Blackpool Mecca
Encyclopedia
The Blackpool Mecca was a large entertainment venue on Central Drive in the seaside town of Blackpool
, Lancashire
in the North West of England
, first opened in 1965. In the 1970s, it was particularly known for 'The Highland Room', which was a major Northern Soul
music venue. The building was closed down in 1980s and was finally demolished in January 2009 to make way for a new education facility.
scene. Unlike similar clubs such as the Wigan Casino
and the Golden Torch
, these events were not all-nighters and ran from 8pm until 2pm on Saturday evenings.
The two main DJs for the Highland Room soul nights were Ian Levine
and Colin Curtis
. Several classic 1960s Northern soul records were discovered and broken by the aforementioned DJs at the venue, including Tony Clarke
's Landslide, Morris Chesnut's Too Darn Soulful, Frankie Beverly
& the Butlers's If That's What You Wanted and R. Dean Taylor
's There's A Ghost In My House
.
Later in the 1970s, the Highland Room became synonymous with a more contemporary and less frenetic style of Northern soul music, typified by records such as the Carstairs' It Really Hurts Me Girl, Voices Of East Harlem's Cashin' In and the Charisma Band's Ain't Nothing Like Your Love. Because of the change in tempo, a slightly different shuffling dance style developed at the venue. This newer sound and dance style caused some controversy and led to the formation of the parallel Modern soul
sub-genre, which still exists today within and alongside the mainstream Northern soul movement.
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
in the North West of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, first opened in 1965. In the 1970s, it was particularly known for 'The Highland Room', which was a major Northern Soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
music venue. The building was closed down in 1980s and was finally demolished in January 2009 to make way for a new education facility.
Northern soul at The Highland Room
The Highland Room was used as a rare soul venue from 1971 to 1979 and it became one of the most popular venues on the Northern soulNorthern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
scene. Unlike similar clubs such as the Wigan Casino
Wigan Casino
The Wigan Casino was a nightclub in Wigan, Lancashire, England. Operating between 1973 and 1981, it was known as a primary venue for northern soul music. It carried forward the legacy created by clubs such as the Twisted Wheel in Manchester and the Golden Torch in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent...
and the Golden Torch
Golden Torch
The Golden Torch, more commonly known as The Torch, was a mod nightclub in Tunstall, Stoke on Trent, England. The club opened on January 30, 1965 with the headline act of Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas...
, these events were not all-nighters and ran from 8pm until 2pm on Saturday evenings.
The two main DJs for the Highland Room soul nights were Ian Levine
Ian Levine
Ian Levine is an English songwriter, producer, and DJ. He is also a well-known fan of the long-running television show Doctor Who.Levine attended Arnold School in Blackpool from 1963 to 1970...
and Colin Curtis
Colin Curtis (DJ)
Colin Curtis is an influential British DJ whose career spans several decades and musical developments. He was born and grew up in Madeley in Staffordshire, UK...
. Several classic 1960s Northern soul records were discovered and broken by the aforementioned DJs at the venue, including Tony Clarke
Tony Clarke (singer)
Tony Clarke: Born Ralph Thomas Williams was an American soul singer-songwriter born circa 1944 in New York City and raised in Detroit. He wrote the songs "Pushover" and "Two Sides to Every Story", hits for Etta James. Clarke scored a chart hit of his own with "The Entertainer" which hit #10 R&B and...
's Landslide, Morris Chesnut's Too Darn Soulful, Frankie Beverly
Frankie Beverly
Frankie Beverly is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and producer, known primarily for his recordings with the soul and funk band, Maze.-Early life and career:...
& the Butlers's If That's What You Wanted and R. Dean Taylor
R. Dean Taylor
R. Dean Taylor is a Canadian singer, most famous as a recording artist, songwriter and record producer for Motown Records company during the 1960s and 1970s...
's There's A Ghost In My House
There's a Ghost in My House
"There's a Ghost in My House" is a song written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland of Motown Records, together with R. Dean Taylor. It was originally recorded by Taylor in 1966....
.
Later in the 1970s, the Highland Room became synonymous with a more contemporary and less frenetic style of Northern soul music, typified by records such as the Carstairs' It Really Hurts Me Girl, Voices Of East Harlem's Cashin' In and the Charisma Band's Ain't Nothing Like Your Love. Because of the change in tempo, a slightly different shuffling dance style developed at the venue. This newer sound and dance style caused some controversy and led to the formation of the parallel Modern soul
Modern soul
Modern soul is a style of music with associated clothing and dance styles , that developed in Northern England in the early 1970s....
sub-genre, which still exists today within and alongside the mainstream Northern soul movement.
Discography
The Northern soul music of the Highland Room has been commemorated by several compilation LPs and CDs, including:- Mecca Magic: the Soulful Sounds of Blackpool's Mecca 1973-1979 (LP, Kent Records 1990)
- The Blackpool Mecca Story (CD, Goldmine 1999)
- Spirit of the Mecca (CD, Goldmine 2000)
- Reachin’ For The Best: The Northern Soul of the Blackpool Mecca (CD, Sanctuary Records 2004)
- The Northern Soul Story Vol 3: Blackpool Mecca (CD, Sony BMG 2007)
- Highland Room - The Golden Era: 24 Highlights From Blackpool Mecca (CD, Soulworld 2009)
- Blackpool Mecca "Legends" (MP3 compilation, Soul Food 2009)
External links
- Northern Disco Web article citing Blackpool Mecca as one of the most important venues in the development of Disco and Soul music in the UK
- The Blackpool Mecca Web article containing music samples and collection of images
- Blackpool's Highland Rooms: why can't the north keep its pop culture heritage? Article in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, January 2009 - Blackpool Mecca Web article by John Ponomarenko
- Ian Levine | DJHistory.com Interview with Ian Levine
- YouTube: Blackpool Mecca Video montage commemorating the venue
- YouTube: Blackpool Mecca playlist Blackpool Mecca Highland Room playlist on YouTube