The Golden Torch

At the height of its fame it the Golden Torch boasted a 5,000-strong membership and attracted international soul acts including The Drifters, James & Bobby Purify, Ben E. King, J. J. Barnes, Fontella Bass, The Stylistics and Major Lance. Over half a million passed through its doors before its untimely closure in March '73 when the local council refused to renew its all-night licence. Soul royalty Edwin Starr accompanied club owner Chris Burton to the licence hearing, but to no avail. Within six months of its closure, Wigan Casino (CHARLYL190) relit the soul mantle, but it was the Golden Torch that fuelled its flame and truly defined Northern Soul.

This new album was compiled by the late Francis T, Basil, Tim Everett and Joe Boy in celebration of 50 years of Northern Soul at Stoke's The Golden Torch night club. It joins a growing catalogue of premium music on Club Soul - including the 16-track crossover and modern soul LP Shades of Soul, feel-good Soul Shack release Time & Place and the rest of the newly compiled records that celebrate the clubs of the original Northern Soul Scene - The Scene Club, The Twisted Wheel, Wigan Casino Soul Club and Catacombs.