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Marking the passing of Ovide label owner Skipper Lee Frazier, I've taken the liberty of reprinting an excerpt from my second book of one of the label's most talented groups (no, not Archie and his boys): The TSU Toronadoes (a.k.a. Toronados) from Houston, Texas: They were really were a band behind a band. Ironically whilst very under-recognised outside of rare soul circles, they were responsible for one of the most instantly recognisable 1960s soul dance classics “Tighten Up”. Archie Bell and the Drells may have been credited for this track; indeed vocals were provided by Archie. In reality it was...

This week Keith Rylatt, author of Groovesville USA tells us of his introduction to soul, his writing project experiences to date and a new book due to be unleashed very soon: "A visit to the Bee Gee Club in Leeds in 1965 gave me the taste for Soul and Motown before studying it in more depth at Manchester’s Twisted Wheel and Pendulum clubs. As far as reading about soul was concerned it was through Blues & Soul magazine then Shout, Hot Buttered Soul and the plethora of Northern Soul fanzines of the 1970s. Following contributions to some of these, especially HBS (later...

A number of R&B vocal groups and solo artists who were popular in the 1960s onwards in the south eastern states can be held up as examples of appeal to both the beach music and northern soul scenes. The Showmen are surely among the most notable, with a legacy covering their doo-wop origins in the 1950s; beach classics of the early sixties such as “It Will Stand” and “39-21-46”; the northern soul evergreen tracks like “Our Love Will Grow”; a lengthy interlude when their lead vocalist left to front Chairmen of the Board; and a reformed group (albeit with different...

An excerpt from Rhythm Message by yours truly: The Jokers Wild were originally an all-white Richmond, VA band formed by some Tucker High School friends in late 1964, as an off-shoot from The Regents. Members originally included Buzz Montsinger (saxophone, and relative of Chip Wood from The Greater Experience), Randy Moss (lead guitar), Wayne Leake (bass) and Greg Duncan (trumpet). They were managed initially by John Richardson and his partner, promoters who went by the name of “The Society of Richmond Orgies”, and then later by Charlie Bradshaw. The band name was extended when their manager introduced black vocalist Bernard...

Yes, this tome has been a long time coming. In two ways. Not only reflected by the journey author Dave Moore and graphic designer Jason Thornton have had from book conception to publication, spanning over at least six-plus years I believe - although the precursors which got them there cross a lifetime of a love of soul music, and at that, on both sides of the Atlantic. A book like this has also been well overdue from a musical reference perspective. Thankfully for the soul music scene there appears to be a current surge of material from new and established...