THE NORTHERN SOUL RECALL SHOW

Stephen is an artist, author and northern soul DJ, now living in a mossy hollow in Somerset in the south west of England.

He grew up in the 1960s on the eastern edge of Manchester, a few miles from The Twisted Wheel, the club widely regarded as the birthplace of the northern soul scene. He walked through the doors of his first soul club in 1969 and by the 1970s was thoroughly immersed in soul and northern soul, attending all of those legendary 70s clubs – Blackpool Mecca, Wigan Casino, The Torch, The Pendulum and the rest – and many less legendary but no less wonderful clubs.

Stephen left school at 16 and became a gas engineer. In the late 1980s, he returned to education to study fine art and subsequently lectured in fine art and cultural theory at various UK universities and colleges.

Amongst Stephen’s publications are two books on northern soul:

The Truth About Northern Soul – a myth-buster of a book that compares contemporary perceptions of the northern soul scene to the actual lived experience of it back in its 1970s heyday and has become the go-to source for those who want to grasp the scene unencumbered by mythology and nostalgic reinvention.

Soul Stories – might be thought of as The Truth About Northern Soul’s dark mirror. Set at  the same time and informed by the same lived experiences, but liberated by fiction, it goes to places its predecessor could not. It explores the characters’ lives both in those dark, exhilarating soul clubs and in a much broader hinterland. The highs and lows of youthful experience in the 1970s are recreated in authentic detail: friendships, family, work, football, love, loss and night-time misdemeanours, all set to a backcloth of Cortinas, frenetic all-nighters and smoky pubs.

Both books are available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Stephen-Riley/author/B003LQ0A0U

Since 2016, Stephen has presented the Northern Soul Recall Show, first at Frome FM, then at Papa-D Productions, both in Somerset, England. He also DJs live as part of the Hip City Classic Soul team, spinning original vinyl 45s at various venues in and around Somerset, and guest-DJs at other events. Stephen welcomes requests and dedications for his show, and enquiries regarding Hip City Classic Soul events. He can be contacted via his messenger page on Facebook.

Website: https://www.stephenrileyart.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephen.riley.7505/