“I actually played the second ever all-nighter on Sep 30, 1973,” explains Roberts. When the Torch closed the music really was top-draw in Tunstall and that had a really positive effect on the opening of the Casino, no doubt about it, with tracks like Here I Go Again and Love on a Mountain Top. Meanwhile, the Mecca gradually mixed in the sounds of The Carstairs’ It Really Hurts Me Girl and Gil Scott-Heron’s The Bottle. want to know what's going on in a warehouse near you? The 10,000 people who were originally part of that movement can’t still be going out, so the music must have been passed down through friends, family and the modern-day wonders of technology. Wigan Casino Gallery. In 1978 Wigan Casino was named Best Disco in the World by American music magazine Billboard, beating the infamous New York club, Studio 54. In 2009, a copy sold for 25,742 pounds. Top 50 Club Chart at the Wigan Casino, Wigan, England, as compiled by Ian "Frank" Dewhirst in the book Last Night A DJ Saved My Life by Bill Brewster & Frank Broughan. Long John Baldry on stage at Wigan Casino in the late 1960s. Walker, manager of the club, hatched the idea for a new all-nighter in Wigan and brought in Winstanley’s from his sets at Central Park rugby club as head DJ. “Russ [Winstanley] had a record stall at the time and got in touch with Simon too, so a lot of the Wigan rarities in the first few years were sourced through him. Wigan went through a period of continually playing the same records, some of which had been played for years. He soon enlisted the help of Kev Roberts, Martyn Ellis and, slightly later, Richard Searling to rival the Mecca’s established lineup. Wigan Casino had a certain cachet that would be unrecognisable for young people today. “The thing about Wigan, though,” Roberts continues, “is that it left a huge legacy in its own right and I’d say that’s because it was open for eight years – much longer than any of the other allnighters going previously at the Wheel or the Torch. If you were ever a Casino regular, I wouldn't be surprised if this has you in tears, not only at the end, but also listening to the atmosphere … Required fields are marked *. That’s 40,000 dollars, Americans. I Don’t Want To Go To Chelsea. The Casino stage also played host to an impressive alumni of live acts, and artists like Edwin Starr and Jackie Wilson were noted for their powerful performances. That proved to be a bit of a masterstroke and added to the reputation.”. The list goes on. The three tracks were "Time Will Pass You By" by Tobi Legend, "I'm On My Way" by Dean Parrish and "Long After Tonight Is All Over" by Jimmy Radcliffe. • This is the first ever Northern Soul compilation devoted to the Wigan Casino’s iconic “oldies” room — Mr M’s – featuring 100% oldies chosen by the original resident DJs. "The honour was bestowed upon me to play the last ever record at Wigan Casino. The council wanted the building back, the scene had peaked and the true spirit of the Casino had changed. NS took it in a different direction , but it did have a life before NS. This new crowd of tourists descended on Wigan Casino, and Blackpool Mecca became for the purists who desperately wanted to keep going. Blues singer Baldry was 6ft. Aug 6, 2013 - Home of Northern Soul . “Blackpool was indeed our main competitor,” admits Searling, “but it was never personal. By the early 80s, although new discoveries were being made, the magic was on the wane. And here’s the real zinger – it was the last record ever played at Wigan Casino when it closed in 1981. Still, every allnighter culminated with the same three songs, the Three Before Eight: Tobi Legend, Jimmy Radcliffe and Dean Parrish. Key tracks between 1973-74 included World Without Sunshine by Sandra Phillips, I've Gotta Find Me Somebody by The Velvelettes and I'll Always Need You by Dean Courtney. Even still, the scene at that time was evolving: nights at Va Va’s in Bolton, the Catacombs in Wolverhampton and dayers like the Top Rank in Hanley flew their flags high, while Colin Curtis and Ian Levine had sealed their spots at the Mecca’s Highland Room. The "Three Before Eight" in question were the last three records to be played when the allnighter ended at eight in the morning. The A-side is the track included on the chart, unless otherwise noted. tall and had a number one hit with "Let The Heartaches Begin" in 1967. The Northern scene has always been a nomadic fraternity, after all. • Includes a bonus disc featuring an exclusive interview with original Wigan Casino and Mr M’s DJ Dave Evison, capturing the spirit of Mr M’s with personal memories of the place, the era and the music. There may be as many as five in existence, and if the unthinkable happens and you find one, you’re on to a winner. (Look, here it is. Dean Parrish (born Phil Anastasi, or alternatively Phil Anastasia circa 1942) is an American soul singer from New York, best known for the song, "I'm on My Way", which became famous for being the last record that was played at the last Northern Soul all-nighter at the Wigan Casino. That said, although the Mecca regulars – a typically Paul Smith-styled clan – turned their nose up at the iconic baggy-panted look favoured by the Wigan dancers, there were countless convoys between the two towns with the Mecca running 8pm to 2am just in time for the start of the Casino. Ian Levine – son of a casino owner in Blackpool – was feeding the Mecca’s playlist more than anybody at that time, at the turn of 1974; so where were the unknown Wigan DJs getting their records from in the early days? "It was called 'I'm On My Way' by Dean Parrish. Searling soon built a dedicated following and worked towards a more mid-tempo sound with tunes like Jackey Beavers’ I Need My Baby and Carol Anderson’s Sad Girl. Part 4 – Pure gold, and what might be described as Northern Soul’s biggest ever ‘find’, Frank Wilson’s Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) was originally released on Motown’s subsidiary label Soul in 1965. Your email address will not be published. Without a doubt the main criticism of the Casino was the stubborn reluctance to drop records before they had been released. Wigan Casino by Alex T. Frazer. However at the Casino, there was no alcohol license! Wigan Album Wigan Casino 49 Comments. Feature by Daniel Jones | 06 Apr 2015. Legend has it that he borrowed one of only two known original copies from Tom DePierro, a Motown exec, in 1977 before pressing 2,000 bootlegs on In Records under the name Eddie Foster; Soussan and others claim he bought the record from DePierro fair and square. They had a great following and so did we, and a lot of people made the trip between the two towns every weekend.”. For some unknown reason, there was an abundance of good northern soul records being played by Searling, but I think the problem was that Searling had become the new Levine. Winstanley had already stocked an impressive arsenal of US imports thanks to his uncle and contacts at Selectadisc. Russ Winstanley quote taken from Chris Hunt’s article. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2018 Vinyl release of "Wigan Casino Soul Club" on Discogs. What's On Chaos and controversy surrounding the final days of the legendary Wigan Casino nightclub laid bare in a new book The legendary Wigan Casino … A heartbreaking goodbye to the famous venue, but a moment in time which adds yet more lustre to the pure gold of the greatest record ever made*. “The Casino had its own identity, its own uniform, and it was generally in the right place at the right time. The last official all-nighter was held on September 19 1981. Not only a rare record, but a great record. Paul Mason’s prized Wigan Casino membership card. He was a real good record-finder, French-Moroccan, but he’d spent some time in the UK which is where I met him – in a Nottingham club called the Brit, actually. 2am, 23rd September, 1973. Station Road, Wigan. These records were generally more available than those heard in the main room. If the rivalry was never personal then it certainly was based on differences in tempo, style and fashion, and those differences spurred the progression of the scene for years to come. He was a face on the scene, a bit of a character, business-minded, but also had an unbelievable ear for these records. There's even the story of James Brown, who rocked up to the venue one night on the premise of a hefty booking fee, and peered down at dancefloor from the upstairs balcony, before eventually refusing Winstanley's invitation to play. Soussan, also a serial bootlegger, was ultimately responsible for sourcing many of Wigan gems in the early days and beyond, and even had a hand to play in the story of Frank Wilson’s ultra-rare Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) a few years later. My Brother Terry loved the Three before Eight, following his recent tragic passing, he left to the sounds of Dean Parrish for the last time. It was immediately a huge hit on the dancefloors and probably got me the gig at Wigan.”, Soft Cell know who to thank, then. From inside, the thump of The Sherrys’ Put Your Arms Around Me guides a stream of bodies, 600 or so, up a narrow flight of steps. DJ Russ Winstanley explains what happened when he came to play the traditional set-closing ‘three before eight‘: Their aim was to fill the niche left by the Torch and put Wigan on the map for a reason other than rugby league. 2am, 23rd September, 1973. Jul 16, 2017 - The last song played at Wigan Casino sung by Frank Wilson The next big mistake came in 1978. Wigan also had Mr M’s: a second room named after club owner Gerry Marshall and dedicated to playing forgotten oldies often heard at the Twisted Wheel and, later, the Torch – stuff like Ritchie Adams’s I Can’t Escape From You and The Incredibles’ There’s Nothing Else To Say. Wigan Casino was not only northern soul , when it was Known as the "EMP"/ Casino most met their wives and husbands ( to be ) in there , it was thriving before NS came to the notice of the music world . Searling clearly impressed during his residency at Va Va’s in Bolton and is, in fact, the guy who unearthed Gloria Jones’s Tainted Love. Oh, Wait.. When I got it home and dropped the needle I couldn’t believe the power and the urgency coming back out of the speakers. A word rom Gerry Marshall, the casino club's manager at the time. Coming Prepared Photo: RON HUNT Views: ... Met my wife at the casino 1971 When they had live groups not just playing records. Presumably Brown was just too damn funky for his own good. It picked up where the Torch left off, and I’d say that when the TV cameras turned up in 1977, that was the final milestone in the progression of the original Northern scene. Enter your email address below to get our weekly email newsletter. 2021 The Riverboat Captain, on Northern Soul – The Greatest Record Ever Made. Not only a rare record, but a great record. I boarded the train with Steve Ward and Mark Forryan to Wigan. Albert the last two photos are from the allnighters in the 1970's the ... to come to Wigan casino. Scorpions played Wigan Casino on 13 march 76, 20th Nov 76 (Virgin Killer Tour) and 24 April 77. I’m proud to say it’s a treasure chest that my generation discovered.”. This idea was coined by DJ Dave Evison, although Martyn Ellis used to finish with Dean Parrish anyway. I said I'd never play it again and I didn't. His music policy proved to be as strict as it was simple: keep playing the mid-60s rarities, stompers and classic oldies. This is an edited down document of the last ever 2 hours at Wigan casino, this was the 'real' end of an era allnighter (the hastily arranged second one doesn't count), this was obviously my last ever visit and it was a fantastic night, as you'll hear from this very emotional recording. Had my bag equipped with 24 cheese and brown sauce sandwiches, several bags of crisps and loads of bottles of pop. In the 1970s Northern Soul enthusiasts would travel from all over the country to the Saturday all-nighters at the casino club. I don’t know why, but I then played what has since become recognised as the best and most valuable Northern track ever, Frank Wilson’s ‘Do I Love You’. 7ins. The double doors of a grand ballroom – once known as The Empress – swing open in the Sunday morning mist. However, all good things must come to an end and the Wigan Casino and Northern Soul all-nighters were no exception to this rule. “It formed part of a two-pronged attack,” remembers Roberts. Welcome to the Wigan Casino Soul Club. check our clubbing highlights. See more ideas about northern soul, wigan, northern. Going to Wigan was all about the music and the dancing – nothing else mattered. An old dear called Mrs Woods mans the battlements at the top of the stairs, taxing 75p a head and pointing up another staircase, through another set of doors onto a gleaming maple-sprung dancefloor. Either way, the disc ended up in Winstanley's hands in 1978 ready for the Casino floor. “Simon was a contact I had in LA. © The DJ Russ Winstanley, playing Northern Soul tracks could certainly create the atmosphere and energy. Buy photo On the final night in December 1981, these three tracks were played three times consecutively; and have no doubt that they will continue to be played in bars, bathrooms and kitchens, on radios, hi-fis and newfangled android devices long after the end of that final night. Your email address will not be published. Everyone I knew of my age group went to the Casio every week . The Wigan Casino has a blue plaque. “It looked good as I had heard of Gloria and the producer Ed Cobb. Great site thanks :) Brilliant Record pinned page on Pinterest :). “I found that record on the floor of a warehouse in Philadelphia,” says Searling. And here’s the real zinger – it was the last record ever played at Wigan Casino when it closed in 1981. Many of the folks on that first night came clad in badges from the Twisted Wheel, Blackpool Mecca and the Torch all-nighter, which had recently shut in Tunstall after a precious 13-month lifespan. On September 23rd 1973, at 2am the time earlier allnighters started. Wigan Casino Dancers 1975, dancing Northern Soul They were the magical occasions that captivated a generation of Northern Soul fans – and Wigan Casino was at the heart of it all. Step forward Mike Walker and Russ Winstanley. Then, moving into 75-76, you'd likely hear the sounds of Dana Valery, Bunny Sigler and Lou Pride ringing round the main hall. The vocal line isn’t quite as strong as you’d expect if Smokey or Marvin had cut the tune. DJ Russ Winstanley explains what happened when he came to play the traditional set-closing ‘three before eight‘: I played them, and then I played them again, because people were just handclapping to the beat when the records had finished. A moving emotional end to the 8 years the casino ran. Catch Kev Roberts' Signal Soul every Saturday from 6pm on Signal 2, 1170am & DAB, Richard Searling also has a new weekly Northern Soul show on BBC Radio Manchester starting at 10pm on 10 Apr. We were hungry to get these records through and constantly on the phone to find out what each other had lined up to play next Saturday. Another former Wigan DJ who, like Kev Roberts, has done his fair share of record-hounding over the years is Richard Searling, who filled the spot as Russ Winstanley’s co-DJ following Roberts’s tenure. I played the last three records and drove out into the countryside and cried my eyes out.” The Highland Room, Mecca, Blackpool, 1965–1979 The only real rival to Wigan Casino was the Highland Rooms in Blackpool’s Mecca, where Ian Levine and Colin Curtis were the residents. Consequently the vast majority of the 250 demo discs were destroyed. You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can’t wipe your friends off on your saddle. None of that was important. Station Road, Wigan. Frank wanted to concentrate on producing, and Motown boss Berry Gordy would certainly have had him do that. So September 19th it was the day and night of the End of an era , the very last night at Wigan Casino and I was going. People from London with all the clubs they have. “The beauty of the second room was that the music reached the average bloke on the street as well as the die-hard soulie searching for rarities. I found this record whilst on a buying trip to Philadelphia in 1973, and it went on to be one of my biggest ever records at Wigan Casino in early 1974. The double doors of a grand ballroom – once known as The Empress – swing open in the Sunday morning mist. Of course, the scene is bigger now than it ever was. There were quite a lot of parcels coming to my mother’s door.”. Kev Roberts was one of Winstanley’s earliest recruits, and it’s interesting to hear him describe the relationship he developed with an infamous character named Simon Soussan – a relationship that turned out to be of inestimable value during Wigan’s formative years. Northern Soul – The Greatest Record Ever Made. What made this an “Oldies Room” as opposed to the main Wigan Casino when they both concentrated on rare 60s Soul was basically it meant that they mainly played records that had been tried and tested at earlier clubs like the Twisted Wheel, The Golden Torch and the Catacombs. Photograph: Paul Mason Among hardcore members of the northern soul scene, it was common to see record … For a start, it would be inconceivable to attend a club on a Saturday night that sold no alcohol. After that, people just sat down and cried their eyes out. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. )Thirty years and more on from its final all-nighter, three decades on from the bulldozers ripping apart its famed sprung dance floor, former members, admirers, dancers and DJs have won approval for a historic marker. As the fitting task of playing the last ever record played at Wigan casino allnighter. Comment by: Jarvo on 14th July 2017 at 07:36 This looks like the morning after the night before.