Posted by Connie T. Empress on October 18, 2005 at 20:00:13:
In Reply to: Question for Bob Shannon: posted by Larry on October 18, 2005 at 18:22:52:
CTE here. ESSC was formed in the early '80s as an org. dedicated to Soul music--playing, dancing and appreciating it in all its various forms. We (W. Lee, Jeff the Chef and me) held dances monthly starting at Tramp's on 15th St. and later at various venues including Irving Plaza, spending our last 3 years at the North River Bar on Hudson St. Based on Soul Clubs in the U.K. where rare soul and dances are more common, we ramped it up: we had membership cards, a bimonthly newsletter, t-shirts and some of the best poster graphics ever. When you saw the ESSC logo you knew it was an EVENT--PURE SOUL! Our never-quit spirit and relentless promotion lead to the development, with Atlantic Records, of the Stax box released in the early '90s. Rufus and Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd and William Bell were some of the artists that made appearances (sometimes by surprise!) to sing over records and meet their die-hard fans. Our crowd was diverse, digging all the sounds from jumpin' 50's to Latin Soul to regional and rare cuts. We disbanded when I moved to ATL in late '95. When you hear Bob and I referring to "floorpackers" or "ESSC classics" by Darrell Banks, Kim Weston, The Astors, Hank Ballard, etc. these were (and still are) records that even if you have never heard them before will get you up and out on the floor. It is startling how far-reaching the influence of ESSC has been (the Rhino Beg, Borrow and Shout collection looks like a standard night's playlist). However, fear not--The Empress is BACK and ready to hit the decks again. I played this past weekend as a guest of the Subway Soul Club which is an heir to the ESSC legacy. Check out the ESSC section of Bobshannon.com for archived newsletter and poster samples, pix and details of upcoming events. Any message boarders out there who went to dances? Check in!