Hooker1951

Yes I’ve spoke to Pete who is spearheading the campaign to get Tony,s up and running again and to get it the recognition it full y deserves it was a little Gem in the middle of Blackburn in which a great many people over a great many years found happiness, Northern Soulies included , Good luck with their venture and if they are successful maybe we could put on a Retro MYL all nighter there for all our past patrons and for those who didn’t get the chance to visit it in its prime KR Mick Lyons

Hi Vivien I think Tommy performed at Wigan a few times between 75 to 80 he used to do a spot at the Riverside club Central Park RLFC which at the time was owned by Gerry Marshall who also owned the Casino, he would do an hour at the Riverside around midnight and go over to the Casino and do his spot there around 3am if my memory serves me right. ML

Very sad news indeed another lovely guy and great DJ gone too soon RIP Ste ML

First seen Inez and zCharlie fox at Ritz ABC in March 1964 on a tour including Gene Pitney a very early Kinks, Billy j Kramer n Dakota’s of course live to my ears they along with Gene Pitney stole the show, very underrated powerful Soul Duo RiP Inez KR Mick L

Hi Robbk Thats certainly added on to my reply LoL, ML

Yes Stax and Motown were major ingredients to the sounds we love but there were countless other labels with their own ingredients that made the Cake whole and unforgettable to give us the happiness of thousands of Soul nights over the the last six decades KR

Let’s cop a groove, Bobby wells was a well played record in the clubs in 1967, his voice sounds like a cross between Frankie Valli and Little Anthony , fairground waltzer tune on the machine I worked on always brings back good memories. ML

Good Stuff Kev ML

If this carries on they will be shouting for Billy Ocean again, wrong site ,wrong time, wrong question, LoL, ML

Great site Mike long May it carry on ML

I for one never took Edwin for granted and I don’t know anybody who did he was always a great performer, delivered every time I seen him and that’s at least 20 times over 40 years, had a few conversations with him and he always came across as a genuine lovely friendly guy, always interested in what the crowd wanted, I asked him one time at Maxims Wigan would he sing ( I have faith in you baby) in his set at 3am he said he would and duly obliged Fantastic, he loved his fans in the Uk and always showed it with his performances , Edwin Starr will be remembered for ever and deserves a place in Soul Heaven KR Mick L

Here we are again Happy as can be All good friends and jolly good company Have a great day everybody KR ML

Hi Russ Ive studied Rock n Roll RnB , Soul, Dance all my life, Dj,d most of the big venues in the uk seen most of the biggest acts in the world done security for lots of them as well over here and in the USA, Mc,d at the biggest raves underground and clubs all over the uk parallel to me being involved in NS never stopped being hungry of knowledge of music so I’m afraid I don’t really have to back and learn anything about categorising music I’ve lived the life and know what I know through doing it besides studying it after 57 experience with it I don’t think for one minute you could learn me anything that I am not aware off, you stick with your pop music I know what I like and it comes from the Soul KR ML

It’s because it didn’t become a popular tune that it stayed underground and became special to the ears of Soul music lovers who know a good tune rather than mainstream tunes isn’t that the whole reason we have had the NS scene because we are different with our choice of music and isn’t this what makes us different and a little special in our choice of a good tune rather than be like the masses or am I missing something LoL, KR ML

Oh Please that’s your opinion not mine or a great number of people on here I trust , there will always be NS or RnB tune that becomes popular with the mainstream for everyone that did there is a thousand that didn’t and it is that what makes NS different so to say every NS played on the scene was a pop tune is frankly a load of bollocks, and just for the record I didn’t start listening to Soul music in youth clubs I started going to all-nighters back in 1965 aged 14 to listen to something different because it was different and exciting so I’m afraid your opinion falls on deaf ears with me, been there done it, jockey and a dancer and promoter. I can agree with you on Frankie Valli and MV P,s being pop music and a great many more but proper soul lovers know the real thing from the pop thing, Or at least I hope they do, LoL KR ML

Billy Ocean,s Red Light spells danger sure as caused a bit of danger on this site, maybe it’s time for the red light to mean Stop, Stop this nonsense, I would hope that at least 99% of members of this site would know that RLSD is a full on pop tune with a Soulful vocals from Billy and doesn’t pretend to or compare with the NS we all love if some of those don’t know I have no answer to that LoL, Give Billy Ocean his dues for a good pop song Give NS it’s dues for being NS KR ML

Let’s get real again, Billy Ocean, Hot chocolate, Real thing etc etc sang pop songs touched with a splattering of Soul it has a place in the hit parade of the past top of the pops etc but it has no place at authentic NS venues otherwise they are not NS venues anymore they are venues pretending to be NS a completely different beast , You can have a real club Soul night with much stronger , powerful music than the above named and similar, This should not be hard to put into perspective or is a touch of dementia starting to creep in to the scene KR ML

Come on everybody let’s get serious if you don’t know the difference in music genres by know I’m afraid a lot of time as been wasted ML

There are nasty characters in all aspects of life it’s just that if they manifest on the NS scene it’s like someone ruining and stealing your happiness that your either enjoying or looking forward to having, I’ve personally not got any time for them in a venue or in life in generally, just blot them out of your world and your head otherwise they have succeeded in their bad intentions KR ML

Hi Tony Great record, big production timeless sound caught the essence of 60,s soul I first heard it on the pirate radio stations mid 60,s Still play it out if I’m doing a spot, played it out at Smokies memorial night for the hospice at Stables in March it was well received. Good powerful tune. KR Mick L

I come from 15 miles from Manchester and 15 miles from Liverpool so know all this area like the back of my hand I first seen the Rolling Stones in Wigan November 1963 and 1964 and 1965 in 63 they appeared at Wigan Emp which became the Casino later I was a doorman at the said club pre 1973 I’ve seen not boasting probably more artists and groups than most people on this planet , some of these artists I have worked security looking after them including Michael Jackson on his bad boy tour, I first seen the Stones because I was obsessed with RnB music which they played, So I think my view on this subject is have an open mind I have spoken to men who worked on these ships have you? So rather than say people are making it up I’ve got witnesses who don’t know one another by the way, those liners were big enough to hide a tank never mind 10,000 records, I’m a good judge of character and can spot a bullshitter at 1000 miles being a security boss for 45 years so don’t be calling it bullshit leave it open to your mind you show me and prove to me that it never happened there are a lot of things what happened with music and records where there are gaps and certain boffins of ballyhoo on this site that fill those gaps according to there to there opinionated logic, no offence to the guilty parties but emperors new clothes gets my bullshit detector into gear, Been there Done it Have a great Day ML

The Cunard brits , I didn’t say they bought records to bring back although they might well done, I said they were aware that records were being brought in either by ballast or other means they were working on the ships not you so I will tend to believe their version of things they weren’t into NS so they wouldn’t have any reason to lie about these things and forget the Beatles cover versions there were approx 200 groups in Merseyside and the same in Manchester singing those cover versions I heard a lot of them do it NS began in 1953 not 1973 and my wife’s late father had shirts bought over there which my mother in law still keeps, Been there Done it Take care open up your mind ML

I personally knew some of these Cunard yanks who worked on the New York London journey who used to bring American fashion back from New York, Shirts, bomber jackets, shoes etc etc , The question I ask why would they make lies up about records being brought in, they were sound lads it’s not something they would make up , the fact is some people on this scene tend to be opinionated and want the NS history to be the way they think, Why not except that records did get shipped in this way along with other ways,I’m old enough to remember the Liverpool beat scene and the Manchester one too I seen a lot of these bands in 1963- 66 and they were performing songs and sounds that were totally unheard of at the time to me anyway and some never heard them again till maybe 10 years later when NS came to the fore ML

The ballast stories using records, I knew a few guys who worked for the merchant navy sailing out of Liverpool to New York and they told me thousands of 45,s came in to Liverpool this way in the 1950,s and early 1960,s it had a big influence on Liverpool beat music scene circa 1959 - 63 when you would find a lot of B sides r n b soul Tamla beat versions by the local beat groups at the time ML

Because they are always getting on peoples nerves, on a serious note some labels seem to knock up quicker than others ML