The Soul Society

< < < l to r;- Phil Freeman Mick Cooper, Ken Hill, Stweart Ward, Mark Hunter, John Davis. < l to r;- Stweart Ward, Mick Cooper, Ken Hill, John Davis, Phil Freeman, Mark Hunter. < The Van < Live at Bishop Otter College, Chichester. l to r;- Rod Watts organ, Mark Hunter bass, Alan Dodds drums, < Phil Freeman vocals/harmonica, John Davis sax/guitar. < In the forest near Rowlands Castle < Soul Society Play List Aint too proud to beg .temptations< Michael .geno Washington< Open the door to your heart daryll banks< Shotgun jr walker< How sweet it is .jr wsalker< Whos cheatin who little Milton< Road runner ..jr walker< That drivin beat .willie Mitchell< Harlem shuffle bob & earl< Green onions ..booker t< Cant turn you loose .otis redding< Fa fa fa sad song otis< Respect otis< Mr pitiful .otis< Shake otis< Satisfaction otis< My girl ..otis/temptations< Everybody needs somebody solomon burke< Sock it to em j b rex garvin/mighty cravers< Don t fight it wilson pickett< Midnight hour .. wilson p< 6345789 .wilson p< Don t fight it ..wilson p< Raise your hand .eddie floyd< Knock on wood ..eddie f< Things get better .eddie f< Ride your pony lee Dorsey< Get out my life woman lee Dorsey< Mr soul .bobby bland< Good time Charlie .bobby bland< I m your puppet ..james &bobby purify< Eloise ..william bell< Seesaw .don covay< Walkin the dog ..rufus Thomas< Memphis train rufus t< Jump back rufus t< Willy nilly rufus t< Show me .joe tex< SYSLJFM ..joe tex< You don t know .sam & dave< Hold on I m comin .sam & dave< Can I get a witness .marvin gaye< But its alright ..j j Jackson< Amen various< Hi heel sneakers tommy tucker/graham bond< Little girl ..graham bond< Questionable is Cant sit down ..phil upchurch combo< Merc mercy mercy ..johnny Watson /?< Soul finger barkays< From Singer Phil Freeman< These tunes appeared somewhere,sometime over the period but who knows exactly when . A lot of these fine songs were in our playlist early courtesy of my Regular collection of N M E mag while doing the apprenticeship (2 or 3 years worth are still here probably dating from 1964 onwards) .Every week the section on American releases that would not be in the u.k. for at least a month was providing inspiration and consequently my regular orders at Weston Hart to obtain as soon as available ..(this meant we could learn the tune and have it in repertoire before it was even on general release here) ..I still remember the excitement of getting the postcard from Weston harts telling me the record/s were ready for collection, Followed by the rush when at pub rehersal I was able to plug in the Dansette put the platter on the turntable and introduce everyone to the next bit of soul for the masses oh those fun times ..< < < < 1966 Bookings New Years Eve 1965 Bassett Club Southampton also Naffi Club< January 1st 1966 Zack s Shack Boarhunt < February 5th Zack s Shack Boarhunt< February 11th Thorngate Hall Gosport< February 19th Excell Bowling Alley private dance< February 26th Southern Counties Competition Weymouth (1st)< March 6th Indigo Vat Hampshire Terrace< March 12th Conservative Hall Fratton 21st party< March 13th Bournemouth (Demonstration tape for CBS Records)< March 15th Whale Island< March 17th HMS Colli8ngwood< March 18th Soul Parlour (Oasis Club) North End< March 23rd Southern Counties Final (5th)< March 25th Soul Parlour < March 26th Shoreline Bognor < March 30th Bournemouth La Discue< April 6th HMS Dryad < April 8th Soul Parlour< April 9th Shoreline Bognor< April 13th Indigo Vat< April 16th Thorngate Hall < April 17th Royal Ballrooms Bournemouth < April 23rd Shoreline Bognor< April 27th Bournemouth< April 30th St James Church hall Youth Club Dance< May 1st Leigh Park Community Centre< May 6th Soul Parlour< May 10 Portchester Community Centre< May 11th Thorngate Hall< May 20th The Grotto Hayling Is< May 21st Grove Club Paulsgrove< May 22nd Soul Parlour Portsmouth< June 9th Soul Parlour< June 10th Indigo Vat< June 14th Isle of Wight boat Be3at Cruise < June 15th St Edmunds Youth Club< June 21st Southbourne Youth Club< June 23rd Medical Coprps Dance Aldershot< June 24th Letchwoth Community Centre< June 25th Sarisbury Green Community Centre< June 26th Soul Parlour< June 30th Highbury College Dance< July 1st The Grotto Hayling Is< July 4th HMS Collingwood< July 5th Paulsgrove< November 12th Grove Club Paulsgrove < November 16th St Edmunds School< November 17th Waterfront< November 18 Arbour Youth Club Woking< November 20 Parlour< November 26th Golden Hind Hindhead< December 2nd Vat< December 8th Meon Road School< December 9th St Annes Youth Club< December 10th Vickers Sperry Rand New Lane Havant< December 15th Cowplain Youth Club < December 16th Chichester< December 17th Sarisbrury Green < December 18th Bulford Camp< December 20th Eastney Youth Club< December 21st St Albans Youth Club< December 22nd Midhurst Youth |Club< December 23rd Corn Exchange Hungerford< December 29th St Cuthbert s Church Hall Copnor< December 31st Indigo Vat< The 1966 songs, < Last Night, Neighbour Neigbour, Night time id the right time, Virginia Wolf, Mr Pitiful, My Girl, Respect, Down in the valley, Pappas got a brand new bag, I ll go crazy, Out of sight, Land of 1000 dances, Mr Soul, It s gonna work out fine, Night train, Ride your pony, Green onions, Midnight Hour, Hoochie coochie man, Hit the road Jack, La la la la la, How strong my love is, Jump Back, Plum Nellie, Stand by me, So what, Mojo, Smokestack, This hammer, Chicago calling, In my lonely room.< < Love of music led Phil Freeman to form the band Soul Society. The popularity 0f Brian Matthews's Sounds Qt‘ The Sixties on Radio 2 on mornings proves that there are still many survivols out there Irom the swinging 60s.< This band of devotees includes Phil Freeman of Cosham, for he was very much a part of the lucal music scene in that halcyon era. On leaving school at the age of 16 in 1964, Phil worked as a carpenter. But as he spent most of his time in pursuit of music, he was eventually sacked for bad timekeeping. Although his only previous experience had been singing in the Portsmouth Technical High School choir, he was determined to make his way in the music world. A door opened for Phil when he spotted an advert in the Portsmouth Evening News for a group who required a vocalist. They were called The Concordes. a fair band he Ilfl heard previously at the Sarurday morning at th avoy Savoy in Southsea, now 5th Avenue. Phil admits his cheek got him the job. Inspired by the sounds of Tamla Motown and the Mersey Sound as heard on records and pirate radio, he was encouraged to farm his own band - oul Society – and were destined to make some impact on the Portsmouth pop scene. The other members of Soul Society at the time were John Davies on sax, Doug Chapman on bass guitar, Stuart Wood on lead guitar and John Pratt on drums. Phil Freeman was on vocals. The art of promoting a band leans heavily getting the gigs in the first place but once this was achieved Soul Society found they were re~booked regularly. Transport was — and still is - an important factor for a band. Soul Society progressed from a mini-van to an ex-GPO Bedford van. They certainly used them, for the gigs not only included local clubs such as Kimbells, but were as far a field as London, Weymouth, Dorcheater. Stoke, Newbury and Nottingham, plus countless colleges. universities and youth clubs. After a few yours with Soul Society, Phil Freeman joined a seven-piece band called The, Image, the attraction being that they had an old ambulance for transport In 1971, despite their strong following, on returning from a gig at the Top 10 Club in Harnburg, the band split up. But Phil soon got a job as a roadie with popular group _ Gentle Giant, formerly Simon Dupree and the Big Sound, and he remained with them until 1976. On leaving the group, Phil had gained enough experience to set up as a lighting designer, specialising in stage and concert lighting. The artistes that he has nm lights include Blondie, Andy Williams. The Jacksons, Manfred Mann, Tommy Steele, Elkie Brooks, Barbara Dick- son, Madonna and even Take That. Phil's proudest achievement was designing the lighting at Wembley for the Live Aid Concert. Despite all the heady years in the business, % years on he is still married to the lady who first recommended him for the roadie job with Gentle Giant. What a career, and to think it all began in the choir at Portsmoutth’s Technical School.

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