By Bruce Warren, Program Director for WXPN

Northern Soul, the UK dance movement that took hold in the 70’s across London, never really caught on here in the States. Which was too bad. Internationally, the Northern Soul movement grew quite large and to this day - for R&B and soul music fans - the movement has a significant following.

Northern soul was originally described as the kind of rare/obscure soul music that was played in the clubs in Northern England. The music drew on obscure American soul records, B-sides and lesser known Motown and Stax recordings and various independent labels. According to Wikipedia, the phrase northern soul was coined by journalist Dave Grodin and popularized in 1970 through his column in Blues and Soul magazine. In a 2002 interview in Mojo magazine, Grodin explained that he had first come up with the term in 1968 as a sales reference for use in his record shop in to help staff differentiate the more modern funkier sounds from the smoother, Motown-influenced soul of a few years earlier.

If you’re looking for some classic Northern or “rare soul” collections, make a stop by Dusty Groove.com for an excellent selection. If you can find them, also be on the lookout for Dave Grodin’s Deep Soul Treasures, Volumes 1 and 2. Some of the great northern soul DJ’s are skillfully adept at keeping the dancefloor going strong, mixing together obscure sides with some better known ones and occasionally pushing the boundaries in to soul-jazz, funk and fusion.

Related links:
BBC’s Northern Soul Show (archive)
Northern Soul.co.uk - The Ultimate Northern Soul site
Lost Soul Found - A History Of Northern Soul at allmusic.com
Playlists from the legendary Northern Soul club in the UK, The Twisted Wheel