Tykebike

Ah yes, The Original Drifters - whether they were or not they were still great to see and hear.

A few memories recovered from my drawer all stored in the post card sized envelope from the Wheel with a 4D stamp dated 22 October 1970 which is now rather tatty. Ben E King.pdfJimmy Ruffin.pdfWheel Letter.pdf Not sure if the pdfs are going to come through.

Roburt, you're quite right it was the 76 Club in Burton on Trent, I should have had a rummage in my drawer before typing. I'll scan and post some other memorabilia shortly.

Stef, your memory is playing tricks on you or your keyboard fingers are in need of refreshement, The Ark wasn't in Pittsmoor but at the junction of Crookesmoor Road and Crookes Valley Road.

One of Stringfellow's clubs that I almost forgot, Down Broadway but I'll never forget seeing Billy "Fat Boy" Stewart there.

Who could forget the King Mojo in Sheffield? Another less well remembered one was Club 67 in Burton on Trent.

Patches+baggies+vests ≠ Twisted Wheel end of.

If you really want a patch or badge then the best ones are the ones that Pete & Jackie Roberts sell because they are a replica of the Wheel membership cards. Go and visit Pete, John Greene & Jock heron at Basement 66 to hear only records that were played at the Wheel and I'm sure Jackie will have some badges for sale.

I was that chum. Good job I didn't have to work a full shift on Sunday.

Well that's saved me getting the LP out! Oh yes those were the days (nights) when you actually danced with girls and actually held them when dancing to this and I'm Gonna Miss You. Are you going to post the 1812 overture as part of the Mojo theme?

If you could get Billy Stewart down there then the piano will follow..... What about when he swung the microphone out into the audience and then there was the spining round to catch it. All this makes me want to dig my Summertime and Teaches Old Standard New Tricks LP's out and play them.

It's only now that I realise why it says "At Last He Returns" I didn't realise that he had played the Mojo in 1967.

Hard to say which one was best Stevie Wonder at the Mojo or Billy Fat Boy Stewart at Down Broadway, probably the latter due to his unique style and presence. Having said that seeing Stevie in such a small venue and such a young age (both of us) was a rare privilege especially having to to stand aside to let him through to get on stage. Compare and contrast Stevie's red jacket vs Billy's sky blue suit.

Nice to see Stringy getting his fair share of praise for playing the type of soul records that we now regard as Northern. One I remember hearing at the King Mojo (or was it the Beautiful Mojo) and then at The Wheel was Boogaloo Party by the Flamingos there were quite a few others but that one sticks in my mind as being played in both clubs and a fast dancing beat. The main difference between Stringfellow and others is that he didn't just stick records on, being an extrovert he introduced them, danced and sang to them and demonstrated the latest dances. Being an astute business man, aided and abetted by his brother Geoff, he spotted a trend and followed it witness flower power (guilty) and progressive music (not guilty) so he contributed in the latter years to me going to the Wheel instead of The Penthouse (except to see Garnett Mimms). This link may be of interest as to the tracks played at the Mojo https://www.kingmojostory.com/mojo-playlist I used to pass Club 60 on Shalesmoor on my way to school but I never realised that it became the Esquire albeit at a diffreent venue.

What a refreshing change to read this and putting the facts straight about when, where and why "Northern Soul" came into existence. I never noticed talc on the floor of the Wheel though.

I certainly regarded it as a top sound at the Wheel in the late 60's early 70's and I bought it on the yellow Goodtime lable about that time. I'm on holiday at the moment so I can't inspect it to see if it marked up as a demo or not.

The singers and the orchestra did an excellent job but I hate the way that its seems that history has been re written so that Wigan Casino is the be all and end all of Northern Soul but its' predessor The Twisted Wheel has been airbrushed out. Other clubs of the late 60's contributed to the type of soul music that became known as Northern Soul long before Wigan Casino. I wouldn't class Hold Back The Night by the Trammps as Northern Soul as it's the type of sound that we Wheelers rebelled against in much the same way as those super smooth productions by The Stylistics, Chi-lites, Commodores, Harold Melvin etc. Let battle commence...