Mick Howard

Hello everybody Markus, why you no speak for me sunny jim boy for simply long time? We is going the way down in Manchester isn't it? Plenty bazouki music. See you when. M

Ted For me in this particular case the word "Masterpiece" is just not enough! This is one of the best Soul songs ever recorded IMHO - a stunning vocal which makes me well up every time I hear it which 'aint that often due to its rarity. Mick

I think you're right there Martyn. Seem to recall actually reading it in the national press - something to do with faulty gas fire I recall? Mick

I certainly remember Bedfords Nite Spot 'cos I went towards the tail end of the 70's. Would I be right in saying that Ken Cox of EASC had a few all-nighters there? I also seem to recall that these all nighters were around the time when Nev Wherry, who was such a nice guy, died - I think there was a two minute silence one time. Mick

Lars Bang on my friend. Wondered how long it would take someone to identify it. Wexler was indeed an avid collector of Jazz of the 20's and 30's but I bet it was nowhere near like that Joe Bussard..... Mick

Hi there Keith So we (i.e. the 'Soul' fraternity) were'nt really the first 'anoraks' were we? Re the question - jazz is certainly a connection.... Mick

I thought I might share the following extract from an autobiography that I am re-reading: "When we were young men, though, business was the last thing on our minds. We were record hunters, fierce and indefatigable. To discover, in the back of some basement in Far Rockaway, a carton of unopened, still-in-original-wrapper sets of Black Swans - a label owned by W.C. Handy and responsible for Ethel Waters's first recordings - was an experience second only to orgasm" Although the book from which the passage comes from was published in the early 90's it is actually describing the 1930's, although you knew that didn't you? How many of us on here have felt the same way as the writer, particularly that last line? We don't even have to change the sentence much either - a carton of unopened, still-in-the-wrapper sets of Swans. How brilliant is that? Finally, can you identify the writer? Mick

Neil At the time that volume 1 of The In Crowd was published I was reliably informed (if that's possible on the NS scene...) that a 2nd volume was in the pipeline, however, Mike & Stuarts' expenditure was not re-couped for volume 1 and it therefore proved impossible for them. Mick

Bill Lucas - Cause I Know You're Mine - Dionn promo (at Lifeline Saturday/Sunday from Des Parker) Freddy King - 100 Years - Federal Maurice Jackson - Forever My Love - Weis Harold Hutton - Lucky Boy - Chess Johnson Sisters - I Found My Place - Broadway promo Mick

I'm Not Built That Way - The Hesitations & Hold To My Baby - The Cavaliers Head & Shoulders - Patti Young & Merry-Go-Round - Tommy Frontera Cool Off - The Detroit Executives & Mighty Lover - The Ideals There are many, many more... Mick

Just received an e-mail & they've put together a 5 minute film about it here... https://www.vintageatgoodwood.com/gallery/video.aspx Mick

Yeah but Dave Did you see CapitolSC's post earlier? He got the same response as did I. Churned out by his minions probably. Mick

Martyn Ah yes my old mucker Johnny Cockrill - he invited me to join but I don't do Facebook - too much sharing of personal information for my liking..... About St Ives; I had planned to go but since discovering that its not an all nighter and that its £8.50 (& that's with the discount from the Cambridge Soul Collective) for just 6 hours (8pm to 2am) I've decided to go to Lifeline in Wolverhampton instead (£10 for 10 hours!). BTW do we know each other? I only ask because we seem to have mutual aquaintences. Mick P.S. Apologies to others for going off thread

Martyn It came to me in a flash yesterday - it was Melanie wasn't it? Mick

If you're going at the end of this month Debbie please do;) Mick

Yes Martyn That 'skippy' dance they did - it wasn't quite shuffling but it was like that. I think I know the girl you're talking about but I don't think it's Wendy. Would I be right in thinking that she wore her hair quite long and that it was jet black? Anyway, great times -strange clothes! Mick

Definitely not rock & roll. I posted the photo. Her name is Cheryl Bush and she was in the year below me at School. She was, however, along with others who wore similar clothes into the more 'funky' sounds, 'Mecca' stuff if you like, and they were the first ones I saw who took to wearing those red plastic sandals that we wore as kids & that became quite popular amongst Mecca and Ritz types. Mick

Now Kieran, you know that's not true. Mass popularity fills the floor! I remember dancing myself (that is, on my own on an empty dancefloor) at Stafford back in the day to newly discovered but yet to be proved Quality tunes..... But back to Toms original question; there is some truth that the more slower, mellow tunes, even if they are of Quality are just no good in the middle of the night and a good DJ knows better. Slower, mellow should not, however, be confused with rousing beat ballads in the vein of Kell Osborne which WILL generally fill the floor. Mick

Wiggy Methinks the wider ones with the big turn-ups are the Skinners. First saw them around 72 when a couple of 3rd year (I was 2nd year) lads wore them - they'd bought them from a shop called Harry Masons (I think) in Hull - near to Scarboro Records I recall. Thought they were cool as anything & promised myself I would save up to buy a pair. It took me another year and I'd moved from Yorkshire to Norfolk by then. Got myself a crisp white pair with something (dice I think) embroidered(ish) on the back pockets. Within a very short period they had to be ditched because of the Bay City Rollers. Mick

Oh Debbie Truly wonderful & really does show that when it's good live then it's very, very good! Mick

Massive for sure but much earlier than Keele. Big for Keb at Stafford covered as The Embers, Playing the Part of A Fool. Corking. Mick

Definitely a case of 'horses for courses'. Providing the artist is good then there really 'aint nothing like the live gig and I should know; I've been to a fair few over the years. Rock, pop, reggae, Soul you name it! Like some have already said there are always 'bad' gigs amongst the good and that goes for live Soul too but I agree that most of the Soul artists are now 'of an age' so the really great is becoming less and less likely - did anyone see Martha Reeves on Jools Holland last New Year? Oh dear! For me: Best live Soul gig - Lorraine Chandler & Eddie Parker at Stafford TOTW Some of the best of the rest - Red Hot Chilli Peppers in Manchester, Dexys Midnight Runners in Koln (Germany), The Jam in Essen (Germany) and The Alabama 3 everywhere (3 times already). Mick

Folks Some photos relating to The CoB at the following. https://www.chairmenoftheboard.com/Photos.htm Some other very recognisable faces there too. Mick

You said it geeselad, It never really was a venue that 'broke' records or at least it wasn't known for it. Those tunes you've listed were 'broke' and played elsewhere. I remember Doug Banks from Warrington Parr Hall (I think) and as for Howard Guyton and The Imaginations I seem to recall hearing them in the early days of Stafford or maybe even before. Mick

Here we are again saying a fond farewell to one of our heroes. I think the words 'unique voice' are sometimes over-used (particularly in the present day where to my ears pretty much all chartbound MOBO sounds the same) but that's not the case when speaking about 'The General'. The 'smokiness' and 'soulfulness' that Norman Johnson put into his vocal recordings is so joyful I become emotional every time I hear them none more so than the early sides like 'It Will Stand'. I saw Chairmen Of The Board in the mid 70's when their star was on the wane but they still sounded great when they sung Elmore James, You've Got Me Dangling On A String and the other Invictus sides - I was transported back to my early teenage years (before I was 'into' the scene)! Condolences to his family & freinds. Mick