Soulboy
Encyclopedia
Soulboys were a working class
English youth subculture
of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and fans of American soul
and funk
music. The subculture emerged in North-West England as northern soul
event attendees began to take more interest in the modern funk and jazz funk sounds of artists such as Lonnie Liston Smith
and Roy Ayers
, instead of the obscure 1960s soul records that characterized the northern soul scene.
There was simultaneous development of the subculture at nightclubs in South East England
, such as The Goldmine in Canvey Island
and The Royalty in Southgate
. DJs involved with the soulboy scene included Chris Hill
, Robbie Vincent
, Greg Edwards and Froggy. Caister Soul Weekenders became one of the main features of the scene, and still exist today. The casual
subculture that emerged in the 1980s was heavily influenced by the soulboys, including the sideways fringed wedge
hairstyle. Although the soulboy scene was huge by the early 1980s, it was centred around American funk acts and was largely working class; therefore it received far less media coverage than more middle class
youth cultures of the same period, notably the new romantics.
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
English youth subculture
Youth subculture
A youth subculture is a youth-based subculture with distinct styles, behaviors, and interests. Youth subcultures offer participants an identity outside of that ascribed by social institutions such as family, work, home and school...
of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and fans of American soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
music. The subculture emerged in North-West England as 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...
event attendees began to take more interest in the modern funk and jazz funk sounds of artists such as Lonnie Liston Smith
Lonnie Liston Smith
Lonnie Liston Smith, Jr. is an American jazz, soul, and funk musician who played with important free jazz artists such as Pharoah Sanders and Miles Davis before forming Lonnie Liston Smith And The Cosmic Echoes, recording a number of albums widely regarded as classics in the fusion / Quiet Storm /...
and Roy Ayers
Roy Ayers
Roy Ayers is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer and vibraphone player. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during which he helped pioneer jazz-funk .- Biography :Ayers...
, instead of the obscure 1960s soul records that characterized the northern soul scene.
There was simultaneous development of the subculture at nightclubs in South East England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
, such as The Goldmine in Canvey Island
Canvey Island
Canvey Island is a civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary in England. It is separated from the mainland of south Essex by a network of creeks...
and The Royalty in Southgate
Southgate, London
Southgate is an area of north London, England, primarily within the London Borough of Enfield, although parts of its western fringes lie within the London Borough of Barnet. It is located around north of Charing Cross. The name is derived from being the south gate to Enfield Chase...
. DJs involved with the soulboy scene included Chris Hill
Chris Hill
Chris Hill is a British disc jockey. He worked at the club Lacy Lady in Ilford, as well as at the Goldmine Canvey Island. He was the head of the 'Soul Mafia' in London and the South East of England into the early 1980s. In 1975 he released a "break-in" novelty record, in the style of Dickie...
, Robbie Vincent
Robbie Vincent
Robbie Vincent is an English radio broadcaster and DJ whose catch phrase for many years was "If it moves, Funk it"He started life as a journalist although Robbie Vincent's broadcasting career began as one of the pioneers on BBC Radio London in early 1974 during the miners' strike and Three-day week...
, Greg Edwards and Froggy. Caister Soul Weekenders became one of the main features of the scene, and still exist today. The casual
Casuals
The casual subculture is a subsection of association football culture that is typified by football hooliganism and the wearing of expensive European designer clothing. The subculture originated in the United Kingdom in the early 1980s when many hooligans started wearing designer labels and...
subculture that emerged in the 1980s was heavily influenced by the soulboys, including the sideways fringed wedge
Wedge
Wedge may refer to:Mathematics:* Triangular prism, a parallel triangle wedge* Wedge , a polyhedral solid defined by two triangles and three trapezoid faces* Wedge product, a mathematical term, named for the ∧ operator symbol used...
hairstyle. Although the soulboy scene was huge by the early 1980s, it was centred around American funk acts and was largely working class; therefore it received far less media coverage than more middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
youth cultures of the same period, notably the new romantics.