. Plebs a mix of ska, r&b and soul, remember seeing Jimmy Cliff before he had chart success. String of Beads was more soul oriented not called NS back then but you could definately see the genre developing, remember Dobbie Gray The In Crowd and Tony Clarke The Entertainer. At this time the Vic Lounge in Halifax had the best Jukebox I ever heard, all soul amazing, Contours, Impressions, Bobby Hebb etc My first post, maybe I'm not the oldest bugger on here after all!