I was turned onto Soul by......

[Paddy Shevlin]

....what?

What was the record that first grabbed you and made sure you became a Soul Man or Soul Woman?
One year my folks put 'Baby Love' in my Christmas stocking and at school I know I became fond of that 'Motown Sound' whatever it was. 'The Onion Song' kinda grabbed me and Otis and Wilson Pickett amongst others became figures to be revered, but I was a follower of fashion then. Then Barbara Turner (in an obvious attempt to entrap me) invited me to take the pick of any of the music in Bargainbase - her dad's second hand emporium. I took The Impressions 'Big 16' album and took to playing it whilst I was readying myself for the lovely Barbara. It seemed ok then I played it again the next night. Out poured all the early Curtis Mayfield masterpieces...'Gypsy Woman', 'People Get Ready', 'Keep On Pushing', 'Amen', 'Minstrel and Queen', 'I'm So Proud'. They were beauty personified, each note, each melody. All delivered with Curtis's delicate, searing falsetto lead that seemed as fragile as porcelain. I was entranced and Barbara had to wait whilst I played it one more time. Again and again and again. Sometimes I'd listen to the song, sometimes just to Curtis and sometimes to Fred Cash and Sam Goodwin supporting him. And onetime I forgot about Barbara. I don't know what became of her nor even why we went our separate ways. I think she opened a hair salon in Mill Road, Kettering. I hope she's prospered - because I owe her so much. She was a pretty little creature....and a really nice snog. But I'm forever indebted to her for the path she set me upon.
Last year, back in the same county, my eyes and ears were delivered to a state of unbelieving adoration when I was to see The Impressions (minus Curtis of course) sing those same beautiful tunes. They were delivered as sweetly as when I'd first heard them all those years ago and the effect on me had not lessened one iota. On the contrary I was quite consumed with emotion. So much time has passed, I haven't particularly prospered in Life but I have been blessed to embrace Soul Music as an abiding passion which has oft times sustained me. Of that I am eternally grateful..., so Fred, Sam and Curtis I am indebted to you. And you too Barbara!*

*names used in this account have been amended for dramatic effect and any resemblance to living persons are purely coincidental. Of course!

[alanthesoulie]

Nice to read your story Paddy.

My own story of getting into Northern was a progression from more commercial 60s to 80s soul, as an 80s teenager I'd grown up on the chart soul of the time and during my own student years of the early 90s got more into Motown and other well known 60s and 70s. It was 1994 (then age 23) when I first got to hear "Northern" records at a record fair on in Derby where I first met dealer and DJ Nick Marshall from Stoke on Trent, though didn't appreciate why these records were called Northern at the time. The record I wanted to buy at Nick's stall was quite mainstream, a mid 70s album by Delegation as I'd got the two hit singles from it on a compilation. He had a record player there and dug out some similar records by artists I didn't know and we got chatting about Motown and 70s. Those early "Northern" records he got out for me were those by artists I knew for their famous 70s records, mainly O'Jays, Archie Bell and the Drells, and the Tymes.

Nick's fairs came round about every three months on average but it wasn't until 97 (so I'd now known him 3 years) that he actually explained the term "Northern Soul" when he had several cheap pre-release copies of Chris King's first Motown "This is Northern Soul" CD, and mentioned that there were all these events dedicated to it. He said now I knew a fair amount of the records and couldn't want to meet nicer people, I should try and get myself to one soon, though it was still difficult to comtemplate going to one from scratch not knowing anyone.

It was the internet that helped me to get started with going out. I joined an e-mail newsgroup, and it helped that many people on said group were planning a big meet up at the forthcoming Stoke Kings Hall all-nighter as not many people on the group knew each other then, and had decided to have a large sign up in the record bar, I felt less daunted about travelling on my own with this in mind because I'd at least established that first contact by e-mail. The other great thing about Stoke for me was that Nick lives there so he would be a first familiar face to meet before I met those from the net.

Shortly afterwards the promoter of a new night in Peterborough, local for where I live, joined that newsgroup so when I got to his night it was good for getting to know some regulars. In 1999 I attended Cleethorpes Weekender for the first time, and that was where I really had a feel for how my new found circle of Northern soulie friends would continue to grow.

10 years on, no looking back :-)

Alan

[michael campbell]

1979 was my starting year for getting tuned into Northern Soul,i swapped a single by Blondie which i won in a youth club raffle for a compilation album,the Sound Of Grapevine,from then on i was hooked,when everybody hankered after bondage trousers all i wanted was a leather trenchcoat,so my initiation into Northern Soul was because of my dislike of Blondie ha ha.

[Jenilou]

Hi Paddy,

My first post so I'm a bit nervous!!!

I was turned onto soul when I was a little kid - bridesmaid at my older brother's wedding in the mid 60s and they played Junior Walker's Roadrunner at the booze up after (er I mean 'reception' obviously) in the dark and dingy back room of the local pub. I thought it was the most wonderful thing I had ever heard in my little life. I then proceeded to drive the DJ nuts, by asking him to play it about 100 times. Next step was to persuade my mum to buy this stroppy 7 year old a Motown Chartbusters CD which I then made her to play over and over at home (as I wasn't allowed to touch the 'stereogram' - my parents pride and joy in the front room). So I've got Junior Walker to blame for my lifelong passion for soul music.

Jenilou

[Jenilou]

Jenilou said:

Hi Paddy,

My first post so I'm a bit nervous!!!

I was turned onto soul when I was a little kid - bridesmaid at my older brother's wedding in the mid 60s and they played Junior Walker's Roadrunner at the booze up after (er I mean 'reception' obviously) in the dark and dingy back room of the local pub. I thought it was the most wonderful thing I had ever heard in my little life. I then proceeded to drive the DJ nuts, by asking him to play it about 100 times. Next step was to persuade my mum to buy this stroppy 7 year old a Motown Chartbusters CD which I then made her to play over and over at home (as I wasn't allowed to touch the 'stereogram' - my parents pride and joy in the front room). So I've got Junior Walker to blame for my lifelong passion for soul music.

Jenilou

Oops obviously I meant LP not CD!

[Gavin Donnelly]

I first heard soul when I moved in the early 60's from Newcastle ( the one with the famous Broon ale ) to Ormskirk in mid Lancs, and walked into St Anne's RC Youth club and was blasted with amazing sounds, Right Track Billy Butler always springs to mind, and saw the locals doing these amazing dances, spinning, flips, somersaults, splits, it blew me away, The whole scene was incredibly exciting and seemed new, but I later learned that it was a progression of a Mod thing, had no idea what a mod was then but I suppose I was to catch the tail end of Mod, beginning of something else that became skinhead down south. From St A youth club graduated to the Highland room in Blackpool, clubs all over the North West, and even a visit to the fabled Wheel. In 1970 my world changed totally when the family moved south to Sussex, nice village Hurstpierpoint, but what was all this Ska, reggae and occasional Motown about, people stomping, a real expressive dance that mind, I could have been on Mars, until that is I met Dave (Happy) Packham. He seemed a nice lad, his Mum made a nice cup of coffee and let me eat all their choccy buscuits, cos every Thursday night I would go round to Happy's with my copy of Blues and Soul, and we would talk soul music. Amazingly he got all the records, I had only kept about 10 of mine, and his fabled collection started to grow. It was at Happy's when we first read the Northern Soul title in Blues and Soul, and later on another devotee joined the group, Paul Forrest. But it was Dave Packham who saved my life and kept the faith flowing through my veins. I left Sussex and eventually found myself back in the Toon, and after not speaking with Mr P for about 25 years found him again through the Radio Stoke Mary Fox show, and have been in regular touch since, therby refuelling my soul fever. The first record I bought was Bernadette, 4Tops, Higher & Higher, J Wilson, Walking down a one way street, W Tee, that cost over 10 shillings from a mate, and more followed. Mostly now I download music or ring Mr P for a copy!!
He is my hero after all.

[Gavin Donnelly]

You are indeed correct, it was 1969 when my whole world ended, and yes it probably was your copy of B & S, cant remember, brain adled with too many dogs (broon).
Still have a fondness for the old digestive's covered with a goodly choccy coating as supplied by Mother Packham.

[phil west]

it must have been about 1968 ,i was attending kettering grammar school with pat shevlin,in the same class,we were only good at two things ,his was dislocating his knee at will in order to avoid playing rugby and cricket,me getting sweat under my t square to mess up all the technical drawings.lots of the lads started writing 'otis' all over their books,satchels and any other inanimate objects,i asked who was this 'otis'.it was otis redding ,i heard the music and was hooked.luckily i played football with martyn bellamy,whose older brother was glenn bellamy ( the most innovative and under appreciated soul dj in britain)he used to get all the advance release records from the evening telegraph's record critic.the critic liked heavy metal,so glenn got all the soul ones,i started going with him to the coopa club,nags head and george at wilby and from there graduated to the tin hat ( rarely) and my particular favourite the north park academy of soul.forty- one years on i still keeping the faith and still cant dance unless i'm drunk(even that is debatable)

[Paddy Shevlin]

It is true that I was at The Grammar School with Mr West, but he missed the lesson we were introduced to capital letters and Proper Names!

Otis Redding was indeed a seminal influence on all our lives at that time, a time when some in our class had a penchant for holding seances as an interesting pastime. One day a few of them turned up quite ashen-faced as the evening before, Otis (who had recently died in the plane crash) apparently turned up at their seance the night before sending the upturned glass spinning out of control causing it to smash. It was back to train spotting after that.

My Saturday job was with Glenn Bellamy in Marks & Spencer's warehouse where he used to like to tap out the drum intro to 'Nowhere To Run' in the cold room fridge. Great accoustics at 6 in the morning! At lunchtime we'd head up To Fred Moore's, the second hand dealer who had taken all those advance copies from the 'ET' music critic. At a tanner a time Fred was enjoying a 100% markup, but oh the treasures we picked up. God Bless the Metal Freak who'd scribble 'Rubbish' on Al Green's 'Tired of Being Alone', Bobbi Lynn's 'Earthquake', all the Hot Wax and Invictus stuff -it was endless. As we'd pick up a lot of reggae as well, I came to the conclusion that Metal Freak was probably just racist but the pair of us were indebted to him for all the gems he passed over.

It was just a small town but the wealth of quality soul venues was staggering. You can add The Trades Club and Windmill to the list above and don't forget those early all-nighters at Bletsoe and Market Harborough. Entry, half a dozen pints and bus fare with change from a ten bob note.....my kids will think I'm maudlin' - but I could sure dance better than Mr West!

[Robin Chubb]

My older sister was a soulie used to go to Wigan Casino a bit I think and I remember getting a Ghetto Blaster as they were then called and she made me a compilation tape with amongst many things 'Move on up' Curtis Mayfield the long version with the break which at 12 ish years of age blew me away (still one of my favourites to this day).

I was into Hip-Hop and breakdancing when it first came to the UK in the 80's. From there I hunted down the originals of the various samples used in the hip-hop stuff so started listening to a lot of Jazz firstly Blue Note stuff. When all my mates were going to Raves I was listening to Art Blakey & Horace Silver and people like that.

I then got into the Rare Groove scene listening to Funk & soul.

The internet has been fantastic as its easy now to hear loads of new stuff and find out about artists. I am constantly discovering new stuff.

[Richard Berry]

Where I grew up you either followed soul,reggae etc...and wore cool clothes (or we thought so) or you were into rocl, heavy metal wore leathers and long greasy hair. It was no contest as all the better looking girls followed the soul boys. Some of the older lads used to go to Wigan (I think there was a coach from basingstoke) and bring a few records back with them. These would get played in local village hall dos and these older lads would do the dancing with backdrops etc... which us younger ones would copy. I also remember getting introduced to the motown chartbusters albums (this was probably earlier). Then hearing the more commercial sounds at nightclubs and I used to record Gregg Edwarsd soul show on capital radio using a microphone onto cassettes ! trying to time the pause button at the right time. Although still playing some soul records at home I tended to hear house, trance, techno etc... when going out. In fact I only discovered that there were still soul nights/ northern nights around probably 5/6 years ago & I probably appreciate this music even more now. This scene means I can envisage going out to events forever without looking at least 20 years older than everybody else - Brill !

[julie moore]

hi all,
my first post so dont laugh,
i come from a family of 5 brothers 4 elder 1 younger ,as my eldest brother dave went to wigan i used to babysit for him and he used to leave his locked record box behind lol,little did he know that i was a good lock breaker with my hair grips,and used to pick the lock and play his precious records lol that was in the mid 1970`s.the first record i fell in love with was lee royce TEARS i know a bit corny these days but did progress to the other classics and have been into it ever since .
im more of a 70`s soul and dabbling into the modern stuff a little . and there you go my little tale .

[Paddy Shevlin]

That's a lovely little story Julie - he'd probably be quite proud of you now.

What a record to start you off with too. I hadn't heard it for years but all of a sudden it's getting a lot of plays again and went down a storm at The Torch Reunion which was appropriate as it was first aired there.

Bet that brought back a few memories recalling that....what else was in his box??