Roburt

More info on the 2 radio stns above ... In May 1963, WPOM became WRBD ("Radio Broward") with studios on Rock Island Road in Tamarac, Florida. Four months later, WRBD became the first radio station in Broward County oriented to the local Black community, featuring south Florida radio legends like Joe Fisher, "The Crown Prince" and "The Mad Hatter". WRBD's Radio Broward designation turned into "Rockin' Big Daddy" as the format changed. A similarly formatted FM sister station, the primarily automated WRBD -FM 102.7, launched in December 1969; it became WCKO in 1971 and remained Black-oriented for much of the 1970s. The 2 Lauderdale Int 45's were released in 1975, Joey Gilmore providing lead vocals on both. I would guess the radio stn took / sent copies of both to their near neighbour, the radio stn. Whether either got plays on the stn/s I don't know. Of course, Joey Gilmore enjoyed a long recording career that stretched from 1971 right thru to Y2K. His Saadia 45's being very popular. He was also an 'ever present' on the local south Florida live show scene.

I mentioned that soul radio stn on an old SS thread ... Why Did 60's Soul Strongholds Implode in 70s ? //www.soul-source.co.uk/forums/topic/350399-why-did-60s-soul-strongholds-implode-in-70s/#comment-100061322 The local radio stn I mentioned was WCKO / WRBD which was located in Ft Lauderdale. WCKO radio stn was based out of Pompano Beach in Fort Lauderdale, it grew out of stn WRBD which had been going strong from the early 60's till 1972. So it's likely the WRBD / WCKO DJ's would head south after their radio shift to meet up with other Miami black radio DJ's & local celebs at clubs in Overtown, Miami. Overtown (the black area of Miami) was just about destroyed by the new freeway system constructed to reach downtown Miami from the north. With most of the housing in the area swept away, the clubs (that weren't also demolished) had few local clients and so soon shut down. The radio stn also seemed to suffer as it lost some of it's listeners. Lots of changes occurred in the US black radio system in the 70's. Big companies bought out the local ownerships & changed format policies. DJ's were sacked & plays of 45's from local indie labels began to dry up. On top of that of course, disco took over from soul, so play policies also changed due to that. The Lauderdale Int label was located between the I-95 highway & the Florida Turnpike, the 2 freeways that caused the devastation in Overtown. But the label's location was far enough north to escape the wholesale demolition that occurred south of Ft Lauderdale (& it was just far enough away from the I-95 to remain in place). The radio stn WCKO was based just over 4 miles to the north of the record label (so was even closer to our Florida home). I looked once but couldn't find the radio stn building (the roads in the area have changed a lot). It seems it's still there though (but looks to be out of use). It's right next to the Florida Turnpike freeway, so was lucky to escape demolition. It looks like the kind of place to have housed a radio stn.

I'll see your first blue & raise you one ... This record company was based in north Ft Lauderdale about 5 miles sth east of our Florida house. I seem to recall a local radio stn was also based in this area back in the 60's / 70's (long gone now). It looks like a simple small office & lock-up garage affair. No doubt just had a desk + a telephone & the stock was kept in the garage area.

Glad we're all friends on here. Though with statements like yours, it's difficult to realise that fact at times.

I have the Lunar-2 single. Took me ages to get a copy though. I'm somewhat disappointed in it. It's an uptempo dance track (the original song A side that is -- the B side is a cover of a pop song). Knowing that the two vocalists are black guys, their vocals come across as more like the vocals by the Searchers than by the Drifters or Coasters (the Searchers having had hits with covers of songs originally cut by those 2 groups). I guess it could have gotten spins @ the Casino in the mid 70's, when pop-ish items you could dance to were popular there. On today's NS scene, I don't think it would get any action. Still a nice item to add to my extensive collection even though the vocals aren't that soulful -- but glad I didn't pay anything like the recent going rate for this 45.

Why are so many of your posts so negative ?

The Scots of St James 45 released on Spot. Their earlier efforts were more soulful, but (like many other UK groups) they were transitioning away from a R&B type sound in 1967. The group would take on a new name (Hopscotch) shortly afterwards. They were still taking bookings at English soul clubs though (Nite Owl, Place, Tofts, Whisky A GoGo, Il Rondo, etc) .... The group's lead singer (Jimmy Oakley) made a solo 45 in 1968 ("Little Girl") which many class as a UK soul recording ...

The Tan-geers visit to WWIN's studio a while earlier didn't seem to have much of a lasting effect ... The group's Scepter 45 "This Empty Place" would have featured on the stn's chart in December 69 if it had ... WWIN didn't seem to give this Scepter outing any push at all ... (though they did seem to get behind singles put out by the Masqueraders). 2 Brits in their top 4 seems a bit off though.

WWIN was a top station back then ... & Al Jefferson was their top 'daytime' jock.

More on Ryemuse's office / studio set up in Sth Molton St, Mayfair. Spot Studios or Ryemuse Studios, was a recording studio in London, England, located in Mayfair from the 1960s to 1980. It was renamed Mayfair Recording Studios in 1974. In the early years, the studio was owned by Ryemuse Ltd and operated under the name Spot Studios. It was located at 64 South Molton Street in Mayfair, above a chemist's shop. John Hudson worked there as the chief engineer, having joined the company from BBC Television. At BBC Television he was involved in presentation, broadcasting live sound for programmes such as 'Colour Me Pop' and 'Match of the Day'. Throughout the early 1970s Hudson served as the engineer for numerous hit records produced at the studios. The studio was renamed from Spot to Mayfair in 1974. In 1977, John Hudson and his wife Kate took over the management of the studio. They bought the company in 1979. In 1980, they found a new site in Sharpleshall Street, Primrose Hill, to where they relocated the studio as the property in South Molton Street was to be sold. The likes of the Drifters, Gene Farrow, Cream, Gary Glitter & more used the studio in Sth Molton St.

A track off the Alexis Korner album ...

The Patsy & the Raybell Orch 45 ... this 45 also pressed up in Wales (Newport ?). anyone got a copy ?

It's suggested elsewhere on the net that the Spot label which the Scots of St James recorded on is an entirely different outfit to the Lunar-2 label. However, the Alexis Korner LP has the same label design as that on the Lunar-2's 45 and the sleeve of the Alex Korner LP states the labels address as 64 Molton St. The Scots of St. James publicity photo also states Spot Recs of 64 Molton St (also sometimes called South Moulton St). So Obviously the label is the same for all 3 releases. The label design for the Trojans EP is different again. A pic of one of the Lunar-2's UK backing groups (the Late) signing a joint contract with the duo ...

Spot Records were part of the Ryemuse Productions set-up. A weird outfit who mainly released church organ music & military band stuff. Though they did put out a 45 by Scots of St. James (members of who would later form the AWB) + the Glen Athens & the Trojans EP and an album by Alexis Korner Blues Inc. little else of interest to us on here exists. In addition to those 3 releases, a 45 from the Lunar-2 -- "Get It, Take It" was also released by Spot. There must have been a few copies of this around back in the day, as it was made available in both solid centre & push-out centre versions. Spot was releasing stuff from 1965 to 67. Ryemuse / Spot had an office / studio on a very posh street in Mayfair, London. The building now houses a very upmarket fashion shop (Sartorria Rossi). I have researched the Lunar-2. They were a duo who were always advertised as being from the US but they weren't. Their 45 was actually pressed up in Newport, Sth Wales, which led me (erroneously) to assume they were originally from Tiger Bay, Cardiff. They weren't even British though, but the two backing bands they performed with (over a 3 year period) were. They got to play live gigs in most of London's top soul club of the time -- the Whisky A GoGo, Uppercut, New All Star Club + @ the Starlight Ballroom Crawley, Gliderdrome, Boston, etc etc. The Spot 45 was the only thing they had released in the UK. The duo were active on the UK music scene from 65 to 69. One of the Lunar-2 cut a solo 45 in 1970 which was released in Spain. My research points to the Lunar-2 giving up on their UK music career in 1969, when it is suggested they both returned to their native Bahamas. Their UK 45 contained an original song which was written by Cartwright, Wallace & Jones with Morgan Jones being the tracks arranger. That makes me assume that the Lunar-2 were Amiel (Eric) Cartwright & Bill Wallace. The 1970 Spanish solo 45 was by Eric Cartwright. . . . . Below is a montage of pictures of the two acts ... make up your own minds ... There seems to be another 45 on Spot which JUST MAY be of interest to us ... again it was pressed up in Wales but apart from that I know nothing at all about the group or their songs ... Patsy And The Raybell Orchestra -- I'm Glad I'm Me. Anyone have any idea if this is a pop / mod / soulie sounding effort ? Much later on , Ryemuse seemed to return as a reissue outfit (lots of CD's of 60's stuff). Can anyone here shed more light on this outfit or the group Lunar-2 ?

Billy singing a Mojo anthem ...

1964 and UK R&B was still to the fore .... as can be seen from this group's booking's schedule ... it's amazing how many of their gigs were local fan organised events in local council / public buildings. Very few were in Mecca / Top Rank ballroom type venues.

Bobby was never BLAND ...

RE: Ultimately, due to perceived? drug abuse, there was an air of inevitability about the club's closure. Lots of Motown played @ the club ... BUT THEN, Motown had been in on the scene since early 64 ... (think Kegsy designed the ad for BG) .... 🤣

My obsession with Call On Me is due to the fact it's the only real TWISTED WHEEL ONLY track that stuck with me on my first few visits to the club between mid October 67 & early 68 (apart from 30th December when we arrived too late to get in & had to go to the Majestic). It struck me as odd that Bobby Bland was a major artist at the Wheel (play wise) & not at too many other 65 yo 68 UK soul clubs ... YET he's not mentioned once in the quoted section of the '6 Whitworth St Manchester' book that commenced this thread. In addition, CALL ON ME is my fave Bobby Bland track. Is that OK with you or do you have more to say on the matter.

They also do a variation on that, especially for RS .... bALDI ..... BALDI ....

Not 100% soul related .... the first protests against the-Vietnam War started around 1965 and quickly grew over the following 3 years. Many blacks were drafted & sent overseas to fight. They took their music with them & soon soul songs started to be written about Johnny / Jodie being shipped off to fight or about the ladies left back home. Nina Simone also got in on the act, with an anti-Vietnam war song. Of course, Norman Whitfield wrote "War" & had it recorded in 1970. Anyway, as youth around the world turned against the war, their protests spawned lots of spin-off stuff. Lots of anti-war badges (metal & embroidered) were on sale. Some lads on the UK soul scene got hold of the most famous style of these badges & sowed them onto tops (T-shirts, vests, jumpers). I was one who did ... The badge usually used ...

A QUESTION ..... Roger Eagle quit DJing at the Wheel in 66. With him gone, his R&B influence began to slip away. But my 1st visit to the Wheel wasn't until September 67, long after he'd left. The 1st WHEEL SOUND (a record I hadn't heard being played in Donny, Hull, Brid, Cleggy soul clubs or @ the Mojo or Nite Owl) was Bobby Bland's "Call On Me" (+ the tuva side of that 45). Roger Eagle had been the guy to push Bobby Bland tracks @ the Wheel .... so was "CALL ON ME" too popular to drop from the playlist even after he'd quit ?? (I recall it being played a lot @ the Wheel in 67 & 68 -- it prompted me to chase a copy. I soon realised it wasn't on 45 in the UK, so ordered a copy from Randy's Records). With him gone, which DJ kept spinning the track ?

UPDATE ON ABOVE ..... no musician has been more researched over time than Jimi Hendrix .... so I decided to check one of the many net based sites on him ... IT STATES ... Following their performance at the New Century Hall, Manchester, the Jimi Hendrix Experience visit the Twisted Wheel Club on Brazennose Street .... ... Obviously the Brazenose Street address is wrong for 1967, but the rest is correct ... The New Century Hall must have been opposition (of sorts) to the Wheel's normal evening sessions as the venue hosted shows by the likes of the Fabulous Platters, Fabulous Temptations, Isley Brothers (fake version), Lee Dorsey, Ike & Tina Turner, Drifters, Geno Washington &RJB, Edwin Starr, Inez & Charlie Foxx, etc. That said, the NCH as a venue was a lot more like the Casino (large dance hall room) than the Wheel (a cellar club).

MORE INPUT FROM ME I'M AFRAID .... RE: One person, in particular, to take advantage of this was Brian '45' Phillips, who was responsible for introducing more rare imports to the club than any other DJ. Phil Saxe, with record collector Rob Bellars, also played a part by introducing amongst others: Jackie Lee, 'Darkest Days' (a Carl Woodroffe discovery); Sandy Sheldon, 'I'm Gonna Make You Love Me'; Gene Chandler, 'There Was a Time' (also by James Brown); Joy Lovejoy, 'In Orbit'; Larry Williams and Johnny Watson, 'Too Late' (Two For The Price Of One LP) and The Isley Brothers, 'Tell Me It's Just a Rumour' (Soul on The Rocks LP). Live artists were an important feature of the Wheel's format. Numerous Black artists appeared at the Whitworth Street, Saturday all-nighters ... ..... In 1967 'new' Soul acts were introduced with The Spellbinders, Alvin Cash & The Crawlers, Mary Wells, Junior Walker and the Vibrations. In 1968 Robert Parker, JJ Jackson, James and Bobby Purify, Ike and Tina Turner, The lkettes, Clyde McPhatter, Oscar Toney Junior, The Showstoppers, and Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon. Similarly in 1969 Billy Stewart, Marv Johnson, The Platters, I don't recall "In Orbit" being played @ the Wheel in the mid to late 60's (doesn't mean it wasn't though). Lots of copies of that US Checker 45 (issued in America around Nov 67) came into the UK via B&S / Contempo at the start of the 1970's. My 1st visit to the Wheel was on 14th October 67 to see Jnr Walker live (the Mojo had been closed down after 8th Sept 67). My next trip to the Wheel was on 25th Nov 67 (to see Ben E King), each Saturday between being spent @ the Nite Owl's nighter in Leicester (that club closed down after 2nd December niter -- Eddie Floyd). My 1st trip to a Nite Owl niter having taken place on 27th May 67. After 25th Nov 67, the Wheel became my niter of choice (the Mojo & Nite Owl being closed). I went over to Manchester most weekends, by car or by train (via Sheffield Victoria). The 1st record I heard at the Wheel that really hit me hard was Bobby Bland's "Call On Me" (no UK 45 release but a US 45 from late 1962). Both sides of that Duke 45 getting regular spins @ the Wheel, even in 67 & 68. Bobby Bland 45's were big at the Wheel. Lots of his bluesy stuff was played, I don't recall much (if any) Bobby Bland being played at the Mojo. With regard to live acts @ the Wheel (+ Mojo & Nite Owl). Alvin Cash recorded (back in Chicago) with an outfit dubbed the Registers, they were actually the One-Derful studio band. They didn't tour with Alvin, his brothers (dancers) did and they were known as the Crawlers. Alvin & the Crawlers being primarily dancers, had a great stage show -- Alvin Cash & the Crawlers had been on @ the Mojo niter on 7th Jan 67 (think Jimi Hendrix was on @ the Wheel that night). Roy Tempest started to bring his 'fake groups' over from September 67 (Temptations, Marvelettes, Isley Brothers, etc). Saw the Vibrations (the real group) @ the Wheel on 16th Dec 67. They had a dynamic stage act, lots of great dance moves (which inspired those watching that night to imitate some of their athletic moves). Moving on to other groups that played the Wheel; the Fabulous Platters were a Roy Tempest 'fake group' who toured the UK in 68 & 69 (they played the Wheel on 15th November 1969, billed just as the Platters). This group were really the Laddins aka the Steinways (though Frankie Gearing had left the group to form the Glories ahead of their 1st trip to the UK back in April 68).

RE: There is certainly evidence to suggest that The Wheel was setting the trend. Eagle was quoted as saying that Peter Stringfellow, manager/DJ of Sheffield's well regarded R&B club, King Mojo, brought a pen and paper with him when he came to The Wheel to write down the artists' details and song titles to buy the same records to play at the Mojo. I am not too sure that is totally correct. Pete Stringfellow started his 1st Sheffield Beat Club (the BLACK CAT) in 1962. However, the very first 60's style music club in the city was CLUB 60 that was opened in 1960. This started out as a jazz venue but soon started hosting R&R bands on certain nights. From R&R it quickly moved on the blues + R&B music. The likes of the Yardbirds, John Mayall, Graham Bond, Zoot Money Joe Cocker, Dave Berry + R & B giants John Lee Hooker and Sonny Boy Williamson played the ESQUIRE CLUB (as it had become). This establishment was Stringers first main opposition. However, Pete booked the Beatles to play his venue just before they had their 1st big hit. He got them for a small booking fee but by the time they were due to play in his Sheffield club (which was located in St Aidan's Church Hall), the group were massive with "Please, Please Me". His venue couldn't manage the numbers of fans who wanted tickets (to their credit, the Beatles played for their original booking fee). So Stringers booked the Azena Ballroom for the night (2nd April 63) & he made a killing. He used the cash to open a new club (the BLUE MOON -- again based in a church hall)) and started booking more nationally known pop acts. But he wanted his own place & so purchased a building in Pitsmoor (north Sheffield) early in 1964 and christened it the MOJO CLUB. He always had a high opinion of his abilities & so when a new TV pop show hit the screens, he approached the team running it, to volunteer his services. The TV show was READY, STEADY, GO and they took Pete on to run the studio dance floor. RSG had commenced in August 63 but by the end of that year, it was moving more into R&B music, both that made by UK groups as well as that from US soul acts. I'm unsure of when Pete first worked on the TV show but it must have been late in 63 or early in 64. When down in London for RSG, he'd go to a club called La Discotheque on Wardour St. It seems this had opened in 1961 and was a venue that just played records (no live acts). By 63/64/65 the music you could hear there included James Brown 'Night Train', Betty Everett 'Getting Mighty Crowded', The Impressions 'You Been Cheating', Otis R 'Mr.Pitiful' and Wilson Pickett's 'In The Midnight Hour'. Pete took the idea of an all-discs night back to the Mojo and ran such sessions each Tuesday. They took off and helped establish his new club & funded the booking of big acts on weekends. There was a lot of rivalry in Sheffield between the Mojo crowd & the Esquire crowd. If Pete booked a R&B , mod or soul act, the Esquire crowd would go see them play the Wheel, rather than go to the Mojo. But Pete's club was soon more popular than the Esquire, with the Small Faces playing their 1st gig outside London at the Mojo. He also booked the likes of the Who, Geno Washington, Jimmy James & Vags, He could get as many tickets for RSG as he wanted & would invite Mojo regulars to take a coach down to London to b e on the show (it was a Mojo lad who coined the show's catchphrase THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE). Pete would pick up on new 45's, new US acts while down with the RSG team and was soon booking the likes of Wilson Pickett (backed by Reg Dwight's Bluesology), Stevie Wonder, Ike and Tina Turner, Edwin Starr's (Edwin's 1st UK gig was @ the Mojo) and Don Covay & The Goodtimers. One of Jimi Hendrix's 1st UK gigs after "Hey Joe" was released here was @ the Mojo. Pete would get to hear lots of new US soul releases whilst with the RSG team or when in London record shops & clubs. There were also local soul fans in Sheffield who were cultivating US contacts back in the mid 60's & would pass good US soul dance 45's onto Pete. Pete went from being a pop music fan to a soul fan, he wasn't really into blues stuff (that was more of an Esquire Club thing). I don't recall any Bobby Bland tracks being big @ the Mojo (that doesn't mean none were, just that I don't remember any being Mojo biggies). So to say Pete Stringfellow got his musical direction from the Wheel is a bit off IMHO. He may have visited the 1st Wheel club to see what was popular there (ahead of the Mojo opening), but by 1964, his musical focus was definitely on what was popular with London clubbers.