46 3 years ago

Part 2 of 5 Dj Sets 

Who are the Great Soul Deejays? part 2

In another article, I claimed too much NS is obscurity for the sake of it and/ or a celebration of the ordinary and I think the key figure here is Soul Sam. I first came across him at an all dayer in 75. Searling had played an excellent set in the afternoon but as the grownups ( the 16/17 year olds ) arrived in the evening, people told me to listen out for Soul Sam. I was really excited and really disappointed when he was terrible. In hindsight I should commend him for at least playing different records to everybody else, but none of them were any good. I have heard him many times since at Durham, Aycliffe, Glasgow, Thorne, Bradford, Cleethorpes, Lowton etc but have never heard him play more than one great record per set: Run for Cover, Carl Hall, Helping Hand, Just ask me, original version of Now that I have you. Once at Parkers I asked him about a Prince Philip Mitchel record on Hi, I don't remember which one, but he didn't know it and became indignant.

At this point I should probably mention Arthur Fenn. I have heard him play great Modern sets, and not just the usual suspects, but also heard him terrible, which is incomprehensible. Once in the Modern Room at Bradford, he was playing sub Luther Vandross newies so I asked him if he had Lucky Fellow by Leroy Hutson, one of my favourites at the time. He quite rudely replied yes, turned his back on me and didn't play it. Presumably he thought he was being dead clever, but it would have been far cleverer to play a great record amongst the dross.
By now, Aycliffes frontline have no doubt had their suspicions confirmed that I'm too choosy by half but, with so much wonderful music to choose from, there's no excuse for playing rubbish.

 The only other NS DJ I'd like to single out is John Vincent. I don't really remember why I had him second only to Searling but he once did an alldayer at Aycliffe and it was the first time I heard Adams Apple, briefly a favourite. However, in those days your favourite records changed every other week, so the real reason may be lost in the mists of time.
My return to the Soul Scene proper, after the wilderness years of night clubs and NS greatest hits nights, was consolidated at the Trafalgar near Preston and, particularly, Searling playing Love Love Love by Donny Hathaway, a record I'd championed for years. In the ensuing years at Bognor, Caister, Prestatyn, London, Ayre, Berwick, Fleetwood, Thorne, Morecambe, Southport, Manchester etc . etc., I would generally describe him as the best of a not terribly good bunch, though I was stuck in my serious ( Deep ) Soul phase with my head stuck even further up my own a$$ than usual.
Recently, at his 2 room bash in Blackburn, my missus asked why he is such a local celeb. I replied that, apart from the Soul tourists come to see the famous Wigan Casino DJ, he has probably been the best Soul DJ in the world. Once at Parkers he dropped in Don't come up here no more by Epicenter featuring Sandra Feva, one of those moments in life you'll never forget, and it's hard to imagine anyone else, apart from me, doing that.

Curtis also survived the seventies but mainly by adding Real Jazz to his arsenal. Forgive my cynicism, but I have always been sceptical about Soul DJs playing Real Jazz on the Soul Scene THOUGH I THINK Curtis generally faired better than Chris Hill, Bob Jones, Giles Peterson, Baz fe Jazz, Sylvester or any of the others. None seem to go back to Jazz, but interpret it from a Soul Music perspective, often resulting in second and third rate stuff, easy listening, novelty records and Latin pop.

Comments

HANKNYC
HANKNYC

cool ty


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beltramic
beltramic

gerat


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johno62
johno62

some real oldies in this set


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