A look back at Hitsville 2005 by Dave Moore

The Hitsville Raresoul Allniter took place on the weekend of15/16 October. Although numbers were disappointing, the whole weekend took on the atmosphere of one big party.

The event kicked off with a few beers and vinyl at the DJ Villa that the DJs stayed at over the weekend, US Collector/DJs Greg Tormo (NJ), Kym Fuller (NY), Brian Harris (NC), Mike Umholtz, (Ca), braved the airline turmoil and all arrived safely to be joined by fellow Soulies/Collectors/DJs from UK Alan Pollard, Russ Vickers and Dave Ferguson. Completing the line up were Jason Thornton, Jan and yours truly, all currently from Florida.

After a couple of hours sleep it was down to the inaugral Hitsville Record Show at The Best Western in Kissimmee. There were 21 tables of 45s to go through and believe me, we went through them! Some of the more well known vinyl on offer for trades or sale, some of which changed hands, were: Franky Beverly (Gamble and Sassy W/Demo), Lonnie Lester (NuTone W/Demo), Dean Courtney (MGM Demo),Carol and Gerri (MGM Dem o), Ronnie McNeir (DeTo), Mel Britt (Fip), Ernest Mosely (LaCindy), Spyder Turner (Goodtime). Allongside some of these were loads of "cheaper" stuff that was also worth a pick up.

Myself and Dave Ferguson struck a deal with Kenny Benedict of Tampa which saw us walk away with records at $1.40 each! That's 75p in "sterling money!" Needless to say at that price there obviously weren't many Don Gardners amongst the haul but we were happy with what we got. From an anorak's perspective, the best record I found all weekend which included the ones on the left, was Timiko - Isn't It A Sin - Checker 1041. This is an early Popcorn Wylie written/produced song performed by Tamiko Jones, recorded at United Sound but released through Billy Davis and Popcorn's joint publishing set up, before Mr Wylie set up ALa King to promote and publish his work.

So ... on the whole not a bad weekend for theliccleblackplastkfingswotweluvs&treasures! I think most collectors managed to find something in their trawling through the boxes and everyone seemed happy with their sales trades. A couple of other 45's on a personal note that I managed to prize from Miss Shing A Ling among which was "The Emotions - Stealing Love" on Volt, which I have to confess I hadn't heard before. I must have been at the bar when this got played!! A really nice femme bounce-along type thing. Ten bucks saw it safely esconced in Dave's vinyl bat cave! And the marvellous "Michael Washington - Stay Mine" on Cap City from Jason.

This was the first "Black Music Record Fair" we at Hitsville have organised and I think the feeling is that we will do it again. Obviously one of the advantages is not having to rummage through 1000s of crappy Monkees records to suss the one 45 that you might be interested in. Having said that I once found a Yum Yums Demo in amongst a couple of thousand Country and Western 45's in St Louis! Go figure!

As the last stragglers left the Record Show, Jan set up the decks for the allniter, the staff from the hotel swooped in and laid the dancefloor (one of them clip together jobbies, that didn't turn out too bad actually), and the projector was set ready for the DVDs I'd brought. A quick shower, and it was off to a local restaurant to grab a bite to eat before the main event kicked off.

The Hitsville Gang at Dinner before the Allniter


THE HITSVILLE ALLNITER

The Allniter kicked off at 7pm and ran until 7am. The reason for the early start was so that we could hear as many DJ's as possible over course of the night. Unlike UK where there are "warm-up dos" or people gathering in local pubs before an event, here it's vastly different. There are no local pubs, the bar was open at the allniter, the records were being spun, we were all staying at the venue so it made perfect sense to ensure that as many collectors/DJ's got to play out as we could squeeze in.

The DJ's deserve a quick mention here too as they had all travelled to the venue from a far away as California, New York, Virginia, North Carolina as well as Ft Lauderdale and Miami. All this was at their own expense in order to join in the party.

Another difference between here and the UK is that the DJ's here dance! We don't get the opportunity to blast our music out every week, like UK punters so we tend to make the most of it when the chance does come!

Each DJ stamped their own mark on the venue in their own individual way. The blend of Alan Pollard, Dave Ferguson and Russ Vickers from the UK alongside Greg, Kym, Mike, Jason and Brian proved a hit combination. There was something for everybody in each set and I'm sure I speak for everone there when I say well done and many thanks to them all.

We were also honoured to have with us Christie Bear who I'm sure a lot of soulies will be familiar with, Alan and Judi Pollard's fundraising travelling "Soul Bear" who helps them raise so much cash in their charitable efforts on behalf of Christies Hospital in Manchester UK.

So there we were 50 or so "hard core" soulies set for twelve hours of non stop uplifting, uptempo, black American dance music!! Could we last the pace, could the DJs keep us entertained, could we keep the anoraks amongst us happy as well as the dancers? You betcha!

The night opened with Jan and myself spinning the opening set as people gathered and arrived. Jan eased the crowd into a night ready for dancing and amongst a few standard favourites like Four Perfections and Lou Roberts and a couple of "modern" records particularly "Debbie Taylor - Just Don't Pay," and "Norman Connors (Philip Mitchell) - Once I've Been There." It was an easygoing handover to the first Hitsville guest DJ of the night ... Jason Thornton.

Jason Thornton
A recent move to Florida from Baltimore had landed Jason and his lovely partner Sarah smack in the middle of the Hitsville event. Jason deals full time in records so if your passing through don't forget to put him on your list of dealers to see.

His set kicked off what was to be a great night of soul music. From Candace Love to Les Chansonettes a great set of top drawer black American music to really start the proceedings. Jason was also one of the dealers at the DJ Villa and the Record Show, so had a busy weekend.

Garnett Mimms - Looking For You - UA
Jesse Fisher - Youre Not Loving A Beginner - Way Out
Soulful Twins - I Cant Let You Go - Sable
Paul Anka - When We Get There - RCA
Ernest Mosely - Stubborn Heart - La Cindy
The Contessas - Keep On Keeping On - E
Dean Courtney - Love You Just Cant Walk Away - MGM Demo
Sonny Craver - Im No Fool - Musette
Jimmie Ellis - Happy To Be - Century City
Huns Review - Dont Make Me Love You - Sorro
The Cheers - Take Me To Paradise - Okeh
Dean Parrish - Bricks Broken Bottles and Sticks - Musicor
Jimmy Phillips - She Belongs To Me - Bumps
Ernie Marbray - Aint Nobodys Business - Wee
Yvonne Baker/Sensations - Mend The Torn Peices - Junior
Worlds Funkiest Band - When Youre Alone - California Gold
Spider Turner - Calling Girls - Master
Ralphie D - Youre So Good To Me - 20th Century
Jackie Verdell - Are You Ready For This - Decca
Artistics - This Heart Of Mine - Okeh

Dave Ferguson
I always enjoy listening to Dave Ferguson play his records, he's forgotten more about this wonderful music than most of us ever knew. He always seems to blend in the rarities with the stuff we all know we should have in our collections but haven't got round to getting yet.

Tonite was no exception. Dave played a great mix of current sounds, classics, rarities on both US and UK labels and also threw in two of my personal favorites that I still don't own Sonny Herman on Utopia and Morris Chestnut disguised as The Soundmasters on Julet.

The gauntlet was well and truly down after his set. Im' pleased to say that Dave enjoyed himself too. It was a long way to come and it was certainly appreciated by us all.

Doris Troy - Face Up To The Truth - Capitol Demo
Johnny Bartell - If This Isn' Love - Solid State
Kenny Wells - Isn't It Just A Shame - New Voice
Carol And Gerri - On You Heartaches etc - MGM Demo
Falcons - Love You Like You Never etc - Big Wheel
Garland Green - Aint That Good Enough - Revue
Cliff Nobles - My Love Is Getting Stronger - JV
Barbara Lynn - Youre Losing Me - Atlantic Demo
Timi Yuro - Itll Never Be Over For Me - Liberty UK
Coopertettes - Shing A Ling - Brunswick Demo
Jock Mitchell - Not A Chance In A Million - Impact Demo
Soundmasters - Lonely Lonely - Julet
Rose Brooks - Im Moanin' - Soul City Demo
Willie Hutch - Love Runs Out - Dunhill Demo
Litle Eddie Taylor - I Had a Good Time - Peacock
Temptones - Girl I Love You - Arctic Demo
Sonny Herman - What About Me - Utopia
Barbara Jean/Lyrics - Why Werent You There - Big Hit
Johnnie Mae Mathews I Have No Choice - Big Hit
Bobbie Smith - Walk on Into My Heart - American Arts
Andrea Henry - I Need You Like A Baby - MGM Demo
Tony Clarke - They Call Me A Wrong Man - M-S Demo
George Wydell - From Out Of Nowhere - Tangerine Demo
Ruby Winters - Better - Stateside UK

Alan Pollard
It was great to see Alan at the First Hitsville Event. Both his and Dave Fergusons contributions to the Hitsville Soul Club are immense and I know I speak for us all when I say their efforts are very much appreciated.

As usual Alan entertained us in style with a blend of classics, underplayed stuff alongside the not so well known. Ruby, Bobby Reed and Danny Woods were amongst the highlights for me, but the stand out track of the night for me was Fred Hughes' Mike Terry arranged outing on VeeJay. A tremendous record that I hadn't heard previously. Needless to say I have now secured a copy and suggest any other vinly lovers do the same . Reasonably cheap,I paid $12.00. Worth every penny. The hunt for a White Demo is on!

The De Vons - Someone to Treat Me - King
The Tangeers - Let My Heart And Soul Be Free - Okeh
Lenny Curtis - Nothing Can Help Me Now - Hit
The Volumes - That Same Old Feeling - Impact
Duke Browner - Crying Over You - Impact
Danny Woods - You Had me Fooled - Correctone
Tony Middleton - Paris Blues - Mala
Seven Souls - I Still Love You - Okeh
Bobby Hutton - Come See Whats Left Of Me - Phillips
Terry Callier - Look At Me Now - Cadet
The Dynells - Call On Me - Vent
Shirley Wahls - Why Am I Crying - King
The Velvelettes - That' A Funny Way - Jobete Acetate
Norma Jenkins - Try Love - Jobete Acetate
Eddie Spencer - If This Is Love - Arc
Johnny Gillian - Find Yourself Another - BoMar
The Chandlers - Your Love Makes Me Lonely - Col Soul
Fred Hughes - Don't Let Me Down - VeeJay
Ruby - Feminine Ingenuity - Gold Token
Towanda & Total Destruction - Wear Your Natural Baby - Romark
Bobby Reed - The Time Is Right For Love - Bell
Herb Ward - Strange Change - Argo
Kenny Shepherd - What Difference Does It Make - Maxx

Dave Moore
It was me up next, and with the pressure of being sandwiched between two great fellow collectors I simply decided to play some of my favorite records and hope they didnt clear the floor!

(One DID!) I had the inauspicious "joy" of seeing Mill Evans clear the floor, although I managed to recover with The Yum Yums. I have to admit to having a blast. Watching young American collectors on the dancefloor and behind the decks playing and celebrating this "lost" music on their own turf was a complete treat in itself.

Seeing Jeff Lemlich dancing to the likes of Al Williams, Del Larks, DeLites etc at an allniter in the US was worth all the effort on it's own.

One other highlight for me as an anorak was when Greg and I played back to back copies of the Del Larks on Queen City Demos! First time I've ever danced to Parts 1 and 2 of my favorite record of all time back to back on Demos! A great bit of fun for which I'm sure Greg will agree, we make NO apologies! LOL!

Larry Clinton - She's Wanted In Three States - Dynamo Demo
Al Williams - I Am Nothing - Palmer Demo
Little Joe Romans - When Youre Lonesome - Tuff Demo
Jimmy Burns - I Really Love You - Erica
Billy Woods - Let Me Make You Happy - Sussex Demo
Yvonne Vernee - Just Like You Did Me - Sonbert
Del Larks - Job Opening Part 1 - Queen City Demo
DEl Larks - Job Opening Part 2 - Queen City Demo
Joe King - Speak on Up - Prix
Melvin Davis - I Must Love You - Groovesville
Johnny Daye - Good Time - Jomada Demo
Mill Evans - I Got To Have All Of Your LOve - Constellation
Yum Yums - Gonna Be A Big Thing - ABC PPOaramount Demo
Catalinas - Laughing Through Teras - Pagoda
Donald Lee Richardson - You Got Me In The Palm - Soulville Demo
Patti Austin - Ive Given All My LOve To You - Coral Demo
Bobby Treetop - So Sweet So Satisfying - Tuff Demo
Don Gardner - Is This Really Love - Cedric
Carstairs - It Really Does Hurt Me Girl - Red Coach Demo (Request)

Greg Tormo
I was particularly looking forward to listening to Greg's set as I knew he had some great records but had not had a chance to hear him before this weekend. I was interested to see what he's brought down for this weekend and was absolutely delighted to be able to dance to Tamala Lewis, The Masqueraders, The Moments, George Hobson and the De Lites.

It's not often we get the chance to dance to records like this one after another and Greg kept he floor buzzing throughout what was a tremndous set for both dancers and collectors alike.

The highlight of Greg's set for me was undoubtably dancing to Two Plus Two - Look Around - Velgo. A truly fantastic slab of Detroit soul that continues to elude not just me but 100s of other collectors too. Fantastic stuff!

4 Tracks - Like My Love For You - Mandingo
Bobby Rich - Theres A Girl - Sambea
George Hobson - Let It Be Real - Sound City
William Cummings - Make My Love A Hurting Thing - Bang Bang
De Lites - Lover - Cuppy
Lenny Curtis - Nothing Can Help You now - End
Masqueraders - How - La Beat
Tamala Lewis - You Wont Say Nothing - Marton
Frank Foster - Harlem Rumble - Triode
Two Plus Two - Look Around - Velgo
Moments - Baby I Want You - Hog
Doris Troy - Ill Do Anything - Calla
Herb Ward - Honest To Goodness - RCA
Joanne Courcey - I GotThe Power - Twirl
Gloria Jones - Come Go With Me - Uptown
George Blackwell - Cant Lose My Head - Smoke
Morris Chestnut - Too Darn Soulful - Amy
Patti And The Emblems - Gonna Love You - Kapp
Charades - Key To My Happiness - MGM
Charts - Living The Nitelife - Wand
Clarence Reid - Im Your Yes Man - Wand

Russ Vickers
To many readers Russ Vickers will already be familiar. From the moment late on Friday night when he bounded into the DJ Villa with a "Hi, I'm Russ and I'm dead chuffed to be here and meet you all," his energy and enthusiasm were as usual infectious.

Russ ensured that everyone around him was caught up in just having a good time and he left his mark with a great set including The Ascots - Playboy, The Blue Jays - Jay, James Phelps - Apache but for me one of the top 5 45's of the whole weekend was Russ' "ender." The majestic Shirley Edwards on Shrine. Take a bow Sir, job well done.

Johnny Taylor - Thats All - Stax LP
Jackie Wilson - Im The One To Do It - Brunswick
Darrell Banks - Im The One Who Loves You - Volt
Unique Blend - Yes Im In Love - Eastbound
Lonnie Ross - Say Girl - Kerwood
Roya Esquires - Aint Gonna Run - Prix
Barbara Lyn - This Is The Thanks I Get - Atlantic
Big Daddy Rogers - Im A Big Man - Midas
Charles Mintz - Running Back - Uplook
Ascots - Just a Few Feet - American Playboy
Exportations - I Want You - Viro
Peggy Gaines - When The Boy That You Love - Kent 6T's
James Phelps - The Look On Your Face - Apache
San Franciscan TKOs - Make Up Your Mind - Kent 6T's
Will Collins And Will Power - Anything I Can Do - Bareback
Bad Weather - I Never Knew - Bad Weather
The Blue Jays - Point Of View - Jay
Johnny Howard - Chase Is On - Bashie
Oxford Knights - Such A Lonely One - Delphi
Anabelle Fox - Lonely Girl - Satin
Shirley Edwards - Dream My Heart - Shrine

Miss Shing A Ling (Kym)
Miss Shing A Ling spent a busy night vinyl wheeling and dealing in the DJ Villa and on Saturday night stepped up to make her mark on the event.

Another great set from a young American who's passion for the music is matched only by her enthusiasm on the dancefloor.

She opened her set with The Gambrells, a favorite in UK a few years ago and continued to entertain us with the likes of The Magictones - Westbound, Viola Wills - Bronco, Magnificent Man - Capitol and that classic "Mecca" tune, Wales Wallace - BRC.

Kym, along with Greg, is a regular DJ at the Subway Soul Club in New York, so if you're ever up there in the area, check the club out. Tell 'em we sent ya!

Hopefully it won't be too long before we get Kym back behind the technics as Hitsville prepares more soulful events.

Gambrells - Jive Talk - Pioneer
Jackie Verdell Dont Set Me Free - Decca
Superlatives - I Still Love You - Uptite
Falcons - Im A Fool I Must Love You - Big Wheel
Exits - You Got To Have Money - Gemini
Magictones - Happy Days - Westbound
Adventurers - Easy Baby - Compass
Viola Wills - I Got Love - Bronco
Bobby Garrett - My Little Girl - Mirwood
Springers - Everday And Everynight - Ves-Thad
Impressions - I Cant Satisfy - ABC
Magnificent Men - All Your Lovins Gone To My Head - Capitol
Dynamite Singletary - The Same Way You LOve Your Man Love Me - Dynamite
Ebonies - You Got What You Want - Midwest
Brenda And The Tabulations - You've Changed - Top And Bottom
Intruders - Check Yourself - Gamble
Fred Martin Jrs Review - I Want Another Chance - Melron
Puzzles - I Need You - Fatback

Brian Harris
A well known and respected DJ in and around "the Triangle" Brian plays to audiences all over the country, although I think this was his first "Northern Soul Only" set.

And what a set. Totally refreshing to see/hear a DJ play his records with complete conviction in every track. From the opening refrains of "JJ Barnes - Snowflakes - Volt," I knew this was going to be a an hour or so of 'well thought out' entertainment. Oscar Weathers -Top And Bottom, Paul Thompson - Volt, The Soul Clinic - Bay Sound and The Apollas - Loma presented a perfect blend of gritty danceable soul of the highest order.

This was another chance to hear a young dedicated American DJ/Collector 'strut his stuff' and although by the time Brian hit the decks a lot of people had called it a night, it was totally appreciated by those that stayed for it. Also, during Brian's set the left deck completely blew and Brian displayed a true professional spirit as continued unabashed with the one remaining deck. Well done Mate.

JJ Barnes - Snowflakes - Volt
Guitar Ray - Your Gonna Wreck My Life - Shagg
Ken Lazarus/Byron Lee/Dragonaires - The Record - Soul Ja
Johnny Sales - My LOves A Monster - Chi Town
Paul Thompson - Special Kind Of Woman - Volt
Oscar Weathers - Just To Prove O Love You - Top And Bottom
Ace Spectrum - Dont Send Nobody Else - Atlantic
Continental Four - The LOve You Gave To Me - Jay Walking
The Cruisers - Take A Chance - Gamble
James Bounty - Action Speak Louder Than Words - Compass
Volcanos - Laws Of Love - Arctic
Johnny And Jake - I Need Your Help Baby - MOD
Two Tons Of Love - Brown And Beautiful - Gordo
The Soul Clinic - No One Loves Me Anymore - Bay Sound
Four Tees - One More Chance - Kent
Jackie Ross - Dynamite Lovin - Chess
Supremes - He's All I Got - Motown
Bobby Bland - Getting Used To The Blues - Duke
Gary Brown And The Chants - Spoiled Child - Brownie
Chuck Bernard - Funny Changes - Satellite
Darrow Fletcher - My Young Misery - Groovy
The Accents - On The Run - Karate

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