A holiday in the South of England resort of Torquay would be the key to keeping my obsession with sixties Soul Music alive and well.

When my mate and I had a fortnight there in 1969, we were pleasantly surprised by the music played in the likes of The Compass Club.

The Compass Club had a reputation for playing the flip sides of Motown records, such as Martha and the Vandellas 'Third Finger Left Hand'; a bouncy number which really epitomises the joyful appeal of  Northern Soul.

In the Compass we met some people from Manchester who were raving about a club in their home town which they said played unknown soul records and was open all night!

For several months I kept a watchful eye on Blues and Soul Magazine's entertainments page and eventually spotted my all time hero, Edwin Starr, was to play there on the 24th January 1970.

A round trip to the Wheel from Glasgow was 500 miles, and  would last 36  sleepless hours, but the impact on the soul was enormous! 

After a couple of visits, my bedroom had become a shrine to the Twisted Wheel and Edwin Starr.

Notes thanks to David Meikle.