Neil Rushton
Neil Rushton is a British DJ, record dealer, record label entrepreneur, event promoter and author who is closely associated with the Northern soul scene. He was born in the mid-1950s and originates from Walsall in the West Midlands, UK.
Neil developed a passion for black American music during the late 1960s and first became involved in the Northern soul scene in the early 1970s, attending Northern soul events such as The Catacombs in Wolverhampton and the Golden Torch in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent[1].
In 1975, aged 21, Neil promoted a Northern soul event at the Queen Mary's Ballroon in Dudley Zoo. He then went on to found the Heart of England Soul Club and organise and promote hugely successful Northern soul and Jazz Funk "all-dayers" at Tiffany's in Coalville, Leicestershire and later The Ritz in Manchester and Blackpool Mecca. One event, the Blackpool Mecca Soul Festival, featuring the US band Brass Construction and organised in conjunction with DJs Ian Levine and Colin Curtis, was attended by 3200 people[2].
Later that decade, he founded Inferno Records which specialised in the licensing and reissuing of music popular on the Northern soul scene. Amongst Inferno Records releases were two popular Northern soul compilation LPs, Out On The Floor Tonight and Soul Galore. The label also attained some minor success when it leased the rights for Gloria Jones' Tainted Love from AVI Productions in Los Angeles and reissued the song in 7" and 12" vinyl format in the wake of Soft Cell's 1981 UK Top Ten cover version.
Later in the 1980s, Rushton managed the band The Dream Factory. In 1986, he founded Kool Kat Music which specialised in importing house music and techno from the US[3].
Neil Rushton continues to be involved in the UK dance music and Northern soul scenes to the present day. In 2009 he authored and published Northern Soul Stories: Angst and Acetates, a history of the Northern soul scene from its origins in the early 1960s up to the present day.
Notes
- ^ Neil Rushton, Northern Soul Stories, Chapter 2, page 108
- ^ Mark Cotgrove, From Jazz Funk & Fusion to Acid Jazz: The History of the UK Jazz Dance Scene, Section 2 "The Interviews", page 89
- ^ Tamworth Bands Neil Rushton by Mark Mortimer
Bibliography
- Neil Rushton (2009). Northern Soul Stories: Angst and Acetates. Soulvation. ISBN 978-0-9564569-1-5.
- Mark Cotgrove (2009). From Jazz Funk & Fusion to Acid Jazz: The History of the UK Jazz Dance Scene. Chaser Publications. ISBN 978-1-4389-7360-9.
External links
- Cultures of Soul Interview with Neil Rushton about the book "Northern Soul Stories"
- Tamworth Bands Article about Neil Rushton by Mark Mortimer of The Dream Factory
- Discogs-Inferno Records Inferno Records label discography
- Discogs-Kool Kat Music Kool Kat Music label discography
- Discogs-Neil Rushton Incomplete discography of Neil Rushton's career as a label manager
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