My name is Debs, a true lover of the UK Soul and Jazz club scene, a MAD Arsenal fan and partner to the legendary DJ Dr Bob Jones. I've been into the black music scene since 1969/1970 from when i was a skinhead we were into our Reggae and of course the fashion that went with it ,from then on it was a steady climb into the black music scene,i then started to buy motown and Philly there was no going back. I loved it so much i then met someone when i was 15 who was a Northern Soul/Jazz Funk D J that's when i started buying imports from Contempo, in London and believe it or not Fratton Co Op near Portsmouth. There was also a shop in Brighton run by a guy called Jerry(SOUNDS UNLIMITED). Some of my first buys when i was at school were 'Bus Stop' Oliver Saine, 'Express' BT Express , J B's Monorail the 'Breaking Bread' Album,wade in the water Ramsey Lewis,Rut it where u want it Crusaders, the list goes on. Have to mention my Ric Tic Relics and my 45's from the Northern scene ....My first allnighter was at a club called Columbos in Carnaby Street i was 15 and still at school but my soul mates were all older than me so i was lucky enough to be taken to these places ... we used to travel everywhere for the music in those days no place was too far :)
In Bognor Regis, which is my home town, there was a massive soul scene we had two clubs, the Bali Hai and the Rex. Thursdays and Sundays we would go to the Bali and i remember SOUL KOJAK HARVEY appearing there on the soulpeepers tour. Unfortunately the club burnt down so we only had the Rex then which is where i was fortunate enough to see Arthur Conolly live, Inez Fox and Chairman of the Board. Saturdays was soul night here and remember hearing 'Wade in the Water' by Ramsey Lewis for the first time. I just had to buy it so my pocket money went on that the following week ...I also started buying Blues and Soul magazine at this time and remember getting thrown out of my music class for reading it :) unfortunately The Rex was pulled down by this time i had just left school but I was working so I could now purchase more records and clothes :)
But Bognor needed a new venue so we went to this small club called Dantes and when we walked in it was just a normal club playing stuff like status Quo - yuk!! so i pestered the D J so much to play black music.
He let us have Sunday nights to ourselves i remember the first night there was only about 20 of us, but three weeks later the queue was down the street! This was to go on for another 4 or 5 years but it was the ledgendary Caister Soul Weekender DJ Sean French who was the Dantes D J and we instantly struck up a friendship, due to our love of Black Music. Sean has been a dear friend ever since,also people like Brighton D J'S Paul Clarke and Mick Fuller came along with the ever trendy Brighton crew ,with whom we struck up a lifetime friendship to this day, we used to go to the Pappillon club the Zap and Busby's on a sunday night and there were a couple of allnighters at the Top Rank ...
Unfortunately Dantes then closed so we moved to the seafront to a club called Khristianos we had Wedneday nights there with D J 'S Sean French, Tom Holland and Martin Collins also Mick Fuller and Paul Clarke played there,Then that closed and Bognor died a death musically, by which time i was getting heavily into the Acid Jazz Scene. Just up the road Brighton was kicking, we had the the Jazz Rooms.We also used to go the Hilltop in Kent to see Pete Tong on a Monday. Bournmouth was good too with a great space called Upstairs at Erics.
We began to travel ,the Rio at Didcot ..The Surgery and The Red Eye, both London residencies for Dr Bob Jones,the Blue Note every Sunday where SNOWBOY and his dancers would be downstairs and C J and guests upstairs the BLUENOTE was also the place where i met Dr Bob for the first time at his 30 years on the decks party ,Purley alldayers and Reading ...we also did the Goldmine, in Canvey Island (Essex) a few times to see Jeff Young. Then the weekender thing started i did the first three original Caisters and the Bognor one at held at Butlins but didn't go to another one until about 1989 when i went to Prestatyn where i would spend hour upon hour in the Jazz room listening to the likes of Gilles Peterson, Kev Beadle and Chris Bangs. What a Jazz room that was then,i also met the legendary Chris Brown @Prestatyn through my old mate Sean French and remains one of my closest friends to this day ..Unfortunately Prestatyn stopped and i started going to the Southport Dance Weekender. Out of all the weekenders i've attended this has to be the best ever.I've had the best times ever on this music scene and i'm lucky enough to have met some really nice people ,Jamie McGreal done some blinding boats around the Isle of Wight where i met Spot and the Chertsey crew also the crew from Banbury and Bill Shannon(TIMEWARP RECORDS)again these are still close friends and Jamie and Paul host the CHISOULALLDAYER where we all meet up,Jamie has his boat cruises on the Thames now and are still a great success , i used to have a friend who was with Urban Species, who invited me to a party to meet Donald Byrd. Roy Ayers was also there i didn't speak to Roy Ayers, but chatted with Mr Byrd.
Since being with Dr Bob I've have met sooooo many great people and have been to some really nice places and hopefully god willing, I'll be attending alot more :)i..
