I mentioned a little while ago that my musical taste changed when I left home and went to Manchester to study at the new Polytechnic… I’m sure this must happen a lot, partly growing up, partly meeting new people, partly just changing tastes.
Before I arrived in Manchester I mostly went to pubs and just met people socially, but in Manchester there was a great club scene, and my friends were very into northern soul; the music we played was Tamla Motown, Stax, Atlantic… and we went to clubs where we could dance to it. A singer I had never heard of before went north was the great Jackie Wilson; I loved his music but I didn’t realise what a tragic and complicated life he had. How sad that following a heart attack on stage he was in a coma for nine years before he died.
He was hugely influential, and some people claimed that Elvis himself was influenced by him. Looking at this video I can see another influence he had, on Michael Jackson.
Lois Elsden 