David Meikle
Rutherglen-born David Meikle, who died on 4th. September 2026 aged 75, was a pioneering figure in UK soul music and an important bridge between British fans and US artists and producers. He became Scotland's first Northern Soul DJ.
Northern soul is a uniquely British youth subculture that emerged in the late 1960s, centred around working-class youth gathering for energetic, all-night dancing to rare American soul records at legendary venues like Manchester's Twisted Wheel, Stoke's Golden Torch, Blackpool Mecca, and the world-famous Wigan Casino.
An obituary for David appeared in 17th. October edition of The Herald, and this is reproduced below.
Born in Rutherglen, near Glasgow, Meikle was an enthusiastic train spotter as a child in the age of steam. His patience, exceptional numeracy and attention to detail found a new, much cooler outlet during his teenage years, obsessively collecting soul and R&B vinyl records.
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After leaving school he absorbed the styles and sounds of Glasgow in the "Swinging Sixties" and began building an impressive record collection, joining only a handful of DJs at the time in Scotland and becoming one of a still smaller number playing soul. From 1969, Meikle began showcasing obscure rhythm and blues records at venues in Glasgow city centre. Regular midweek DJ sets at La Caverna in Bath Street featured rare soul vinyl, often released a few years earlier and including US imports not released in Europe at the time.
This mid-60s sound based on Motown's driving beat was becoming popular at clubs in the north of England before the term "northern soul" was recognised as a distinct movement. Magazines such as Blues & Soul were essential reading to source the latest record tips and interviews with artists.
Vacations to the seaside resorts of Cornwall and Devon meant contacts with groups of teenagers from the North raving about nightclubs back home playing only obscure soul music that was not in the pop charts. On their recommendation, Meikle's first visit to The Twisted Wheel club in Manchester was on January 24, 1970. He returned often, taking full advantage of a British Rail employee's free travel pass. There, legendary soul acts including Fontella Bass, Jimmy Ruffin, Ben E King and his favourite, Edwin Starr, performed live on stage, with top DJS playing the rarest 45rpm singles to a young, smartly dressed and knowledgeable crowd.
Arriving in the city on a Saturday afternoon Meikle and his friends often attended football matches before scouring the many specialist record shops for rare discs, bringing the "northern disco sound", as it was known, back to Glasgow. In that respect, David Meikle can reasonably be credited as Scotland's first northern soul DJ.
Above, Northern Soul dancers at The Twisted Wheel in Manchester.
Image credit: Derek Smiley/LH Northern Soul
When The Wheel closed due to intervention by authorities he continued to visit England, attending some of its best-known incubators of northern soul. These included The Golden Torch in Stoke-on-trent, Up The Junction in Crewe and Blackpool Mecca's more exclusive upstairs venue, the Highland Room. A keen football fan, a trip to Barcelona in 1972 for the European Cup-winners' Cup final following Rangers, who beat Moscow Dynamo 3-2, was an experience he treasured at a time when foreign travel for most people was only just becoming affordable. Again, taking advantage of his railways job, travel on that first foreign trip was free, including ferries, using a staff Interrail pass.
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By 1974 Meikle had stepped away from DJing and nightclubs for marriage, family life and golf, never attending Wigan Casino, a venue that would come to epitomise the 1970s northern soul movement. He became a first-class amateur golfer with a handicap of eight.
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Often, these visits included his long time friend and fellow soul fan, Harry Dhesi, meeting musicians, documenting studios and helping preserve stories overlooked by mainstream music histories. With Detroit artist and historian Lowell Boileau, Meikle co-founded Soulful Detroit, an influential early website and forum where articles, photographs and discussions connected soul fans in Europe with the originators of their music in America. As such, his contribution to archiving Detroit's music heritage for future generations is significant.
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Remembered for his curiosity, knowledge, fearlessness, attention to detail and fidelity to the music he loved passionately, David is survived by his wife, Doreen, stepfamily and grandson, Jay.
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Text source: The Herald, 17/10/2026
In later life, music drew him back as an avalanche of reissued soul music appeared on CD. From the early 2000s repeated trips to Detroit, the home of Motown and myriad independent record labels, led to a new obsession - documenting significant buildings connected to the glory days of "Motorcity" soul.
Right, David with Harry Dhesi at the memorial to Darryl Banks whose hit Open The Door to Your Heart became a Northern Soul classic.
Image credit: SoulfulDetroit.com