SOUL CITY RECORDS
Advertised as Britain's only 100% American Soul and R & B record store. On 9 March 1968, the first release on Soul City records, SC 101 Don Gardener & Dee Dee Ford, "Don't You Worry/I'm Coming Home To Stay" was issued. During the next two years, 19 singles were issued, with some very collectable sounds on a U.K. soul label. On each SOUL CITY record label is the legend "Soul as deep as you like... and then some". The records were initially distributed by Island and then Philips when they took over Island "CBS were going to distribute, but we went bust before we could issue the first single under their banner, which would have been the Chris Jackson single. The idea to have records pressed on blue vinyl was for the "Deep Soul" label - a venture (labour of love!) financed by the money we made from the Gene Chandler hit. At that time though, coloured vinyl was only available in the USA, so unfortunately, we had to stick to conventional black. I still think blue and the "Deep Soul" label and bag would have looked great together!". Said Dave Godin many years later.
Popular singles included Gene Chandler's "Nothing can stop me", it reached No 41 in the charts. Original versions were also issued, "Go Now" by Bessie Banks, "It's all over now" by The Valentinos. The cover version (Go Now) by the Moody Blues and (It's All Over Now) by the Rolling Stones, did not capture the excitement or raw feel that can only come from original soul music. The Chicago Okeh record label, and it's Northern soul fans were catered for with "Right Track" by Billy Butler and "The Beat" by Major Lance. Then there were also the Soul City LP's issued between 1969/70. His last and third record label was Right On! records started in 1975. Souls City records was a great loss to soul fans when it closed, it was the only true specialist soul |
