Northern soul
It developed from the British mod scene, based on a particular style of Black American soul music with a heavy beat and fast tempo (100 bpm and above).
This scene and the associated dances and fashions quickly spread to other dancehalls and nightclubs like the Wigan Casino,[4] Blackpool Mecca (the Highland Room), and Golden Torch (Stoke-on-Trent).
Featuring spins, flips, karate kicks and backdrops, club dancing styles were often inspired by the stage performances of touring American soul acts such as Little Anthony and the Imperials and Jackie Wilson.
[6] In a 2002 interview with Chris Hunt of Mojo magazine, Godin said he had first come up with the term in 1968, to help employees at Soul City differentiate the more modern funkier sounds from the smoother.
By 1968 the reputation of the Twisted Wheel and the type of music being played there had grown nationwide, and soul fans were travelling from all over the United Kingdom to attend the Saturday all-nighters.
Until his departure in 1968, resident 'All Niter' DJ Bob Dee compiled and supervised[13] the playlist, utilising the newly developed slip-cueing technique to spin the vinyl.
"[16] The venue's owners had successfully filled the vacancy left by Eagle with a growing roster of specialist soul DJs including Brian Rae, Paul Davies and Alan 'Ollie' Ollerton.
By the mid-1960s, Motown got good songwriters and producers such as Robinson, A&R chief William "Mickey" Stevenson, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Norman Whitfield.
33 on the Billboard R&B chart), "Evil One", and "Gonna Be a Big Thing", became popular in the Northern soul scene,[17] including during the early days at the Twisted Wheel Club.
Ian Levine broke from the Northern soul mould by playing a new release by the Carstairs ("It Really Hurts Me Girl") in the early 1970s: Back in England I found this dealer called John Anderson who'd moved from Scotland to King's Lynn.
The magazine also had its own record label (also called Contempo), releasing music from the 1970s, which, starting in 1984, played at a club previously known as Whisky-A-Go-Go, founded by Rene Gelston in Wardour Street.
The 1980s – often dismissed as a low period for Northern soul by those who had left the scene in the 1970s — featured almost 100 new venues in places such as Bradford, London, Peterborough, Leighton Buzzard, Whitchurch, Coventry and Leicester.
Today there are regular Northern soul events in various parts of the United Kingdom, such as the Nightshift Club all-nighters at the Bisley Pavilion in Surrey and the Prestatyn Weekender in North Wales.
[39][full citation needed] In an August 2008 article in The Times, broadcaster Terry Christian argued that Northern soul was undergoing a distinct revival in the late 2000s.
[9] As the scene developed in the mid and late 1970s, the more contemporary and rhythmically sophisticated sounds of disco and Philly Soul became accepted at certain venues following its adoption at Blackpool Mecca.
[55] As the scene increased in popularity, a network of UK record dealers emerged who could acquire further copies of the original vinyl and supply them to fans at prices commensurate with their rarity and desirability.
[58] Northern soul collectors seek rare singles by artists such as Holly Maxwell,[59] Gene Chandler, Barbara Acklin, the Casualeers,[60] and Jimmy Burns.
Dave Godin is generally credited with being the first UK entrepreneur to start this trend, setting up the Soul City label in 1968, and striking a deal with EMI to license Gene Chandler's 1965 recording "Nothing Can Stop Me", which had been popular for several years at the Twisted Wheel.
"Goodbye Nothing To Say", by the white British group the Javells, was identified by Dave McAleer of Pye's Disco Demand label as having an authentic Northern soul feel.
[68] In addition, the Northern soul favourite "Skiing in the Snow", originally by the Invitations, was covered by local band Wigan's Ovation, and reached No.
[70] Maconie described this song as 'a bland, modernised, easier to license version of a classic Northern tune originally by US artists', and said it 'really stuck in the purists' craw even then'.
[73] The top ten songs were: "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" by Frank Wilson, "Out on the Floor" by Dobie Gray, "You Didn't Say a Word" by Yvonne Baker, "The Snake" by Al Wilson, "Long After Tonight is Over" by Jimmy Radcliffe, "Seven Day Lover" by James Fountain, "You Don't Love Me" by Epitome of Sound, "Looking for You" by Garnet Mimms, "If That's What You Wanted" by Frankie Beverly & the Butlers and "Seven Days Too Long" by Chuck Wood.
Early Northern soul fashion included strong elements of the classic mod style, such as button-down Ben Sherman shirts, blazers with centre vents and unusual numbers of buttons, trickers and brogue shoes and shrink-to-fit Levi's jeans.
[76] In 2007, Andrew Wilson (lecturer in criminology at the University of Sheffield) published the extensively researched sociological study Northern Soul: Music, drugs and subcultural identity.
Wilson argues that, although many did not use drugs, their usage was heavily ingrained in the fast-paced culture of the Northern soul scene, contributing to participants' ability to stay up all night dancing.
Many clubs and events were closed down or refused licences due to the concern of local authorities that soul nights attracted drug dealers and users.
[78][page needed] The Northern soul scene has notably influenced DJ culture and certain musicians and has been portrayed in literature, theatre and cinema.
As in contemporary club culture, Northern soul DJs built up a following based on satisfying the crowd's desire for music they could not hear anywhere else.
[84] Australian DJ and PBS FM radio presenter Vince Peach[85] absorbed the Northern soul culture at the Twisted Wheel, where he also DJed,[86] and took it to Australia in 1982.
In his 2008 article about Northern soul for The Times, Terry Christian wrote: "There's an instant credibility for any artist or brand associated with a scene that has always been wild, free and grassroots".
