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Chris Hill
**Chris Hill** (8 January 1945 – 11 September 2025) was a prominent DJ, producer, and label founder known for his significant contributions to the UK soul scene.
Hill began his DJ career in the late 1960s, initially performing at a small club in Orsett before moving on to the Goldmine in Canvey Island. Throughout the 1970s, he played a vital role in the burgeoning U.K. northern soul movement. Alongside fellow DJs Chris Brown, Tom Holland, and later Robbie Vincent, Greg Edwards, and Sean French, Hill launched the first soul Alldayers at the Reading Top Rank Suite, followed by large-scale events in Purley and Alexandra Palace.
In March 1979, Hill introduced the ambitious Caister Soul Weekender, which continues to this day. This event, held at Caister, near Yarmouth on the Norfolk coast, became a landmark gathering for soul and jazz enthusiasts, attracting the largest number of fans ever seen in the UK.
Hill’s career was marked by his involvement with the label founded in 1976 by Chris Hill and Nigel Grainge as an independent subsidiary of Phonogram. During this time, Hill also achieved success in the British Top Ten with two comedy records. He later moved to London, where he began a legendary residency at Ilford's Lacy Lady, a venue that became a cultural hub, influencing fashion, music, and the punk and new romantic scenes.
At the Lacy Lady, patrons were exposed to a diverse range of music, from jazz funk and fusion to the latest soul and disco from America. The venue played a crucial role in shaping the jazz scene, drawing in visitors who would go on to become influential figures in music, media, and fashion.
In 1977, Hill helped establish the label, whose first signing introduced the young Sir to the world. The growing UK soul scene allowed Hill to promote a new wave of homegrown R&B talent, including artists who became key figures in the Britfunk movement.
After a brief return to the Goldmine in 1980, Hill decided to leave the club scene in 1985 to focus on his role with a young Irish singer he had discovered, Sinéad O'Connor. In 1987, he took a job at Radio 107 in Hamburg, where he created the successful SoulBeat program, gaining celebrity status in Germany. Following the global success of Sinéad's hit "Nothing Compares 2 U" in 1989, Hill contemplated retirement from club life. However, with encouragement from fellow DJ Gary Dennis, he reopened the Lacy Lady in Ilford, reviving the local scene.
The resurgence of the Lacy Lady led to the revival of the Caister Soul Weekender in 1994, where the original team reunited at the Vauxhall Holiday Centre in Yarmouth. Despite relocating from its original site, the event retained its iconic name and continued to draw crowds.
After five successful years at The Kings, the Lacy Lady closed in February 1995, moving to a new venue in Ilford. The Caister Weekender, now recognized as the world's longest-running soul event, solidified Hill's legacy as a key figure in the genre, maintaining its status as a premier event for soul and jazz/funk music in the new millennium.
Description
Chris Hills - Comin' Outta The Ghetto - 1971 FUNK SOUL - NOS SEALED - top right shrinkwrap coming away
- Grading description below, done with The Vinyl Archivist photo examples in mind -
- Records are packaged with a poly outer sleeve, the LP is placed in a fresh white inner sleeve directly after cleaning, (we include the accompanying sleeve, we send you both), separate from the cover to protect the seams during shipment, and of course, shipped within thick cardboard insert pads in a thick cardboard record mailer.
- We offer discounted shipping on multiple records: calculated shipping for the first one and $2 for each additional one. International Buyers, please read International Buyers paragraph below.
SRO Records Record Grading Guide:
SEALED/Mint:
Vinyl: Assumed mint, unverified until opened.
Sleeve: Visible through shrink wrap, graded as above.
NM (Near Mint):
Vinyl: Nearly flawless, with possible minor scuffs or hairlines only visible under strong light.
Sleeve: Appears new, as if freshly printed.
EX (Excellent):
Vinyl: Bright, with minor surface wear and hairlines, not affecting play.
Sleeve: May have faint creases or abrasions, but artwork is clean.
VG+ (Very Good Plus):
Vinyl: Obvious wear, scuffs and hairlines, plays with some noise but no major sound issues.
Sleeve: Worn with creases, noticeable wear, acid deterioration, corner dings, chipping, and possible seam wear.
Here's the typical SRO Records line in the sand. Anything below VG+, unless it's rare, unusual or just awesome, we're NOT going to sell online, much less go through the hassle of an ultrasonic cleaning, we're going to put it in one of many $10 Record boxes that we sell at Record Conventions and events. Some will wind up in the $1 Box, just to get it back out into the world for someone to enjoy or make a planter out of.
VG (Very Good):
Vinyl: Dull appearance with many hairlines and scuffs, somehow plays with persistent noise but no skips.
Sleeve: Worn with possible seam splits and moderate ring wear.
G+ (Good Plus):
Vinyl: Numerous marks and scratches, plays with significant noise but music usually overpowers flaws.
Sleeve: Rough appearance with possible seam splits and water damage.
G (Good):
Vinyl: Copious unforgettable marks, probably a skip or jump.
Sleeve: Heavy ring wear and damage, likely large seam splits or water damage.
F (Fair):
Vinyl: It's round with nearly infinite damage, skipper gonna skip
Sleeve: It's basically what's left of the sleeve for the album
International Buyers: We charge $7 for the first record and $2 a record thereafter for Domestic Shipping in the continental United States. This only includes shipping to the International hub here in the United States. Please carefully review the total shipping and VAT charges for your order before committing to a purchase, which will be different from what we are able to view or control on the US eBay site.
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Record Testing Equipment:
Turntable:
Yamaha Direct Drive YP-D6
Ortofon VMS 20 E Mk II Cartridge
Amplification:
Yamaha Natural Sound Receiver
Speakers:
JBL 4312 Studio
We're Not Happy Until You're Not Happy Dept.
We kid! Since 1983, we simply don't exist without happy customers; we offer hassle-free returns on all vinyl LP record album purchase that are returned in the exact condition they were sent. We cannot accept returns on factory sealed/mint new/unopened lp albums that have been opened. Please send us a message if you have any questions, concerns, or issues with your purchase; please do not open a return or an eBay case without contacting us first, we will make it right!
We are professional, quite reasonable to a fault and are ALWAYS willing to work to resolve any issue with a purchase!
Thank you for buying from SRO Records! You can catch us at the Spring and Fall Austin Record Convention, many Austin popups, so drop by and say hello to Gabi and Jeff!
