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Our roots.... The Melbourne Soul Club
Brian Walton, Steve Bardsley and Tommy Hewitt recognised the unfulfilled need for a monthly Soul Music night in Melbourne, one with a Motown theme for soul starved ex-POMs. It was therefore decided, over a few frothies one evening, to start a monthly Motown night. Brian, Steve and Tommy all featured as resident DJ's and from time to time guest DJ's Ralston and Brian Cunningham contributed into the soulful mix.
Item one on the agenda was a new venue. Maureen Cowburn and Sam Ross were assigned locating a new venue, which, after a long arduous and detailed bar-hopping search - the new venue became the Bayswater RSL. Item two was a return to the original Motown soul night theme. This remains the central tenet of the club today. Item three on the agenda was to officially rename the Motown soul night to be in line with a new start. They also adopted the name that most patrons affectionately referred to the club as - “The Melbourne Soul Club”. Tommy Hewitt and Steve Bardsley featured as the resident DJ’s but due to travel and business commitments Steve and Sam departed leaving Tommy to DJ alone. Shortly after Tommy enlisted Maureen Cowburn’s husband Steve Cowburn, a DJ from his old days in the UK to help with the DJ duties.
Around August 2007 Tommy decided to retire from the club and Steve Cowburn heroically assumed both organisational and DJ duties. Again, stoically the Melbourne Soul Club refused to lie-down and after a couple of ‘solo’ nights Steve Cowburn managed to twist Steve Bardsley's arm and convince him to come back as a resident DJ. Mick White a friend of Ron and Hillary Gendall also jumped in to assist with promotional responsibilities and running of the club. Although having no prior DJ experience, "Mad" Mick White also took on an ‘apprentice’ DJ role - he took like a duck to water, smooth on the surface.
In October 2008 the Melbourne Soul Club went digital and the web site was created established to provide up to date information and promote the monthly Motown and Soul night. Around this time the club also presented a series of nights at ‘The Acorn’ pub in The Basin run by Mal and Eileen Leather. The initial night was organised by Brian Walton who was visiting from his now home in Hervey Bay. Steve Cowburn assisted Brian and from this initial night, which was hugely successful, several other ’special’ nights were planned and promoted. Every event was packed to the rafters and blew the roof off the place wth sweet soul tunes. Later in 2008 and into 2009 Steve Cowburn, Steve Bardsley and Mick White remained the resident DJ’s at the Bayswater RSL for the monthly club get-together. A regular Guest-DJ around this time was Elaine’ Motown’ Miller, who, with her husband Kevin had already been regular at the Soul club nights for many years. Other notable regulars included Chris and Chris Doughty, Clive & Elizabeth, Graham & Maggie Wilkie, Keith & Meg Turner & Lynn & Tony Toledo - to name a few of the most well known.
While attendance at the club was steady, it was not growing as hoped, so in mid-2011, to spread the net for Soul lovers wider, rookie-guest-DJ spots were created and encouraged. This has brought new faces to the decks of the club and we've seen a continuous increase of people attending, drawing people and their friends who see themselves as a DJ giving fellow soulies their aural pleasures and some great soulful music to boogie on down to. From this successful idea, along with the regular resident DJ’s the Guest DJ’s in 2011 have so far has included:
From this history, the Melbourne Soul Club shows that even down-under, through the constant support of its members, guests and DJ’s - and the dogged perseverance of its organisers, it has successfully overcome small periods of uncertainly to emerge as Melbourne’s most popular monthly Soul Night for both old, not-so-old and young soulies. The current adherence to the ‘Motown Soul’ central theme continues to drive our success story as the Melbourne Soul Club, gathers momentum... Attendance at the club is now at an all-time-high and growing, with its new mix of Motown, popular Soul, a little disco and some special Northern Soul sets - the music keeps the dance floor busy all night with its hipshaking, boogie-ing, two stepping, northern hand-clap and that disco wave your hands-in-the-air way - successfully into its fifth year ! We thank everyone who has supported and visited the Melbourne Soul Club across the years or currently attends. Whether as a DJ, a regular visitor, or for an occassiona boogie-on-down - we offer a big Soulful Thank You. The outlook for the Melborne Soul Club is sunny blue skies, warm weather and sweet beautiful soulful music all the way..... |
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Developed and maintained by Steve Cowburn and Lambchop on behalf of MSC |
Starting a new venture is never an easy thing to do, especially where the potential patrons
are from a specialised and minority social group (OK...soulies). This was the challenge faced during the early
days of the Melbourne Soul Club. The origins of the Melbourne Soul Club date back to mid-2004 at the DF Lounge
in Boronia, which was then owned by Brian Walton who also owned the ‘DJ Factory’ equipment supplier in Boronia.
In 2005 with the sale of the DF Lounge looming, Tommy Hewitt and Steve Bardsley moved the
monthly Motown and Soul night to the Maroondah Sports Club, where it stayed for around six
months. Regulars at this venue included Sam Ross and Brian Young who also featured as a guest
DJ's. Whilst the Maroondah Sports Club was an excellent venue it had a few restrictions and high
expenses for the non-profit making Soul club, so a new venue was sought.
Driven by the high expenses and other factors, in 2006 Steve Bardsley, Tommy Hewitt and Sam Ross
moved the monthly night to the Mooroolbark Soccer Club. This proved to be popular venue however,
possibly due to a dilution of the original Motown Soul theme attendances weren't consistent
and it appeared the club was in danger of closing.
Determined to keep the monthly Soul night alive, late in 2006 an extended group consisting of
Steve Bardsley, Tommy Hewitt and Sam Ross coupled with Mooroolbark Soccer club regulars Ron and
Hillary Gendall and Maureen Cowburn met to plan a revived future for the Club.
