Northern Soul is a rare groove-obsessed subculture and musical movement that emerged in Northern England during the late 1960s, centered on all-night dance clubs like the legendary Wigan Casino and Blackpool Mecca. Unlike the smoother, more polished Motown sound that dominated mainstream soul, Northern Soul champions obscure, often commercially unsuccessful American soul and R&B singles from small independent labels—particularly mid-1960s recordings characterized by relentless 4/4 beats, driving bass lines, tambourine-heavy percussion, and soaring, emotionally charged vocals designed to keep dancers moving until dawn. The movement's DJs prided themselves on unearthing forgotten 45s, turning commercial flops into dancefloor anthems through sheer passion and crate-digging obsession.
What distinguishes Northern Soul from its parent genre is its emphasis on tempo, rarity, and danceability over radio appeal or lyrical sophistication. While classic soul and Motown prioritized crossover potential and lush production, Northern Soul fetishizes the raw, uptempo energy of tracks that slipped through the cracks—often featuring lesser-known artists whose singles were pressed in tiny quantities. The scene developed its own visual culture (athletic spins, backdrops, and talcum powder on dancefloors) and ethical codes around original pressings versus reissues, making it as much about community ritual as musical appreciation.
Northern Soul offers a gateway to soul music's hidden depths—a treasure hunt through forgotten labels and one-hit wonders whose three-minute bursts of adrenaline prove that commercial failure doesn't diminish artistic power. It's the sound of obsessive collectors and tireless dancers keeping the flame alive for music the industry left behind.
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List updated:
| #100 | ByVarious Artists | Released:1961 | northern soul | ||
| #72 | ByThe Velvelettes | Released:1963 | |||
| #68 | ByKim Weston | Released:1964-11-06 | soulnorthern soul | ||
| #30 | ByShirley Ellis | Released:1964 | northern soul | ||
| #83 | ByThe Elgins | Released:1966-07 | soulnorthern soul | ||
| #2 | ByBobby Hebb | Released:1966 | soulnorthern soul | ||
| #93 | ByJackie Edwards | Released:1966 | northern soulsoul | ||
| #49 | ByThe Quik | Released:1967-10-27 | northern soul | ||
| #12 | ByTimi Yuro | Released:1968-03-13 | northern soul | ||
| #18 | ByBarbara Lewis | Released:1968 | soulnorthern soul | ||
| #82 | ByJerry Butler | Released:1968 | soulnorthern soul | ||
| #8 | ByThe Whispers | Released:1969-01-01 | northern soulsoul | ||
| #70 | ByJackie Edwards | Released:1969 | soulnorthern soul | ||
| #80 | ByRosetta Hightower | Released:1970-01-01 | soulnorthern soul | ||
| #4 | ByEdwin Starr | Released:1970 | |||
| #43 | ByTami Lynn | Released:1972-01-01 | soulnorthern soul | ||
| #34 | ByR. Dean Taylor | Released:1973 | |||
| #38 | ByJimmy Ruffin | Released:1974 | |||
| #56 | ByAl Wilson | Released:1974 | |||
| #45 | ByThe California Playboys | Released:1976 | northern soul | ||
| #54 | ByPP Arnold | Released:1977 | soulnorthern soul | ||
| #29 | ByVarious Artists | Released:1980 | northern soul | ||
| #92 | ByThe Dells | Released:1981 | soulnorthern soul | ||
| #77 | ByJimmy Hart | Released:1982 | |||
| #66 | ByThe Best of Northern Soul Vol. 2 | Released:1986 | northern soulphilly soul | ||
| #28 | ByVarious Artists | Released:1987 | northern soul | ||
| #40 | ByThe Sapphires | Released:1987 | northern soulsoul | ||
| #57 | ByVarious Artists | Released:1987 | northern soul | ||
| #60 | ByVarious Artists | Released:1987 | northern soul | ||
| #65 | ByVarious Artists | Released:1987 | northern soul | ||
| #69 | ByVarious Artists | Released:1988 | northern soul | ||
| #11 | ByFreda Payne | Released:1989 | |||
| #7 | ByChairmen Of The Board | Released:1990 | northern soul | ||
| #25 | ByThe Trammps | Released:1994-08-16 | |||
| #14 | ByThe Flirtations | Released:1995 | northern soul | ||
| #31 | ByJoboxers | Released:1996-12-02 | northern soul | ||
| #76 | ByFreddie Scott | Released:1998-02-17 | |||
| #21 | ByThe Velvelettes | Released:1999 | soulnorthern soul | ||
| #42 | ByTyrone Davis | Released:2000-09-26 | |||
| #91 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2000 | northern soul | ||
| #5 | ByBettye Swann | Released:2001-07-31 | soulnorthern soul | ||
| #32 | ByKim Weston | Released:2001 | soulnorthern soul | ||
| #99 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2001 | northern soul | ||
| #48 | ByWilson Pickett | Released:2002 | northern soul | ||
| #35 | ByBarbara Acklin | Released:2003-09-15 | |||
| #20 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2003 | northern soul | ||
| #41 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2003 | northern soul | ||
| #52 | ByJ.J. Barnes | Released:2003 | northern soul | ||
| #53 | ByCasino Soul Orchestra | Released:2003 | northern soul | ||
| #63 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2003 | northern soul | ||
| #58 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2003 | northern soul | ||
| #27 | ByRinaldi Sings | Released:2005-03-07 | |||
| #16 | ByAnn Sexton | Released:2005 | |||
| #50 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2005 | northern soul | ||
| #71 | ByRinaldi Sings | Released:2005 | |||
| #95 | ByBob & Earl Band | Released:2005 | northern soul | ||
| #51 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2006-02-27 | northern soul | ||
| #96 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2006-10-31 | northern soul | ||
| #26 | ByThe Velvelettes | Released:2006-11-21 | northern soul | ||
| #15 | ByThe Elgins | Released:2007-05-07 | northern soul | ||
| #1 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2007-06-05 | |||
| #84 | ByKyla Brox | Released:2009-06-09 | |||
| #55 | ByFitz and the Tantrums | Released:2009 | |||
| #59 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2009 | northern soul | ||
| #61 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2009 | northern soul | ||
| #67 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2009 | northern soul | ||
| #73 | ByDana Valery | Released:2011-04-22 | northern soul | ||
| #79 | ByFrench Boutik | Released:2013-08 | british rocknorthern soul | ||
| #44 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2014-06-20 | |||
| #39 | ByVic Godard & The Subway Sect | Released:2014-10-08 | northern soul | ||
| #87 | ByVic Godard | Released:2014-10-08 | northern soul | ||
| #33 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2015-03-30 | northern soul | ||
| #98 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2016-12-02 | northern soul | ||
| #47 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2017-03-03 | |||
| #9 | ByDee Edwards | Released:2019-04-18 | northern soulsoul | ||
| #94 | ByThe Innocent Bystanders | Released:2020-03-23 | |||
| #17 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2022-04-14 | northern soulsoul | ||
| #22 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2022-04-14 | northern soul | ||
| #19 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2022-04-14 | northern soul | ||
| #36 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2022-04-14 | northern soul | ||
| #37 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2022-04-14 | northern soulsoul | ||
| #64 | ByFrench Boutik | Released:2023-05-07 | british rocknorthern soul | ||
| #3 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2023 | northern soul | ||
| #6 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2023 | northern soul | ||
| #10 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2023 | northern soul | ||
| #13 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2023 | northern soul | ||
| #24 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2023 | northern soul | ||
| #46 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2023 | northern soul | ||
| #62 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2023 | northern soul | ||
| #86 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2023 | northern soul | ||
| #74 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2023 | northern soul | ||
| #75 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2023 | northern soul | ||
| #88 | ByThe Flirtations | Released:2024-04-20 | |||
| #78 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2026-01-09 | northern soul | ||
| #23 | ByThat Philly Sound Presents | Released: | northern soulphilly soul | ||
| #81 | ByBobby Jones | Released: | northern soul | ||
| #85 | ByVarious Artists | Released: | northern soul | ||
| #89 | ByVarious Artists | Released: | northern soulsoul | ||
| #90 | ByVarious Artists | Released: | disconorthern soul | ||
| #97 | ByVarious Artists | Released: | northern soul |