Dave Godin - Northern Soul Collector

[lectrolove 10]

I knew him quite well, but not in a music context. He was a student at Psalter Lane at the same time as me, and was president of the Students Union there for a while if I remember correctly.

[Tinsoldier 10]

Didn't he coin the term 'Northern Soul' ??

[Chris66 10]

Yes he did - He noticed that customers from the North who came into his London shop bought soul records that were danceable and by certain artists.

So to help them locate these easily he called a section of his stock Northern Soul. Dave also ran Blues and Soul magazine where the term was often used.

 

Just from memory - I think that's the story.

 

Chris

[Huxley 10]

I was at Psalter Lane art college with Dave during the 80s in Sheffield, where we were both mature students at the time. I remember him as a real character, very eccentric and arty with a very distinctive voice. He was a really decent fella who kept largely to himself but was pleasant to everyone. I didn't know he had died though!

[Alastair 12]

I had to chaperone a friend to the sauna at Sheaf Valley baths who'd been invited there by Dave Godin. He was scared Dave would make advances on him

 

I met him quite a few times through our mutual friend and he was always entertaining.

Edited June 4, 2010 by Alastair

[ShaneH 10]

dave died about 5 years ago. his last address was near the northern general hospital.

 

as well as his close links to soul music and films, he was also supported donkey sanctuarys and veganism.

 

if you would like to know more about dave and his connection to the soul scene...check out http://www.soul-source.co.uk

[WendyJ 10]

Dave Godin was a much revered character in the Northern Soul scene and I attended his funeral which was an amazing experience that matched his wide and differing interests. For any soulie in the 70s his column in Blues and Soul was a 'must read' along with Frank Elson's.

 

Didn't know him personally but, like many soulies, attended his funeral to show our huge appreciation of his input to our musical world.

 

Regards and KTF

[hitthebongos 10]

Great campaign to get Dave Godin some recognition he deserves , if you was a young mod in the 60s or a northern soul boy ( or lass) in the 70s , you probally will have heard of Dave Godin , he started the Tamla Motown appreciation Society , released great music on his soul city and deep soul record label and had a great column in blues and soul amongst many other things , below is a link to ask Sheffield Council to consider a star for him , only takes 30 seconds .

 

https://www.change.org/p/sheffield-city-council-by-soul-blues-music-lovers-worldwide-public-recognition-for-dave-godin-the-father-of-northern-soul?recruiter=115230070&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_facebook_responsive&utm_term=des-lg-share_petition-no_msg

[soulman 10]

The man who coined the name Northern Soul gets my vote.

[LeMaquis 10]

I never knew that the bloke who coined the term Northern Soul had moved to Sheffield. The obituaries of him talk about his London roots and don't mention much about his time up here. There is talk of his involvement in the Anvil cinema but what else did he do up here?

[hitthebongos 10]

This paragraph was nicked from his orbituary in the Guardian newspaper , haha

 

In the 1970s he moved north, taking a degree at Sheffield University and later becoming the first director of the Anvil arts cinema. Generous in his enthusiasms but unsparing in his judgements, he once said of David Blunkett, a Sheffield acquaintance, "That man always had a whiff of Stalin about him."

[Modernsoulman 10]

Great campaign to get Dave Godin some recognition he deserves , if you was a young mod in the 60s or a northern soul boy ( or lass) in the 70s , you probally will have heard of Dave Godin , he started the Tamla Motown appreciation Society , released great music on his soul city and deep soul record label and had a great column in blues and soul amongst many other things , below is a link to ask Sheffield Council to consider a star for him , only takes 30 seconds .

 

https://www.change.org/p/sheffield-city-council-by-soul-blues-music-lovers-worldwide-public-recognition-for-dave-godin-the-father-of-northern-soul?recruiter=115230070&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_facebook_responsive&utm_term=des-lg-share_petition-no_msg

Signed. Only took a minute.

Used to regularly bump into Dave on my way home from work shopping in the B&C Co-op in town. I always wanted to chat about Soul music but he was more interested in telling me why I shouldn't be buying Walls sausages.

A man with passionate beliefs that I didn't always agree with but this Soul scene of ours would be an emptier place had he not been on it.

Sad day when we lost him.