This week we have Dave Moore, author of The There's That Beat Guide to The Philly Sound telling us about the origins of his musical interests and the long journey which led to the colossal work documenting the history of soul and R&B in Philadelphia; a true 'must have' for any collector of the genre:
"The record collecting gene has been part of my DNA for as long as I can remember. Having discovered soul music in my teens in the mid '70s, I fell hook line and sinker for the lush productions of Van McCoy, the sweet arrangements of Thom Bell and of course, the pounding dancers from Berry Gordy’s Motown empire. I attended all the usual haunts of the 1970's in UK around the country. In the pre-internet days, the record bars of venues were our source of education. As my knowledge slowly grew I became fixated with record labels, artists, musicians, producers and anyone associated with the creation of the music emanating from those little seven inch vinyl platters. So began a journey that led me to record their stories for posterity. In 1981 I embarked on a career as a professional soldier. The interest in soul music accompanied me through the next 25 years of wandering around the world in a career that saw me have limited opportunities to enjoy the UK Northern Soul scene. However it led me to search out my musical heroes and documenting their lives whilst building up a large (ish) record collection. I migrated to the USA in 2003 where I met a kindred spirit in Jason Thornton, who not only possessed a love of music but also wonderful design skills that I marvelled at! We embarked on a ‘labour of love’ establishing ‘There’s That Beat!’ magazine; a full colour glossy quarterly affair that allowed us to present our musical heroes lives in a vibrant fashion. We created 11 issues over 3 years. Although we stopped publishing that magazine in 2008, amazingly, people still search out issues now and so we have kept the website current at www.theresthatbeat.com. My wife Bev and I also established the Hitsville Soul Club there which, to my knowledge was the first US dedicated Northern Soul Weekender. In 2008 I moved to Spain and continued with the Hitsville Soul Weekenders to the point where we are celebrating our 12th Annual Event in 2016. In 2010 I was approached by a Swedish publisher (Wilhelm of Premium Publishing), with a proposal that I write a book about the soulful history of Philadelphia. I contacted Jason to discuss whether we could commit to such a project. After a period of discussion we agreed that we would take on the task but we needed to do it our way, reflecting the production values of the music and the music creators that we loved and respected so much. Wilhelm agreed and we were off and running. Fast forward to September 2016 and the project finally came to fruition, with 690 lushly produced, full colour, glossy pages documenting the history the City Of Brotherly Love’s rise as one of the iconic musical cities of the America. The response to the book has been overwhelming and has validated all that late night burning of the midnight oil, and at times trudging around Philly in the rain trying to access long forgotten addresses and people. Was it all worth it, six years of blood sweat and tears for Jason and I? You betcha bottom dollar it was! The book is available from the pages of A Nickel And A Nail. Jason and I would like to thank Mark for his support throughout the writing of the book and wish him well with this fantastic online bookstore venture."
Order details and blurb on The Philly Sound by Dave Moore (author) and Jason Thornton (graphic designer) is available in the new book section.