I have just had the pleasure of visiting your Northern Soul Website and you  have made a great job of it as well. I really enjoyed reading about you in the past and the present; I can relate to a lot of it. My first experience of Northern Soul was at my local youth club in Hinckley.

Listening to the sounds and watching the older guys dancing and practicing various moves ready to perform on the all nighter dance floors. I was 13/14 at the time and loved listening to the older guy’s stories of past

I was well into the scene from about 1975 through to 1986 when I decided it was time to jack the job and travel the world, which I did for a couple of years.

Therefore, she can’t understand this passion I have for the music. We have two kids a boy of 9 and a girl of 7, they also think Dad is bonkers. They sometimes catch me dancing around the kitchen clapping my hands to my favourite sounds; the look on their faces says it all. I’ve mentioned to my wife that I might go and have a look at a nighter/dayer and check out what is happening 15 years on. She thinks I’m just trying to re live my youth, trouble is I probably am, who knows. We now live in a little village just outside of Saffron Walden after moving up from London just over two years

I have often thought about what the current day scene would be like and had similar thoughts to you. I could just imagine turning up and being the oldest swinger in town, all these youngsters looking at me thinking what is that old timer doing here. Therefore it was so reassuring to see that Brian Rae who was one of my favourites was still at it (he must be well into the 50’s now), Richard Searling, Russ Winstanley, Soul Sam etc. These guys

are a credit to the whole scene. I haven't been to a nighter or dayer come to that since about 1986 Hinckley Leisure Centre was my last, but I still love the music. I sold a lot of my good records to mates and at nighters to finance my world travels (I do now regret it but at the time the dosh was needed). I manage to transfer them all to tapes and made various compilations. These I took along with my Walkman on my world travels, which lasted for about two years. The tapes unfortunately didn’t, they all more or less got chewed up which was a real

I also managed to wreck some tapes that I had recorded whilst at Wigan. Yes I was one of those sad people who took their tape recorder and hung the mike over the side of balcony. I didn’t stay there all night recording just when

I was in need of a breather from the dance floor. The results in truth weren’t brilliant but to me they were tops. Be interesting now to play them and hear the play list on the night. On my travels I went to Australia and hooked up with an old school buddy and soul mate of mine “Stevie Halliwell”. He now lives in Oz and has a very settled life with his wife and children. It was a sad day when he immigrated to Australia. It is many years now since we both used to hitch

up to Wigan. And yes they were long cold and sometimes uncomfortable journeys with some very strange characters.

Whilst on my travels my parents managed to unfortunately dispose of my remaining records to the charity shop along with the rest of my memorabilia (so called junk). A pair of 40" wide Spencer’s and jean patchwork Spencer’s

(my pride and joy) and my ever faithful holdall (covered in badges of course) which travelled, Wigan Casino membership card along with many others and a wedge of flyers for various nighters. The only remaining thing apart

I first managed to get to Wigan in 1975 at the age of 15. One of the older guys from the youth club let the other guys down leaving a spare seat. A quick visit home to grab some money and a bullshit story to my parents about

sleeping over at a mates house and that was me set on an adventure that provides me with many golden memories.

I too was a bit disappointed at what was the outside of Wigan Casino; I certainly had a different expectation. However, I was full of excitement and just couldn’t wait to get inside. Once inside I loved it, the atmosphere

was electric and the dancing was just unbelievable. I remember standing on the edge of the dance floor and looking in ore at this black guy spinning, it was as if he was an ice skater. I saw him many times after that at Wigan (funny never saw him anywhere else) and tried many times to emulate his spin, never managed it. From what I remember I was pretty crap at it and soon ditched that idea.

Another memory of the first ever visit was a guy coming up to me about 2:00 in the morning and asking me if I had any gear! I hadn’t a clue what he was on about, I said “sorry mate, I haven’t”. The guy walked off. I went over to my mate “Horace” real name Brian and asked what this “gear” was. He just about pissed himself laughing and from that day on I was introduced.

Wigan does hold many memories for me but so to do many of the other nighters. I would have done more if I had the money. I was in a similar situation an apprentice Engineer, shit job and shit money. I think my

nights out attributed to them giving me the push. I didn’t learn I then became an apprentice mechanic. This wasn’t too bad at least I could do work on the side and make enough dosh to finance my love of the music.

Mr M’s was really good although it did get cramped; the Friday’s oldies nights were my favourite nights as the atmosphere and the sounds were the best for me. Worst ever night for me was the night I had ate something bad

in the day or had some dodgy gear and ended spending most of my evening in those infamous Wigan casino toilets. Bad cramps and shits, certainly put a downer on it and the drive home was one of the fastest ever I tore the M6 up

Obviously Wigan for me was the real "Mecca" excuse the pun. With living in Hinckley (near Leicester and Coventry) there were a lot of good venues playing some real quality sounds. Some of my favourites were Coalville, Stafford, Peterborough, Birmingham Locarno, Derby assembly rooms, Nottingham Palais and of course Hinckley which had a few different venues but the Leisure centre being the best known of them. I was on the committee that started the Hinckley Soul club and regularly held venues in the St John’s Ambulance Hall. We had a good relationship with Brian Rae and a few others. From here we soon built up a good local membership with many from Hinckley and Nuneaton. We had enough to fill a 52-seater coach up to Wigan on a few occasions. I wish I still had all my records, still I have just ordered a couple of Goldmine CD’s which have various sounds. I have also downloaded various tracks off the net to create my own CD. I would like many more if you have any I would be very interested. I would also be interested in more info on local venues. I doubt if I could get a pass to an all nighter, especially with the kids being young and the wife not understanding this inner desire that I have.

Well that is enough from me, drop me mail it would be good to hear from you. Did you ever get to meet any of the Hinckley or Nuneaton guys on your travels? Sounds like you had a good crew in Cambridge; I did meet guys whose local venue was St Ives. I never manage to get there myself, perhaps I should have done.

Hi Dave,

What an e-mail, It sounds like you too have experienced a similar teenage years and early twenties as I did.

Thanks Dave,

 I've never been anybody's 

best new web site before.

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I am proud of this e-mail, 

it is from the famous Billy Griffin, 

the ex-lead singer of the Miracles.

Check his web site on the links page.

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I think this is a lovely e-mail from 

Loris in Belgium.

It shows how wonderful the web is 

for bringing soul fans from all over 

the world closer together.

I would love to get one from Russia!!!

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I have been a serious plastic junky since I started collecting in 1972 and still collect fairly seriously,  mostly Detroit (Motown.ric-tic etc etc). I have just remembered another serious collector from Cambridge "Rambler"is he still around?  well enough from me...drop me a line if you like.

These are the e-mails I like to get, 

from people who were around 

Cambridge in the seventies that 

knew the same crew, danced the

same dance floors as I did and also 

who look back to the scene with 

fondness.

keep 'em coming!

Seems to be a lot of old soulies

 called Dave doesn't there

Noel Nelson, Worksop.

of you to say so!!

Great to hear from the 

upside down Country

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