LEAVING SCHOOL

I had my first full-time job around June 1975, I was going to be a Trainee Chef, but I started Part Time Work about October time 1974, I was in the Wash Up! so when pay day came around after paying my Mum Housekeeping, I would spent some of my Money on Vinyl Albums, we had about 4/5 Shops that sold Vinyl (Woolworth's, Jarrolds, Arnolds, Boots, and one in a neighbouring Town called Bowers and Barr etc),

I started buying stuff like, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, O'Jays, Billy Paul, Archie Bell & the Drells, etc The Best Shop in our Town I went to, was a store called Wolsey and Wolsey and that's where I started branching out into different types of Black Music, ie Soul, Funk, Jazz.

As I said at that time I had money to spare, so I brought plenty of Vinyl, including Albums, 7" singles, I also brought Tapes.

I recall the Summer of 1975, I was still working at the same Hotel as a Trainee Chef and needless to say still buying Soul Music.

One particular time I remember going to London to the Ideal Home Exhibition (A sought Catering Exhibition) with one of my Work Colleagues, I cant remember much about the Event, but I can recall going into London looking for Soul Music Shops, and London had plenty of thoses!
I cant remember the names of the Shops, but I can remember one of the albums I brought, it was "First Impressions" by The Impressions!

It was a great Album, I believe I still have it in my loft, it will now be 34 years old! although I may have sold it, and I have sold quite a few of my Albums now, more of that later!

MOTOWN BEGINS!

Around 1972/73, me and my Best friend at that time started working for a local Fast Food Outlet in the Summertime in our Town, This was my first Full Time job so being young, all my money I earned, I spent! And what I spent it on was Music Cassettes, as I had just got a Portable Cassette Recorder, (what at that time was a hip item!) I needed Tapes to play on it.

By this time I was tired of the Pop Music I had been listening to, so as I said before I had heard a bit of Motown around a friends house and other places, so I started buying Motown Tapes and I brought plenty, I can recall firstly buying Diana ross and the Supremes, Junior Walker and the All Stars, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and so on! I still have a couple of Diana Ross Tapes in my loft!

During that Summer of work, every opportunity I had I went to our Town Centre and purchased Music Tapes, by the end of the Summer Season, I think I had about 50 different Tapes, aswell as Motown, I brought tapes by other Artists including The Three Degrees, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Stylistics etc.

At that time (early to mid 70's) there was'nt that much stuff available in our small Town, I suppose if I was older there might have been! ie going further afield to find it or Mail Order, (I always remember in the summer of 1974, during the Summer months, "Rock your baby" by George Mcrae, was number 1 in the Pop Charts for weeks!) so around that period until the time I left School (1975) Motown was the only type of Music I brought!

THE EARLY 70's

I can remember in the early Seventies, I listened to all the Music on Radio One and watched Top of the Pops every week,I also remember having my First Cassette Recorder, here are some of the Artists I listened to at that time, Slade T.Rex, Mud, 10 cc, etc etc

I can remember I think either 1970 or 1971 going to my first Music Concert with my younger Sister, it was a Pop Group called Christie, and their Hit Record at the time was "Yellow River" but I can also remember a Favorite Record around that same time was "Something old Something new" by The Fantastics, (check out this Video, its only the Song but I have this same Record, in the Video to this day!) so I think my musical taste was shaping up!

AT LAST

At last I am finally starting this Blog, I have been helping my wife with her Website and Blog for about a Year now, I did my own Website about last October time, and have been thinking about this Blog since then!

The 1st time I had an interest in Soul Music was back in 1969, my Dad I remember gave me £1 note and told me to get the Bus to Town and get him a copy of Jackie Wilson's "I get the sweetest feeling" I got a 7" Single for about 45p from Woolworth's, I think I actually still have that Single in the loft, next time I go up there I will bring it down and put a picture of it on here!

So that was the start of my liking of Soul Music, I was 50 years old about 10 weeks ago, so that Record is now 40 years old and I have liked Soul Music for nearly 40 Years as well!

I can also recall a friend from School who lived on the next road to where I lived, had an older Brother, and on the occasions I went round his House, his Brother was always playing Motown Records, mainly as I recall Diana Ross and the Supremes, so these two occasions were to contribute in later times to my Music taste!