Richard Searling DJ Mix – Skinned #13
Soul connoisseur and Wigan Casino hero Richard Searling delivers a batch of hot northern soul numbers for our Skinned mix series
The Skinny: Listening to your radio show on BBC Manchester is often like a lesson in the history of so many great soul artists. How do you keep up to date with all the info of these people?
Richard Searling: The time I spend planning the content of the BBC Stoke and Manchester programmes (both are different each week) far outweighs the actual broadcasting time, but I think it gives me a point of difference versus other shows. I'm also learning all the time as we discover together just how the music and the people behind it moved through their careers. I want my next show to always be my best show.
The tale of Dean Parrish has gone down in northern soul folklore... what other great tales of artists have you come across in your time?
Finding Gerri Granger last year has to be right up there – and to then be able to persuade her to come and sing for us at the forthcoming Blackpool International Soul Festival. Other highlights would include getting Barbara Lynn over for the first time ever, bringing Willie Hutch to perform his 60s repertoire and also flying in the northern legend that is Frank Wilson.
How do you hunt down records these days?
To be honest the days of hunting down records are limited to the months I spend in America and the odd record fair here and there in the UK. However, I am still discovering plenty of great music from within my own collection.
You originally started DJing at Va-Vas in Bolton; how did you first get the gig?
I received a call out of the blue one day by a friend who knew I had been to the States and had a few rare records. I also lived in Bolton which probably helped.
How did Va-Vas compare to Wigan Casino?
A totally different setup. Va-Vas was very modern and with such a small dancefloor and, on the face of it, it should not have worked. However, there was nowhere else, so the timing was perfect! From those days I have fond memories of titles like Laws of Love (The Volcanos), Easy Baby (The Adventurers), Tainted Love (Gloria Jones) and those fabulous adverts that the management used to place in Blues and Soul magazine!
What were your most and least favourite Wigan records?
Most favourite: Country Girl by Vickie Baines, and I Don't Like to Lose by The Group featuring Cecil Washington.
Least favourite: Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow, and Footsee!
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More from our Skinned Mix series:
Solid Blake: "Moving made me think, ‘Why am I not DJing?’"
Jeen Bassa: "I've been clapping my hands since I can remember"
The northern scene is known predominantly for 45s, but what great soul LPs have stood the test of time for you personally?
Willie Hutch – Soul Portrait [RCA].
Larry Williams and Johnny Watson – Two for the Price of One [Okeh].
Darrell Banks – Darrell Banks Is Here [Atco].
Linda Jones – Hypnotized [Loma].
A potentially difficult one: if you had to choose your favourite male and female vocalist out of them all...
It's not, actually! Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight.
We spoke to Kev Roberts last year and he said that the greatest soul venue in his opinion was the Torch, would you agree?
No, I would go for the Twisted Wheel in Manchester, but only the 1966-71 period. Before that it was a blues club.
What projects are you currently working on?
Plenty of projects, with the BBC shows being my main priority. It's an honour to work for such a prestigious and professional organisation. Venue-wise then it's undoubtedly the first Blackpool International Soul Festival, which takes place at the Winter Gardens over the weekend of 17-19 June. We are bringing in Bettye Lavette, Bobby Hutton, Dee Dee Sharp and, for the first time ever, Gerri Granger. We are also more than delighted to have Motown's first A&R man, Mickey Stevenson, flying in to host a prestigious Q&A session at the event.
You can also catch my weekly Sunday afternoon soul programme for Solar Radio (Sky channel 0129). This year I'm confident I will be releasing more limited edition 7" vinyl box sets with Universal Music. The Motown and the Capitol ones flew out!