Swingers is a 1996 American buddy comedy film about the lives of single, unemployed actors living on the 'eastside' of Hollywood, California, during the 1990s swing revival. Written by Jon Favreau and directed by Doug Liman, the film starred Favreau alongside Vince Vaughn, featuring performances by Ron Livingston and Heather Graham.
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the Midlands in the early 1970s. It developed from the British mod scene, based on a particular style of Black American soul music with a heavy beat and fast tempo.
Tunstall is one of the six towns that, along with Burslem, Longton, Fenton, Hanley and Stoke-upon-Trent, amalgamated to form the City of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. It was one of the original six towns that federated to form the city. Tunstall is the most northern, and fourth largest town of the Potteries. It is situated in the very northwest of the city borough, with its north and west boundaries being the city limit. It stands on a ridge of land between Fowlea Brook to the west and Scotia Brook to the east, surrounded by old tile-making and brick-making sites, some of which date back to the Middle Ages.
Machine Gun is the debut studio album by Commodores, released on July 22, 1974, on Motown Records.
The Wigan Casino is the colloquial name for the nightclub the Casino Club, that operated in Wigan between Friday, August 27 1965 and 1981, associated with the Northern Soul movement in the UK. The club's enduring dedication to Northern Soul "all nighters" made it an icon among fans of the genre, continuing the efforts that other clubs such as the Twisted Wheel in Manchester, the Chateau Impney (Droitwich), the Catacombs (Wolverhampton) and the Golden Torch had started. It remains one of the most famous clubs in Northern England. In 1978, allegedly the American music magazine Billboard voted Wigan Casino "The Best Disco in the World", ahead of New York City's Studio 54, although there is no tangible evidence of this award ever being publicised.
Hugh Thomas Diaz Morgan is an American musician best known as the former frontman of rock/hip hop band Fun Lovin' Criminals. Morgan performs both vocals and guitar and combines rock, hip hop, jazz, reggae, and funk influences in his music. He is also a presenter for BBC Radio and has made film and TV appearances.
The Blackpool Mecca was a large entertainment venue on Central Drive in the seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, in North West England, first opened in 1965. In the 1970s, it was particularly known for The Highland Room, which was a major Northern Soul music venue. From 1977 onwards it was also host to the Commonwealth Sporting Club. The building was closed down in 1980s and was finally demolished in January 2009 to make way for new campus buildings of Blackpool and The Fylde College. However, following an issue with funding B&FC withdrew and as of 2013 the site is planned for residential development.
The Golden Torch, more commonly known as The Torch, was a nightclub in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, England. Opened as a mod venue, it later became important to fans of Northern soul with their all-nighters. Peter Stringfellow was amongst the many DJs who at some time had a residency there while the main soul all-nighter DJs included Keith Minshull, Colin Curtis, Alan Day and Martyn Ellis
John Joseph Francis Mulhall was an American film actor beginning in the silent film era who successfully transitioned to sound films, appearing in over 430 films in a career spanning 50 years.
Keb Darge is a Scottish DJ and music producer, in the genres of Northern soul, deep funk, garage punk, and rockabilly music. He is credited with inventing the term 'deep funk'.
Dean Parrish was an American singer from New York City, best known for the song "I'm on My Way", which became noted for being the penultimate record that was played at the last Northern soul all-nighter at the Wigan Casino.
Victor Potel was an American film character actor who began in the silent era and appeared in more than 430 films in his 38-year career.
Russ Powell was an American film actor. He appeared in 186 films between 1915 and 1943. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and died in Los Angeles, California.
Neil Rushton is a British journalist, DJ, record dealer, record label entrepreneur, event promoter and author who is closely associated with the Northern soul scene.
Ian Macrae Hamish Wilson was an English small role actor who appeared in over 145 films during his career. Most were small uncredited roles often playing meek public servants, professional men or busy bodies. Film appearances included The Plank 1967, The Day of the Triffids 1962, Carry On Jack 1963, Two-Way Stretch 1960, Hell Drivers 1957, The Ugly Duckling 1959 and Rotten to the Core 1965. His first film appearance was in the silent A Master of Craft in 1922, and his last was in The Wicker Man in 1973. Several of his films were made by the Boulting brothers, who considered him a "good luck charm." Wilson died in December 1987 in Devon.
Tillie the Toiler is a 1927 American silent film comedy produced by Cosmopolitan Productions and released through Metro Goldwyn Mayer studios. It is based on Russ Westover's popular comic strip Tillie the Toiler. The film was directed by Hobart Henley and stars Marion Davies.
Kenneth Howell was an American actor. He is best remembered for roles in films such as Pardon My Pups (1934), The Wrong Way Out (1938), Pride of the Bowery (1940) and Ball of Fire (1941), in which he played a college boy. He also played Jack Jones in the 17 low-budget Jones Family films, beginning with Every Saturday Night (1936) and ending with On Their Own (1940).
"I'm on My Way" is a song and single by American soul singer, Dean Parrish. Written by Doug Morris and Eliot Greenberg, it was first released in the US 1967 without any chart success. It was released in the UK in 1975 and found chart success due to its popularity with the Northern soul scene.
Hey, Let's Twist! is a 1961 American musical film directed by Greg Garrison and written by Hal Hackady. The film stars Joey Dee, Jo Ann Campbell, Teddy Randazzo, Kay Armen, Zohra Lampert and Dino Di Luca. The film was released on December 31, 1961, by Paramount Pictures.
Casino Classics: Chapter One is a compilation album released by Casino Classics in 1979, which compiles the first seven northern soul singles that the label had released or re-released as 45 rpm releases in 1978–79 following their popularity at northern soul nightclub Wigan Casino. The singles, some of which were rare, were originally released on the label in order to cater for the nightclub's record-collecting goers at the height of the nightclub's popularity. The compilation is the first in the Casino Classics series and was released to general acclaim. It has been described as a best-selling album. In 2015, Cherry Red Records re-released the album as part of the Casino Classics: Complete Collection box set.
