Torch56

Received sad news yesterday that Mark had passed away. I first met him at the Wheatsheaf in Walsall in 1985 and thereafter at several venues around the West Midlands, including the 86 Club ( Bridgnorth) the Old Vic and the Black Horse (Wolverhampton) as well as the Central Hotel (Cannock) His taste in music extended far beyond the Top 500 and right to the end his passion for Soul maintained his spirit through the darker days he had to live through more recently. Unfortunately, motor neuron disease is an unforgiving companion and strikes arbitrarily and without compassion. Mark dealt with his misfortune without rancour, and extolled the work of the MND Association, which campaigns for greater awareness and further research into this affliction. A keen Wolves fan, who was there in the dark days of the 80s, he was also a union representative, at Caterpillar Finning, a role which he undertook with commitment and that he came to miss as his illness progressed. A sociable and engaging character, his indomitable spirit and easy laugh is sadly no more, but will be readily remembered.

Remember him from Stafford in particular due to his distinctive dancing style. If you google: Central Cannock 1991 Soul Night and go about 30 minutes in, you can see Duncan in a white top dancing to Johnny Rogers-Make a Change. He clearly had good taste. Difficult to grasp how somebody so fit and athletic (He was a martial arts practitioner and instructor) could be taken so young; he was only 56.

Sorry to pass on sad news that Dave, probably better known on here as Dave the Drug, tragically lost his life in a fire at his house in Bilston last week. An engaging raconteur and keen record collector, his knowledge of soul music, and love of rare vinyl, was impressive and based on an engagement with the scene from the late 60s to the date of his demise. A native of east London, he never lost his accent nor his love of West Ham ,despite years spent in the Wolverhampton area. He was particularly keen on UK labels and used to post images of iconic British items from his collection on this site and elsewhere. The motif that adorned his Linkedin page was an orange CBS issue of Kenny Bernard's, Pity My Feet, for example. Dave had been in poor health for some time, but the news of his death, and the circumstances, understandably came as a shock to all who knew him. Condolences to his family and many friends.

Easter Saturday 1972 Ain't no more room Kittens You're gonna make me love you Sandi Sheldon Reach out San Remo Strings K-Jee Nite Liters