Music lovers can get their Northern Soul fix when American legends The Contours headline a Motown and soul night at Wolverhampton’s Wulfrun Hall. Fans can make the most of a rare chance to dance to the band when they perform their 1960s classics Just a Little Misunderstanding, Do You Love Me, First I Look at the Purse, Determination and many more on Friday 25 September, 2015.
Joining The Contours’ latest line-up will be DJs Hitsville, Chalky, Ozz and Little Scotty who promise the keep the Northern Soul sound alive late into the night.
Back in the day when Wigan Casino was at its height Wolverhampton had an important part to play thanks to local clubs like the Ship, Laffette and the Catacombs, which embraced the Northern Soul sound. And now people can relive those nights when the North Street venue brings the Motown sound to the city shortly.
The Contours go back to 1959 when they formed as an R&B vocal group in Detroit featuring lead vocalist Billy Gordon, Billy Hoggs, Joe Billingslea and Sylvester Potts. Hubert Johnson joined the line-up in 1960, and it was his cousin Jackie Wilson who secured the group an audition and then a contract with Motown Records in 1961.
In 1962 the dance-orientated number Do You Love Me became one of the label’s biggest hits to date, topping the R&B charts and reaching number three in the US pop listing.
They went on to have successes with Can You Jerk Like Me, Smokey Robinson’s witty First I Look At The Purse and the dance number Just A Little Misunderstanding, and although 1967's It’s So Hard Being A Loser was the Contours last official single, posthumous releases, particularly in Britain, kept their name alive.
Councillor John Reynolds, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for City Economy, said: “Whether you were part of the Northern Soul scene back in the day and have kept the faith or are someone who is part of its revival this is a great chance to dance to this legendary Motown band. It promises to be a memorable night.”
