Ian Dewhirst

Still going no probs. Mike will be up at Prestatyn if anyone wants to personally nail their subscriptions LOL! Ian D

Jimmy was a BAAAD Mtherf**ker. Pure evil with a voice of gold. He used to love annoying people and was very much his own guy i.e. he did what he wanted when he wanted to do it and tough shit to those who were paying the bills. Frustrating when you're trying to 'break' him to a new audience. Both EMI and Jimmy failed spectacularly. That's what you get when you try and do a 'Tina Turner' for a 'Jimmy Ruffin' LOL........... Ian D

Jimmy wasn't averse to a few chemicals himself I seem to remember! Had to do some promo stuff with him @ EMI in 1984 and, boy, that guy could sniff for England LOL...... Quite paranoid as well. I turned up one Saturday morning @ his gaff in Chelsea to take him to a Black Music conference where he was a guest speaker and he refused to even open the door and wouldn't be persuaded to turn up even though he accepted the invitation. Very embarassing as I had to 'fill-in' for him. But I wasn't either Black or a successful singer so not the easiest 'guest speaker' role I've ever done! But I went down a storm with my tone-deaf rendition of "Farewell Is A Lonely Sound"........... Ian D

Oh boy! If only they could see the PM's! I can't believe that ????? ?????? claims they discovered ?????? ?????? in ????. And does ?????? ?????? really do that with his 7" copy of ???????? And did ?????? ?????? really sell his copy of ???????? ???????? to ?????????? for £1.80? The rich tapestry of Northern Soul my friend! Like Tony Turner on Musicor and Tamiko Jones on Golden World before it turned up! Our lips are sealed LOL! Johnny and I are doing some personal time-researching and sorting out the wheat from the chaff LOL. However, in the interest of current UK libel laws, it'll be PM only on this subject from now on. Sorry to all, but these things can go on forever and degenarate into slanging matches if yer not careful LOL... And, on the subject of botox or other youth-enhancing chemically injected products, would anyone care to make a bet with me at, say, 100-1 that my body's unadulterated by such gimmickry? I'd be quite prepared to undergo a public test on Cleethorpes Pier if need be...... Best, Ian D

Oi Malc, I haven't finished yet! I need to check with Levine just in case my brain IS drug-addled LOL. And I blame you for the botox comments! I'll have you know that my amazingly robust looks are merely the result of good genes, getting laid regularly and a healthy interest in all the bad things in life LOL. Ian D

You're right John - I always remember the good ones (first copy of Willie Hutch @ L.A. hippy Chris Peakes house in September '76 is one of 'em but Simon took it off me! "Baby boy you have just found a very, very rare record"). And "Heartless Lover" - the Dick Baker Combo on Kool Kat (a different one from Joe Mathews) was under a rain-sodden filthy tarpulin at the back of an East L.A. household goods market stall in East L.A. - a eureka moment 'cos I found that AFTER a Johnny Caswell, two Terrible Tom's and fifty Eloise Laws's! Happy days. Can't see MP3's becoming the new collectibles though, can you LOL...... Best, Ian D

Botox!!!??? Cheeky bugger! There's nowt up with my memory! Bernie Williams I just spoke to Colin after you'd almost convinced me that my brain was completely addled and he confirmed that he was playing Bernie Williams in '74/'75 and that it was considered to be a one-off at the time. His copy came from John Anderson. It was a 'Mecca last-hour' favourite which is how I heard it in the first place. He eventually sold his copy to Jack Bollington in Derby. Jack bought it off Colin and I ended up involved in a virtual phone-auction with Jack where the price jumped from £40 to circa £150 in the space of a few hours - my last offer on it was something like £100 and a World Column and Rosey Jones I seem to remember. I could swear that you got that copy but if you didn't then someone else did but who? It was a rare record at the time....... Colin also confirmed that Levine DID have 'Paris Blues' at the Mecca but 'til I speak to the large one I'll hold fire....... Incidentally, no one's 'dictating' anything here Johnny. My memory's actually bang-on most of the time and I spent a large part of my 'two decade disappearance' (almost three really) keeping tabs on the scene, visiting all-nighters every now and then and constantly flogging records to many people if I've had some decent finds whenever I went to the States. If I'm wrong on the Tony Middleton then fair enough - credit where credit's due and you're welcome to the kudos mate. However, I do know that I heard it @ The Mecca, I know that Levine had it (Colin just confirmed it) and I know that I knew about it before I went to the States in mid 1976 because it was on my hitlist back then. Will check with the rotund one and come back and I'll be quite prepared to eat humble pie in the unlkely event that my mind has been playing tricks LOL....... Best, Ian D

And look at the track before it on the CD...... 4. "Ever Again" (2.34) - Bernie Williams Original U.S. Label: Bell 768 A complete one-off when Colin Curtis first aired this as a 'last hour' record at the Mecca circa 1974, "Ever Again" become one of the first records to be involved in a megabucks bidding war between myself and Johnny Manship with Johnny eventually winning the battle unfortunately. Whilst sounding as if it was recorded in New Orleans, it was actually a Philadelphia recording. Now I remember that all too well LOL! Best, Ian D

Ha Ha Lol. Well I guess anything's possible but when I recently did the 4 CD series for Sony-BMG I had to re-research the whole period and I've definitely got it down as a Mecca play - I can remember Brad @ Burnley Cricket Club raving about it on the Tuesday after Saturday @ the Mecca. At that time the Mecca were still playing stormers - this was almost pre Levine's Disco phase. In fact I ran my sleeve notes past both Colin and Ian and they OK'd 'em......... 5. "Paris Blues" (2.13) - Tony Middleton Original U.S. Label: Mala 544 An Ian Levine discovery circa 1974, "Paris Blues" was almost a throwback to the early Wheel style of Northern Soul with Tony's melodramatic vocals and the clunky 60's production. However, dated or not, the sheer atmosphere of the song makes this an absolute Mecca classic. Produced with panache by early Beatles associate Claus Ogerman. I don't think my memories playing up that much LOL..... Best, Ian D

Are you sure Johnny - I could have sworn this was a Mecca spin first. I seem to remember this being a Levine find which caused a bit of controversy @ the Mecca when he came back from a U.S. trip 'cos it was such an old-time beater...... Brilliant record nonetheless. Ian D

Try these:- "You Keep Me Hanging On" "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart" From the Supremes era, "One Love In My Lifetime" "Love Hangover" "The Boss" "No One Takes The Prize" "It's My House" "Missing You" From the Diana Ross era Best, Ian D

Great DJ line-up LOL! Fantastic days, great records and a phenomenal venue which we all REALLY looked forward to going to. All passion and enthusiasm with nary a gnat's hair of cynicism in sight. Good ole Mary! Ian 'Frank' Dewhirst

Probably more so than Jazzy B LOL.... Nellee produced the album and then went to more international success with Bjork, Madonna and U2 amongst others. Plus let's not forget that stirling mix on Family Stand's "Ghetto Heaven"....... Ian D

I think we're being a bit unfair here. I didn't actually hear what Jazzy B said in the documentary so I can't comment but I guess he got the gong for the international success he had in the late 80's - not many UK black acts conquer the world the way Soul 11 Soul did. Their influence was huge - especially in the U.S. Plus he made some great records in the process. Dunno what's wrong with that...... Ian D

Nope, you're dead right Tony. "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" was the first Northern Soul No.1. Funnily enough, more of a beat ballad than a million-mile an hour stormer and it probably would have fitted nicely into the 80's stuff IMHO......... Ian D

Sounds perfect for an Amy Winehouse cover then? Ian D

We must be listening to different stuff Tony! "Tears Dry On Their Own" is an Ashford, Simpson and Winehouse song (Amy wrote the lyrics which are great) and sounds unbelievably soulful to me. There is no doubt in my mind that if this was from the 60's, unknown and on an ultra-rare label it would have been a monster in almost any era. The Mark Ronson production is brilliant - obviously he knows what he's doing and there's no questioning the expertise of the Dap-Kings. As it is, it's the biggest-selling UK album of the year, a smash in the U.S. and a great example of a UK act breaking internationally. She sure sounds soulful to me AND she's finding a huge international audience. And for anyone who hasn't heard it here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYUP2K182t4 If she carries on at this rate that Aretha cover may not be too far off! Beats the shit out of Beverly Ann, Dana Valery and Judy Street IMHO LOL..... Ian D

The chord changes sound more like a slowed-down version of "Love You Baby" - Eddie Parker to these ears! Also coincidentaly written by another Ashford - Jack in this case! Ian D

Mark Ronson, her producer, I believe is the one who specifically sought out the Dap-Kings to play on her album. He's very well-versed in 60's Soul and Motown and had a tremendous musical education via his parents who were artists themselves. For my money, one of the best all-round albums I've heard in years. "Tears Dry On Their Own" is my favourite track of the year by a long margin in any catergory. One of the greatest songs I've ever heard actually - if Aretha ever covers it, I'll die a happy man......... Ian D

Got some spare Stevie CD's over here @ £100 a pop if yer interested? Ian D

Quote of the year mate. From what I can see, most people have their heads buried in computers most of the day, then get home switch on their pc's and telly's and spend most of their waking lives looking into a screen.... Bit chilly out so I've been doing exactly that LOL..... Ian D

Hence the reason why it would nice to document it. Also, I suspect that a lot of people out there would like some 80's packages - especially if they weren't there at the time (like me). Let's not forget that the vast audience from the 70's had most of their 'missing years' in the 80's and 90's, so they've got some catching up to do to fill-in the jigsaw puzzle of that period......... I notice Dave didn't take me up on the offer of a shindig in his barn LOL..... Ian D

C'mon get yer cash out Gav ya tight git! Ian D

All music is free now! 96% of all music downloads are free - only the other 4% is actually paid for and most of that is via I-Tunes. The CD is more or less dead now and rare CD's (including all Northern releases) will be highly collectible in the future - a bit like records now. CD's are really top-quality audio-wise compared to downloads, so 'real' music collectors will keep with CD and, in some rare cases, Vinyl. But the vast majority of the music buying audience really isn't passionate about formats - they want the instant gratification of getting what they want when they want and 9 times out of 10, they'll be hearing music either on headphones or shitty laptop speakers, so quality isn't a the top of their agendas. They want an instant download immediately - f*** queuing in HMV or whiling away a pleasant few hours in a collectors shop - not enough time anymore for some reason...... The way I look at it, is most of us have been incredibly lucky to have lived through one of the great ages of popular music - 1955 saw the birth of rock n' roll and 50 years later we're seeing the death of popular music as we've traditionally known it IMHO.... For once I'm glad to be old LOL... All of the above makes Northern Soul that much more special. Merry Xmas All. Ian D