Greg's Definition

To get the full advantage of Greg's explanation please visit his site...It's well good.

What is Northern Soul? Well, there are other sites on the web that have more detailed definitions, but I'll just say it's a style of music that has been played mostly in clubs of northern England since the 1960's. It's the music of Black America: soul music with a certain danceable beat, most commonly heard on the records that Motown made during it's golden era in the mid 1960's.

Pretty much everyone knows what Motown is, right? What the average person does not know is that there were thousands of other entrepreneurs trying to capitalize on the sound that Berry Gordy made famous with his Motown label. All over the US, there were tiny record labels all attempting to get a sizable hit on their own artists in the style of the Four Tops or the Temptations.

It is to these less successful music makers that the Northern Soul scene is indebted. The DJ's in northern England's dance clubs discovered this music when it was new, and they have never given up on finding "new" records with a similar sound that have never before been played in those clubs.

So what's an American like me doing getting involved in this? I don't know...things just happen. I don't know too many other Americans who are into it, but most of my friends who like soul like at least some of the same things I like.

Anyway, this is the music I collect and this site is dedicated to all those who wanted to score a big hit with their little records, but, for whatever reason, failed.