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Our Journey |
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It began at a deserted diner - with a man too tired to go on. That man, a noted trumpet player, had paid good money to see a "Live Soul Band" the previous night which had turned out to be more soul-destroying. In desperation he went to see the legendary Rick Nuttall, surely they could put a band together which could play soul music with real soul. Calls were made and The SoulTrain began to take shape. |
| To get the right combination of musicians some slightly dubious methods were employed: a guitarist was tricked into joining; a tenor saxophone player was forced to take up the baritone; a bass player was obliged to switch to keyboards; tenor saxophone players came and soon went until The Doctor (who?) was found lurking around a surgery at a jazz festival. In and around all this loomed the imposing figure of another legend, fireman Ray Bailey - more used to going up ladders than getting down with "The Snake". | |
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The time: November 2008 - the place: Rawtenstall - the event: the debut of The SoulTrain - the cause: raising cash for two local charities - the result: a spectacular sell out show raising lots of cash for charity and a mighty head of steam for The SoulTrain. More gigs followed until services were disrupted as Ray and the band parted company. With a temporary singer drafted in, auditions for a new singer were nightmarish (a bit like the outtakes from "Britain's Got Talent") until the temporary singer decided to become permanent. |
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| From that point The SoulTrain went from strength to strength, playing many venues in East Lancashire and further afield. Highlights included Darwen Music Festival ("the best band on the main stage") "Soul Night" at King George's Hall, Blackburn (the first time that this bimonthly event has ever had a live band in the concert hall); a remarkable dinner dance at Everton Football Club and a theatre show with Diana Ross (well , no... not the Diana Ross!). | |
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A number of changes of crew have caused a temporary disruption of services: Martin Smith (emigrated), Rick Nuttall (retired) and most recently, Dan Connolly (spending more time with family). But with new crew members in place, the boiler has been fired up and The SoulTrain is once again steaming down the tracks. With the move into performing a mix of both Sixties Soul and classic Northern Soul material (engaging an audience long ignored by live acts), the band began gigging further afield. |
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| Current destinations for The SoulTrain include The Tower Ballroom, Blackpool; The Grand in Clitheroe (where the band recorded the tracks to be heard on the various pages of this website - make sure your speakers are switched on); Bury Met; Waterside Arts Centre (Sale); The Brighouse Ritz; Burnley Mechanics and many, many more! The band also played an exclusive "live" show on Keith Fletcher's "Sunday Night Soul" programme on BBC Radio Lancashire to an estimated 1.2 million listeners, and will continue to deliver its authentic soul sounds (and train-based puns) to audiences throughout the north west and beyond. | |
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all aboard... |
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