Chords for Northern Soul and Wigan Casino The One Show BBC1 May 2nd 2011

all [F#m] around the globe. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ So back in 1978 [C#m] when the title of best disco in the world was awarded,
[C#] you'd have thought it had gone to a club in New York or Paris or [F#] even London.
But no, the authoritative Billboard magazine gave the title to a club in _ Wigan.
_ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _ [A#m]
It's a [C] fine place then and now, but was this industrial town [Fm] in Lancashire
hip and happening and cooler than New York?
Yes, it was, because Wigan had [F] something other places could only dream of.
It had soul, or rather it had Northern soul.
_ [C] _
And it was a club called Wigan Casino that so impressed Billboard.
It became a mecca for lovers of soul music [F] and attracted clubbers [Fm] from far and wide.
Ruswin Stanley was the DJ who started these sessions in 1973. _
What would be a [C#] classic Northern soul record?
_ Possibly things like Mr Edwin Starr and One Called Stopper on site.
_ [G#] _ _ _ _ _ [B] _
_ [C#] _ _ _ _ _ What [F#] is Northern soul?
There were lots of smaller labels [D#] in America trying to copy what Motown had actually done.
So they sounded very Motown-ish, but never quite made it,
so only a few copies were made and we were like finding these in America
and bringing them back over here.
London and [G#m] the South was very much into the [G#] fashion side of things and everything.
People like [F#] James Brown.
[C#] So how many people would come [G#] through the doors on an average week?
14, [C#] 15,000.
_ [F#] Stopper on site, hey, hey, hey, yes _ [G#m] I am.
The Wigan sessions [C#] ran as all-nighters [F#] without alcohol
and the dancers really [F] craved rare records.
[A]
Some [C] of these have become the stuff of legend,
like [E] an unreleased Motown track by [C] Frank Wilson called Do I [G] Love You.
A friend of a friend went into the [G#] Motown vaults, sent it across to me,
applied it [C] for about six months and it was just one of the biggest ever records we ever had at the casino.
Do I love you?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ I _ sold it in [F] 1979 for £1,000 [Am] and about eight months ago it sold for [D#] £26,500.
_ _ _ Do you wish that you'd held on to it?
[C#] That's the stupid question.
That's a really stupid question.
My goodness, [Cm] that is incredible. _
Wigan though was all about the dancing,
especially for the men who were desperate to outdo each other.
_ Sandy Holt was a star [A] of the casino, twice champion northern soul dancer,
and he [A#] still has all the moves.
All it was [C] was just like a crossing of the feet, you've still got [F] the rhythm,
[C] and it's just moving the feet, yeah, that's it, [A#] absolutely easy.
You can [Fm] move around different places, that's brilliant.
And then you'd [F] just throw a spin in and the spins were just done.
[G#] Throwing yourself round and [G] falling over like I nearly [Fm] did, that didn't matter.
[C] Everyone would take a little bit of talcum powder
because if your feet was a bit sticky or you had rubber soles,
then you couldn't spin as many times.
So, the talc on the dance floor, that is absolute classic signature northern soul.
I [G#] love the idea of guys being that into their dancing that they take talcum to a club.
[C#] _ [D#] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [G#m] _ _ _ Unfortunately, [B]
Wigan Casino's [F#] reign as the world's premier night [C#] spot was short-lived.
[G#m] The club closed on 6th December [C#m] _
1981,
[D#m] the victim of council [F#] planners who'd earmarked the site for [D#] a new development.
What was it like [C#] on that final night?
The best but yet the saddest night ever.
I remember hugging a [D] friend, _ _ just embraceful, it must have been what seemed like hours,
and everybody, and the first time as a man I actually cried,
and everyone was stood outside in the street, outside the casino, actually in tears
because we couldn't actually believe that that was [F] the end.
So, did Northern Soul die [C] with Wigan Casino?
Not [F] a bit of it.
[C] Every weekend you'll find crowds [G] flocking to venues across the country
[E] trying to capture a bit of the old [Am] magic.
_ Do I [C] think Northern Soul is alive and well?
Indeed I do. _
_ _ _ Well, Carrie, somebody who would definitely agree with you is Chrissie.
You should have gone and made that film for us.
I would have done, yeah, I would have done.
Because you're a massive Northern Soul fan.
Yeah, I love Northern Soul.
And I grew up about ten miles from Wigan and I had friends who used to go to the casino when I was too young.
And what is it that you love so much about it?
Actually, while you're telling us that, we're going to play some music for you because you'll love this one.
Ready?
Here's a bit of Chuck Wood.
[D#] _ _ _ There we go.
So yeah, do the Bacardi.
Seven days are too long without you.
I think Motown was designed to be _ slightly white music.
It was quite [Fm] poppy and this was not.
It had more integrity.
[D#] It was more original and you had to really search for it.
[Cm] _ Motown was thrown at you, but you had to search for it.
I've just got this image of you doing their moves as [B] well now.
I'm glad you've got an image of me because I am [F] the original white man.
But it's fair to say though, if you're looking to attract the opposite [G] sex on the dance floor, it's not the dance for you, is it?
Well, you'd have to tell us that.
Too many injuries.
I think you'd have to keep your distance.
Yeah, yeah.
_ Right then, the one shows art