Scallybob

Russ' s Records was in Hallgate, not Market Street. He used to have a stall on Wigan Market before that and he also did mail order from his Mum's in Baytree Avenue. The shop was on the first floor and there was a door near where the Army Careers office is now. On Hallgate it's opposite Mr. Chips (cafe recommended by the way!) and the bolts that secured the sign that protruded into the street are still on the wall. Pemps was just down from there towards the Santus factory where they make Uncle Joe's Mint Balls. If you can take the blinkers off ask anyone over 30 in Wigan and they all loved Pemps. Most of the music (but not all) in there reflected Wigan's heritage as a soul town. It was always a good laugh. Sadly it closed about 18 months or so ago.

Not necessarily chart Motown but well-known Motown or "Club" soul always has a place. I love it when a DJ just throws in a well-known tune from nowhere: Terry Davies used to do it a lot. A good Northern tune is a good Northern tune-it's what's in the groove that counts. I think someone else said that once!

What about standing about too embarrassed to dance because some of us know how ridiculous we look? I wish I could dance, but I'm a Dad dancer no matter how hard I try. I was even when I was 19!

If you intend to DJ on the Rare Soul scene then there is no choice, it has to be an original. Well there is a choice actually, you could buy a good record for £70 instead. If you only want to listen at home just download it from some site or other for free-the artist and publishers will get the same in royalties as they would if you buy a boot.

https://news.independent.co.uk/people/obitu...icle2646295.ece I got a British CBS demo on Wigan Market for 25p and sold it to Dave Withers. Possibly my best-ever bit of luck! I see she was a Scouser as well. Hope she was a Red and not a Blue!

It was Frank Wilson of course. And everyone who deliberately stayed away from Wigan All Nighters decided that even if Frank himself walked up and gave them a genuine original they would say no because it's a handbag record and not as good as the soulpack stuff that passes for Northern Soul these days. I wonder how many full-time Wigan critics actually set foot in the place? If they only went once they can't really comment and if they went regularly why did they bother if they didn't like it?

Are you DJing or just sticking a few records on? If you're DJing how can you know now what you will play? A DJ reads the mood of the crowd and plays accordingly. You can shape the crowd a bit by smoothly moving from one type of record to another. Then they get confidence in you and give you a bit of an opportunity to do your own thing.

DJ's who never play anything other than what they'd decided to play before they set off from home. Some play the same spot over and over, with the odd exception tune thrown in. Alleged DJ's who think it's clever to play some CD/boot/Sevens of a big record in the full knowledge that somebody playing later will have to keep their expensive original in the box. The fact that there are too many venues meaning that clowns who spend fifty quid on a few bootlegs think they are qualified to be DJ's.

Just been in the new Grand Arcade and had a look at the Casino Cafe. Nice that the venue is recognised but if they were going to put scans of records up as a big mural you'd reckon they would be originals, not boots like the Lou Pride.

I sold at the top of the market. All my British demos went: Alexander Patton, Incredibles, about 60 TMG red and whites, Donald Height and loads of other London stuff. I made nearly £3,000. It was a lot of money in 1979.

Behind A Painted Smile-Isleys. Not only my first Motown record but also the first record I ever bought.

It was in the charts. Any file sharing site is bound to have it on-don't know what it's called but it's a clear copy, as blatant as Paul Weller copying "Tears".

I reckon it's not the Chandlers but that Charlotte Church thing that's a blatant copy of the backing.

For me the sound of Detroit has Mike Terry on it. Where to start with his tunes? If I can work out how to do it I'll post the show me and Steve Connor did on Richard Searling's Jazz FM programme.