Soul Weekenders: 2002 to the present
March 8th - 11th 2002 | #1
Artist List:
Shabazz
Ray Pollard
Tony Middleton
Gary Des'Etages
Click Here for Artist page
February 28th - March 3rd 2003 | #2
Artist List:
Ann Nesby
Headquarters
Gwen Owens
Lou Pride
Don Gardner
Gary Des'Etages
Click Here for Artist page
March 5th - 8th 2004 | #3
Artist List:
Phil Perry
Gary Des'Etages
Baby Washington
Melvin Davis
Cody Black
Bobby Hutton
Click Here for Artist page
March 4th - 7th 2005 | #4
Artist List:
Adriana Evans
Lorraine Chandler
James Bell
Melvin Davis
Eddie Parker
Troy Keyes
Click Here for Artist page
March 17th - 20th 2006 | #5
Artist List:
Barrington Scott Henderson
Nolan Porter
Lou Ragland
The Precisions
Donni Burdick
Dean Courtney
Kenny Thomas
The Masqueraders
Click Here for Artist page
March 15th - 19th 2007 | #6
Artist List:
Meli'sa Morgan
Pat Lewis
Roy Roberts
Morris Chestnut
Dee Dee Sharp
Prince Phillip Mitchell
Kathy Brown
Click Here for Artist page
February 28th - March 3rd 2008 | #7
Artist List:
Wade O Brown
Afro Elements
Pete Simpson
Gloria Jones
The Del Larks
Jerry Williams
Gwen Owens
The Precisions
Click Here for Artist page
March 8th - 11th 2009 | #8
Artist List:
Marcell & The Truth
Incognito
Bobby Patterson
Eula Cooper
Lenis Guess
Benny Troy
The Volumes
Click Here for Artist page
March 19th - 21st 2010 | #9
Artist List:
Kenny Bobien & Stephanie Cooke
Tortured Soul
William 'Smoke' Howard
The Hesitations
Kenny Hamber
Sidney Barnes
Mary Love
Click Here for Artist page
Prestatyn Legends of Motown & Soul Weekenders
Oct 12th - 15th 2007 | #3
Artist List:Damon Harris's Temptations
Bobby Taylor
Jimmy James and the Vagabonds
Richie Pitts
Tee Turner
Click Here for Artist page
October 10th - 13th 2008 | #4
Click Here for
The Spinners
Afro Elements
Kim Weston
The Real Thing
Artist page
October 9th - 12th 2009 | #5
Artist List:Artist List:
Chuck Jackson
Marc Evans
Angelo Starr & The Team
Click Here for Artist page
Write-ups from previous years....
March 15th - 19th 2007
Steve Hanbury
March had arrived and that could only mean one thing. It was time for another northern and modern soul weekender at Prestatyn. Once again, the Midnight Hour crew had lined up not only some fantastic artists, but also some the country’s top northern and modern soul DJ’s to play over the weekend. The thing is that it is no longer just a weekend event. Invited guests were allowed on site on the Wednesday afternoon. Paying guests could take advantage of an extra Thursday night session, and with room vacation set at 10am on the Monday morning, it was almost a week long affair.
Not all rooms were in operation on the Thursday night as it was more of a meet and greet for both artists and guests. The party went on until the early hours and when the Queen Vic closed its doors, everyone moved into the main bar area.
Friday arrived and throughout the day a steady flow of cars entered the complex. By early evening it became quite apparent that, once again, the event was going to be full to capacity. In the main bar area record dealers, clothing retailers and memorabilia merchandisers had their wares on show. The choice was overwhelming.
It was early afternoon when the main room opened. Rick Bramhall and Mort took care of proceedings until the evening session. The Soultown crew had the decks to themselves in the Queen Vic while in the House Of Soul, the “Soul Intent” collective played the very best in all things modern and even managed a superb 70’s connoisseur’s selection midway through.
The modern room began to fill towards midnight as the crowd waited for the first live act of the weekend. Meli’sa Morgan’s arrival on stage was met with thunderous applause which echoed around the huge arena. Wearing an off white leather dress she was clearly visible, even for those standing at the back. Two huge screens hanging either side of the stage displayed projected images of her performance which, I have to say, was faultless. Her vocal talent hadn’t changed from her days in the charts way back in the eighties and she performed note perfect throughout.
With the performance over, the crowd dispersed and went to whichever room suited their needs. In Redemption, Dave Raistrick, Brian Rae and Keith Minshull were just some of the names playing the best of northern soul oldies. Soul Sam & Cliff Steele were in the House Of Soul providing a fine selection of everything post 1970. In the main arena were the “big guns”. Some of the scene’s rarest and more exclusive 45’s were being played by the likes of Butch, Mick H, Andy Dyson and Arthur Fenn and it was down to the die-hards who saw the action through until 8am.
Saturday arrived and the previous night’s efforts showed on many faces. A few beers soon sorted things out. The various rooms sprang in to action around midday with their respective music styles. Of particular interest was the 70’s crossover session in the modern arena. There a brief respite as Roy Roberts took to the stage for an intimate set of new material from his latest album. He was followed by a “Soul in The Sun” reunion featuring one of the main faces to be found at the Ritz in Brighouse, Graham Slater. With his usual blend of classy 70’s soul and quality oldies he had the talc covered floor buzzing.
With tea out of the way, it was a quick wash and brush up before heading out for the big Saturday showcase. And what a show it was too. Pat Brady was in the main hall playing some of the tracks which had made him famous on the scene during the latter days of the Casino and the Stafford era. By midnight, the floor, the tiered seating areas and all available space in the bar area had been taken by seemingly everyone on site. Not a spare standing place was to be had. The compere came on stage and expressed his thanks for the support of the crowd. He then introduced the Midnight Hour Band who paid tribute to the recently departed Stanley Mitchell, he was actually booked to appear on the line up but sadly passed away before getting the chance to see that his music is far from forgotten. The band played a superb rendition of “Get It Baby” which earned much applause from the crowd. The evenings first act dressed in a bright red ¾ length suit, Morris Chestnut bounded on stage to the strains of “Destination You” which he had originally performed with the Attractions. “Tell Me” followed, and then “Ooh Baby, Baby”, a track he had requested to sing as it was his favourite Motown single. His antics on stage had people either applauding or laughing as he did the “dying fly” along with a couple of attempted forward rolls. His hat came off more than once, as did his glasses but he managed to find them and, after performing the much anticipated “Too Darn Soulful”, he left the stage, clothing intact.
Next up was Roy Roberts, again sporting a cap. If he was as agile as Morris then he didn’t show it. He concentrated on giving a note perfect performance and, sure enough, he didn’t disappoint. His three song set consisted of “I Know What to Do (To Satisfy You)”, “Got To Have All Your Love” and a track taken from his new CD “If You Can’t Put It Out, Don’t Light My Fire”. Again rapturous applause resonated around the huge room surely leaving Roy fulfilled as he left the stage. As always, there is surprise act in the line-up. This year it was hoped that Mel Britt would be that such act. Passport problems prevented that. Pat Lewis, stalwart of the live circuit had been drafted in as a worthy replacement. For someone who was heading back to the States two days later for throat surgery, she looked and sounded better than she has for a while. She performed the Adorables track “Ooh Boy” with glorious ease and ended with “No One To Love”. The crowd was obviously very happy to see her and gave her full support as always.
What happened next will stay with many of the gathered people for the rest of their lives. Never has Phillip Mitchell had such a welcome on his visits to the UK as he got at Prestatyn. The floor bounced and the walls trembled as the crowd went crazy. Any problems he may have experienced in rehearsals were forgotten as he sang the opening lines of “One On One”. It was an absolutely faultless performance and earned a response never heard before at this weekend event. But it was far from over. Phillip went through a set of his classics, even though some of them had been written for others. “Keep On Talking” and “I’m Gonna Build California All Over The World” were two of Phillips recordings. Although written by him, his version of the Bobby Womack recorded “Home Is Where The Heart Is” was outstanding, as was his rendition of Bobby Sheen’s “Something New To Do”. Phillip returned to his own recordings for the last two songs. “Free For All” received a great response from the crowd, but it was the anthemic “I’m So Happy” that literally brought the house down. His showmanship and vocal ability had put Phillip Mitchell in the Prestatyn hall of fame and it was a real honour to have witnessed such a show. There was no respite and when Dee Dee Sharp walked on stage, the deafening noise made by the crowd continued. She immediately went into “Deep, Dark Secret”, a track that has been revered on the northern scene over the last three or four years. Next came the R&B flavoured “Coming Home Baby” which won amazing applause. “Standing In The Need Of Love” and “Happy About The Whole Thing” were again lapped up by the crowd, but there was just one track they were waiting for. The place erupted when the band played the opening chords of “What kind Of Lady”. Dee Dee performed the song admirably and, when her set was over, all the artists returned to the stage for one final united sing-a-long. This was, without doubt, the best showcase yet from the Prestatyn crew. But the weekend was far from over.
Again, when the acts had finally left the stage, the crowd dispersed and frequented the rooms of their choice. Many went into the modern room to celebrate Andy “Tats” Taylor’s 50th birthday in a Pitches revival session. Pitches will be remembered by many as being the venue to go to in Rotherham during the mid to late nineties. “Tats”, along with Sean Hampsey, John Benson and Kev Briscoe began the nights after the demise of the Canal Tavern nights in Thorne. Reliving what they had created, “Tats” and the gang once again played the best in 70’s and modern for which Pitches was renowned and the birthday bash continued for the rest of the night.
The weekend was taking its toll on many but there was still more action to come. On Sunday afternoon, yet another live act graced the stage. This time in the modern room, Kathy Brown played to another packed house and earned the respect of soul fans old and new. She even managed to entice some of the football fans in who had been sat in the Queen Vic all day watching the big screen. There was more crossover to be heard in both the House Of Soul and the Queen Vic (after the football had finished of course) proving that the interest has really shifted onto this style. There was a real party atmosphere in both the main rooms and walking between the two it became apparent that the music being played was quite similar. The Philly influence was instantly recognisable and, at one point, Lou Rawls’ “See You When I Git There” was played at the same time in both rooms. The crowd had thinned out dramatically by this time but again, there was an element of die-hard soul fans that saw the night out, finally getting ejected from the building at 3.30am.
There were many weary faces the following morning as cars were packed and chalets were vacated but already the topic of conversation revolved around next years event. Only twelve months to go then!
March 17th - 20th 2006
Steve Hanbury
Prestatyn played host to another weekend of all things soulful in March. Final figures suggest that there were in excess of 3500 soul fans in attendance. That certainly showed during the Saturday night live performance. Looking out from the stage, the arena was awash with a crowd more suited to a U2 concert. The raised seating was full, the floor was shoulder to shoulder and, with the curtains drawn back, even the record and merchandise area was hammered to say the least. That was Saturday night, but the weekend had begun much earlier.
Thursday had originally been set aside for the elite few, namely, the guest list. Word had got around and all of a sudden everyone wanted in on the act. And so it began. There must have been around 1000 folks descend on the venue for an early start. Only a couple of the rooms were in action with the main focus being in the bar. Pontins must have been rubbing their hands at the thought of all that beer flowing through the pumps. A few beers in and I sat down for a chat with Dennis Gilmore of the Precisions. We had chatted on the phone beforehand. On the other side of me was Doni Burdick, someone I had not previously met. With those beers inside me, I’m sure he delighted in me telling him he should be black! What a great guy. The first time in the UK and he had to take what was tantamount to racial abuse from a half cut fan. An apology the following day was unnecessary as I had said nothing untoward.
All the artists were there, getting to grips with what the scene was about. Most of them hadn’t had this kind of adulation since their demise from the recording business, not that there had been demise as far as the soul fans were concerned. Thursday became a blur, not just for me, but for most people. Friday was the start of the real weekend, albeit nothing more than a continuation of Thursday!
For those already on site, wake up time was… rather late. It was a chance to catch the Masqueraders rehearsing in the afternoon, the other acts having already rehearsed on the Thursday afternoon. The onslaught of eager soul fans arriving for the event continued throughout the day and soon every parking space had been taken. The number of people attending became apparent early Friday evening. The main bar area was wall to wall with bodies.
All five arenas had something going on at some point. In the main northern room, Ian Gee, Glynn Sisson, Sam Moore and Al Taylor had set the pace during the afternoon. More DJ’s followed with classic oldies, current floor fillers and in-demand rare soul until 10pm. Co-organiser John Poole took to the decks and whittled down the more athletic dancers to find the winners of the annual dance competition sponsored by this very publication. Pat Brady, Mick H, Butch and the other “big guns” saw the rest of the night through with some of the scenes rarest sides to the delight of the crowd.
In the modern soul arena, the action kicked off at 8pm with Gareth Donovan and Steve Jackson supplying the tunes. Showtime arrived at midnight with the first of the weekends live acts. Former Temptation, Barrington Scott Henderson took to the stage backed by a full band. With two decades in the business, the Washington born artist has worked with Miles Davis, Phil Perry and the group Lakeside. He debuted with the Temptations on the album “Phoenix Rising and featured many of the tracks in his performance. He also performed tracks from the follow up “Ear-Resistible” and his solo release “Best Kept Secret”. With his wonderful vocal style, he certainly had the crowd in awe. Even the other artists were lost for words after watching his performance.
After their performance last year, Bobby and Steve from Zoo Groove Stereo had made the return visit to the modern room. Once again they proved to be very popular with those who appreciate the garage side of soul, although it wasn’t just garage that they played. The floor remained busy throughout the set and with a little luck; they will be back again next year.
There were still three more rooms to visit and we were already more than half way through the night. The Queen Vic had shut at 11:30pm although fleeting visits showed that the “Lifeline” crew were having a ball. Andy McCabe, Soul Sam, Mick H, Andy Dyson and Chalky played various sets featuring the very best of rare and obscure sides.
While all this was going on, an oldies all nighter was taking place in Redemption. This was the place to hear the tunes of yesteryear. The likes of Dave Raistrick, Mort and Brian Rae delved deep to find some of the lesser aired tracks on which the scene was built. The darkened room was certainly atmospheric and full of dedicated sixties fans.
The final room was home to connoisseur’s soul. The very appropriately named “House Of Soul” had an almost Bedouin feel to it and the music was nothing short of superb proving that crossover soul is at a peak at present. Sam, Steve Jackson & Dave Ripolles were but a few who played excellent sets throughout the night. The best record accolade will undoubtedly go to Norris Vines with “Give In”, a tune that is set for much turntable action in the coming months with one just selling on e-Bay for no less than $1300!
Saturday arrived and once again there were quite a few sore heads on campus. Strange then how almost everyone who entered went straight to the bar. Obviously the liver is evil and deserves to be punished. It was the big night and all eyes were looking towards the stages in both the northern and modern rooms.
The action continued in all the other rooms but they all went quiet as the Masqueraders took to the modern room stage. At a guess, around 1800 people were there to witness the UK’s first full show from the guys. They were truly on form and eased through “Dock Of The Bay”, “I’m So Proud”, “My Girl”, dedicated to Jakki Ibberson from Worksop and “I Ain’t Gonna Love Nobody”. Applause echoed around the room for their renditions of “Average Guy”, “Let’s Stay Together” and “One More Chance”. “Mustang Sally” was dedicated to close friend and recently departed Wilson Pickett. “How”, “Ain’t No Love” and “How Big Is Big” followed leading to the finale of the much anticipated “Do You Love Me Baby”. This one track had the crowd dancing and singing their hearts out. There came a brief encore with an extended version “Same Thing”. With barely a note out of place, the Masqueraders had shown Prestatyn what group harmony is all about.
It was back to the DJ’s after the show and, although only 30 minutes long, the set of the weekend award went to Graham Slater, appearing as part of Eddy Edmondson’s “Soul In The Sun” reunion. Never stuck in a rut, our Graham played everything from Kenny Thomas’ “Crazy World” to Bobby Hutton’s “Lend A Hand”. Superb stuff from one of Yorkshire’s finest!
While Graham was lost in a world of mid-tempo magic, the Queen Vic had gone all Rhythm &Blues with an R&B spectacular featuring the inimitable Roger Banks along with Pete Coulson and the Hideaway Crew. A bigger dance floor would have accommodated all those gathered so, on this occasion, the carpet became a fine substitute.
Looking from the stage at around 11pm, one would have thought they were at Manchester Arena rather than Prestatyn. The floor, the seating areas and the opened up merchandise area was quite literally a sea of faces. Surely the 3500 revellers on site had gathered in this one hall. It was time for the “Midnight Hour Revue”. The band took to the stage and opened with a fine version of “Bari Track”. Lou Ragland doesn’t have a vast repertoire, but why should he when all everyone wanted to hear was “I Travel Alone”. It went down a storm proving he can still hit the notes. It was followed by “Since You Said You’d Be Mine” and with the applause still echoing, Rob re-emerged to bring on the surprise act. Doni Burdick leapt on stage like a man possessed. He was if anything, a little over eager and stumbled a little with his version of “Open The Door To Your Heart”. Like any true professional who forgets the words, he ad-libbed. It became somewhat irrelevant as the crowd were singing the song for him anyway. The magnificent “Candle” was followed by Doni’s best of the three, “I Have Faith In You”. He may not have sung for some time, but in that one song you could still appreciate that he had a power house of a voice. The following two acts had caused quite a buzz and anticipation showed on the faces in the crowd. An immaculately dressed Dean Courtney smoothly walked on stage and went straight into the Wigan anthem “I’ll Always Love You”. Note perfect and vocally strong, Dean was in his element. “Love (You Just Can’t Walk Away)” followed and personally, I would have loved to have heard more from this quiet, well-mannered performer. After speaking to Nolan Porter both on the phone and at the beginning of the weekend, I was eager to see how he would react to what he was about to face. Up for it would be an understatement. His true talent has never left him. Hearing him perform “If I Could Only Be Sure” was just like listening to the record. Nolan then went into “Oh Baby”, but the best was yet to come. People have their own ides of what makes a northern soul anthem. Maybe it’s the music, the lyrics, the arrangement, or even the obscurity of a label, to a certain extent. When you have all of these and a title that simply sums up soul music, now that’s an anthem. “Keep On Keeping On” had the crowd spellbound and in a trance. You could see that they wanted to dance, but there simply wasn’t room. Befitting of a seaside venue, human waves ebbed and flowed across the packed dance floor. Nolan came, saw and conquered Prestatyn with a performance that will go down in weekender history.
After a string of solo performances, it was down to the groups. Dennis Gilmore and the Precisions were first on stage. A few minor hiccups with guitars, amps and all things electrical were some overcome when they went into “Instant Heartbreak”. With “Sugar Ain’t Sweet”, “Such Misery” and “Why Girl” following, all but one record was left. It was no surprise when the band played the intro to “If This Is Love”. This was without doubt the best track from the Precisions. What was a surprise was when the Masqueraders came back on stage for a couple of numbers. “How” and “It’s The Same Thing” seemed better received than six hours earlier. Maybe that was simply due to the size of the crowd. All the other artists joined the Masqueraders on stage for a finale and in a final sing song over “Bari Track”, they all left to thunderous applause which seemed to last a lifetime. All that and a jamming session singing “King Of The Road”. How far removed from northern is that?
Ginger Taylor, Butch, Tim Brown and Soul Sam saw much of the rest of the night through in the northern room. The connoisseur’s soul continued in the modern room while Redemption catered for the oldies crowd again. Spoiled for choice, it was very much a case of wandering around and going into whichever room happened to be playing the music of your choice.
Oh those sore heads again! I had invited the Masqueraders and James Bell for breakfast. James always sticks true to his word and at 11am prompt, he was knocking on the door. Pinny on, it was out with the pans and time to play Jesus. Could the contents of our fridge really feed what seemed to be 5000? Luckily, it did. The remaining cans of Fosters were cracked open (before the full English) and we were set to party again. Without going over old ground, the music was happening in most of the rooms. Football was on the big screen TV in the Queen Vic. All eyes, however, were on the modern room. Neil Rushton presented a “suSU Showcase”. Neil mixed, percussion played and visuals were watched courtesy of a huge drop down screen in the middle of the dance floor. It may be a ‘dance now’ situation, but it could well be a ‘northern soul future’ as far as many are concerned. Star of the afternoon was without doubt one of the UK’s finest performers. Kenny Thomas, cool and casual stepped on stage and instantly wowed the crowd with “Crazy World”. Why that man isn’t still in the charts I’ll never know. Kenny has a superb voice and deserves recognition beyond the northern scene. After all, we need someone like him not only to fly the UK soul flag, but to educate the youth of today who insist on listening to Rap crap and drab pop (although the current Gnarls Barkley number one is fantastic as far as I’m concerned). Kenny continued with all of his UK hits and had the crowd spellbound with his performance. He really is a voice to be reckoned with.
From that point on it was chill-out time, and chill we did. Prestatyn 2006 was a resounding success. The acts, the DJ’s the people and the merchandisers all made it into something a little bit special. Can next year get any better? Well, we will just have to wait and see.
Oct 12th - 15th 2007
Steve Hanbury
The journey down to North Wales was made much easier because the council have finally managed to finish road works which have seemingly been in progress for the last year and a half. The event started early with the venue opening its doors to the public on the Thursday night. It was a chance to meet and greet the artists lined up for the weekend’s entertainment. Friday night saw Jimmy James and the Vagabonds taking to the stage in the modern room. The set included their hits of the seventies but much more too.
The Saturday night showcase featured former Canadian, but now living in Beijing, Bobby Taylor. “Oh, I’ve Been Blessed” was the one everyone wanted to hear and earned much applause when the band played the opening bars. What a shame he didn’t do “Don’t Be Afraid”. Two of the three original Vandellas were joined by Detroit stalwart Pat Lewis to run through many of the hits which made the band famous when they were fronted by Martha Reeves. The final act was billed as Damon Harris’ “Tribute To The Temptations”. Damon was a second generation member of the famed band between late 1970 and 1975 and featured on many of the hits during their period of musical change. After singing to the other members individually, it was left to founding member Otis Williams to make the decision as to whether or not Damon was “in”. He was subsequently invited to watch one of the band’s shows and it was Melvyn Franklyn who took him aside and told him to start learning the material. The rest, as they say, is history. Fast forward to 2007 and Damon Harris, having been an original in one form or another, has put together his tribute to the famous band. Their show featured everything that the Temps have been famous for with all the expected hits being performed. There could have been an ironic situation had they been performing “Ball Of Confusion”. The fire alarms rang and everyone, Temps, Vandellas and all, had to evacuate the building. It dampened the proceedings but not as much had the sprinklers been set in action.
With the showcase over, it was down to the DJ’s to provide the rest of the night’s entertainment. Nige Brown, Mort, Rob Smith and Brian Rae amongst others continued the northern and Motown feel in the main hall. In the modern room, or should I say commercial room on this occasion, Kev Jones, Snowy and that man Rob Smith again, continued through until the 4am close. In “Broadside”, Steve Jackson, Tats Taylor, Dave Ripolles and Steve Hobbs took care of all things post seventies.
The action continued on Sunday with more from the DJ’s. As an added bonus, Tee Turner, who also appeared as part of the Temps line up, headlined a performance which also featured Pat Lewis, the Vandellas and Louvaine Demps of the Andantes as backing singers. The night was soon over and all sights were set on the next event in March.
Soul Sam’s Sunday Afternoon Set: Prestatyn 2007
1. J T Brown – Candy From A Baby
2. Willie T - Teasing You
3. Fidelics - Summer Love
4. Bobby Wilburn - I’m A Dreamer
5. Ebola - Follow Me
6. TNT - Something On My Mind
7. Summit - Can’t Get Over Losing You
8. Arthur Willis - The Hurting Is Over
9. George Hobson – Let It Be Real
10. Sly, Slick & TheWicked – Never Had A Girl Like You
11. The Answers – Thinking Of You
12. Ice – Reality
13. Natural Impulse – She Went Away
14. E Lampkin – Music Turn Me Loose
15. Chuck Holiday – Just Can’t Trust You