Category Archives: Ady Croasdell

I first became interested in black American music through my dad’s 78s of Paul Robeson, Fats Waller and the Ink Spots. An interest in rural blues developed throughout the early 60s and from there I found John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.
The need to attract girlfriends led me to soul music, as there weren’t many lookers into country blues. It was the standard Stax/Motown/Geno route that so many late 60s mods took. In 1969 I fell by chance into an “Old Soul” all-nighter and things were never the same again. I fell in love with the music that was later to be named Northern Soul by journalist Dave Godin and listened to it, collected it, talked about it and danced to it for the next ten years.

A degree in International Relations at University College, London only served to give me more time for my hobby and a job on a singles record stall on Soho’s Rupert Street market set me up as a rare record dealer for the next ten years. In 1974 I sold up my hard-won collection of UK Tamla and rare soul items to finance my first record-buying trip to the USA. The trip was a success and I made 20+ over the next dozen years.

In 1979 my favourite soul club folded and necessity caused me to start the 6Ts Rhythm ‘N’ Soul Club with friend and fellow enthusiast Randy Cozens. That club is still running today at London’s 100 Club and is the longest-running Northern Soul night ever (and the longest-running club night). A DJing career was forced upon me around this time and I have DJed all around the UK, Europe and even the USA.

Finding The First Copy with Ady Croasdell

The 6Ts Rhythm and Soul Society was co-founded in August 1979 by Randy Cozens and Ady Croasdell. The first dance was held in a function room called Henri’s at the Bedford Head pub in Maiden Lane in London’s Covent Garden. The first night was a great success with soul records, dancing, carousing and debauchery.

​One more equally splendid night was held there before the management rebuilt the pub and kicked us out. ​By then we had a solid following and with the help of one of the first club mailing lists that we had established, sent out slightly amusing newsletters before each dance and got the crowd to follow us to our next venue. At this stage, Ian Clark’s graphics for the newsletter and membership card were very much a part of the set-up.

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Finding The First Copy with Ady Croasdell

Bernadine or Berna-Dean Washington recorded seven singles for producer Dave Bartholomew in New Orleans in the early 60s. A protégée of Earl King, her final single was released on Los Angeles’ GNP Crescendo label in 1964 and is stylistically similar to her previous Imperial and Post 45s. ‘Don’t Try To Tell Me’ and ‘Laughing On The Outside’ were cut for GNP but the company never followed up on her ‘This Is The City’ single.

Both tracks are in a more soulful style than her released sides and are attracting much attention on the current retro R&B scene and with the rare soul crowd also. This is their first public hearing.

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Atlanta – Hotbed Of 70s Soul

Label: Kent Records
Catalogue Number: CDKEND 518
Release Date: 29rd March 2024  
Format: CD

The GRC Records set-up in Atlanta produced a wealth of great soul music. Because of the sudden curtailment of the company, due to owner Michael Thevis’ incarceration, so much of it never saw a release.

The tapes were preserved though and with many tracks being issued. This latest batch of tape discoveries is of shockingly high quality. Sam Dees’ presence is a major cause of this.

Standouts include Miss Louistine’s original version of ‘Con Me’ – surely a contender to be a Deep Soul Treasure, had Dave Godin heard it. Her take on Dees’ ‘Extra Extra’ is possibly the opposite emotion – sheer joy at finding her lover; equally well expressed. ‘Paperman’ is a classic mid 70s Dees’ composition, well sung by Wes Lewis with his group Alpaca Phase III. Dees collaborated with another major GRC talent, Joe Hinton, for the funkier ‘Shouldn’t I Be Given The Right To Be Wrong’. Hinton co-penned two songs with backing singer Louvain Demps who left her job with Motown’s backing girls the Andantes to move to Atlanta with Hinton. Their ‘Grant Me One More Day’ is a beautiful track and ‘Depend On Me’ is another worthy find.

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New Kent Records 45’s

The Mayberry Movement
“I Can See Him Making Love To You” / “What Did I Do Wrong”

Label: Kent Records
Catalogue Number: CITY 090 
Release Date: 24th November 2023 
Format: 7’

This pairing was slated to be Event 218 in late 1974, but as no copies have emerged, it can be assumed that the single was pulled. It is hard to know why, but judging by its rarity the Anderson Brothers GSF release of ‘I Can See Him Loving You’ was a commercial failure – perhaps Event didn’t want to suffer a similar fate. This reading of producer Ray Dahrouge’s song is more soulful and vital than the Anderson Brothers which was huge on the Northern Soul scene, but without this take for competition at the time. Maybe the steamy finale to the Mayberry’s version was a bit too much for radio play, but surely the brilliance of the ballad A side would have compensated for that. Their loss; our gain.

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Joe Graham / John Edwards 

‘Higher Than High’ / ‘It’s Got To Be The Real Thing For Me This Time’

Label: Kent-City Records
Catalogue Number: CITY 087
Release Date: 25th August 2023 
Format: 7’

The recent find of four Joe Graham recordings in the GRC/Aware tapes has shown there was much more to Joe’s talents than the southern soul of his 60s Chant recordings and the synthesiser, electro pop he recorded for various Atlanta labels in the 80s. ‘Higher Than High’ is a soulful disco number featuring a relentless beat. The track already has a strong following, thanks to advance plays in Europe and the UK from DJ Dave Thorley. This track, along with three other numbers, were recorded around 1976 for the GRC stable – just as the company was floundering so badly that the songs were left as unmixed multi-track tapes.  Now mixed the demand for this one will be high.

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Shrine – The Rarest Soul Label Vol.2 Andy Rix 2000

The story of Shrine Records, from its creation to demise, was told in Volume One. As promised Volume Two will look at those who contributed to the creation of the Shrine sound and the songs that have captured the attention of 60s Soul fans all over the world.

The story of Shrine Records, from its creation to demise, was told in Volume One. As promised Volume Two will look at those who contributed to the creation of the Shrine sound and the songs that have captured the attention of 60s Soul fans all over the world.

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SHRINE NORTHERN – The 60s Rarest Dance Label Various Artists

Ady Croasdell, Kent Records

Label:  Kent Records
Catalogue Number: KENT 526
Release Date: 28th April 2023  
Format: LP

Ace Records is proud to announce the purchase of the Shrine label and Eddie Singleton’s independent productions.
To celebrate we have compiled an album of the very best dance recordings the label made in 1965 and 1966, primarily in Washington DC.
The business’s failure made this music incredibly hard to find for record collectors and Shrine is rightly known as the rarest soul label.

It is much more than that though. The music was made by some one of the original founders of Motown, Raynoma Liles Gordy and her Motown-schooled cousin Mike Ossman, New York music business luminaries Eddie Singleton and Harry Bass and the up-and-coming talents of Washington’s Keni St Lewis and Maxx Kidd. The acts included the hugely respected Ray Pollard and fellow New Yorker J.D. Bryant, talented and established Washington and Baltimore acts Eddie Daye & The Four Bars, Bobby Reed and the Enjoyables. Importantly, they discovered and developed the local talent of the area in the shape of the Cautions, Les Chansonettes, the Prophets and Shirley Edwards.

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Kent Records Jan /Feb 2023

Release Date: 27.01.23
To celebrate Kent’s 40th birthday (admittedly a month late due to pressing times), we are releasing our first ever box set of singles. This is due to getting access to the Loma vaults and finding some previously unheard soul gems to augment the best of the soul dance tracks from the esteemed imprint.
Starting with THEE discovery of the soulful ‘20s we present L A soul group the Marvellos whose ‘It’s Your Love That I Need’ – written by the great Willie Hutch – a Motownesque dancer whose arrangements and melodies are so stunning we also issued the backing track as an instrumental B side to it.

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Just When You Thought It Couldn’t Get Any…BETTER

Warren Raye & The Infernal Blues Machine “It’s The Feeling I Get” / “I Can’t Turn You Down”

Label:  Kent Select City Records 
Catalogue Number: CITY 086
Release Date: End of January 2023 
Format: 7’

Yet again a new 100 Club Anniversary 45 has been instantly acclaimed and has become highly sort-after on release. Warren Raye’s ‘It’s The Feeling I Get’ is now available on a commercial pressing and this superb Crossover number will be one of the biggest sellers of the year. 

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This Is Lowrider Soul Vol 2

Label: Kent Records
Catalog: CDKENT497 
Release Date: 29th October 2021
Format:  CD

Only three artists are repeated, which shows the depth of the genre, and two of those – Barbara Mason with her Philly slow-burners and Lee Williams & the Cymbals’ fantastic East Coast harmonies – epitomise the Lowrider soul sound between them. The Lovers are also featured again, providing sweet soul from the Pacific coast.

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Kent Records

Catalog: CDKENT49 – Release: March 2021 – Format: CD

More southern soul sounds from the mighty Stax Records of Memphis, including unissued tracks from the Soul Children and Eddie Floyd.

Stax Records in Memphis was one of the centres of southern soul, and yet due to its many hits and big city location this often gets forgotten. We redressed that balance with the release of “Nobody Wins: Stax Southern Soul” in 2012 but there was so much more to play that we’re back with 20 more tracks that capture the deep emotion and soulful feel of the Memphis behemoth.

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Little Ann

Detroit’s Secret Soul
Catalog: CDKENT495
Release Date: December 2020

In the last two decades, Little Ann’s music has gone from being almost unheard to celebrated widely across the world. Initially known only as a footnote for having one side of a Ric-Tic single in 1968, the discovery of her acetate of ‘What Should I Do’ at Wigan Casino in the late 70s led to her name becoming important to rare soul fans.

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