Soul Selecta

Soul Selecta are a great (six piece) live band and have worked at many different types of functions and venues - from London to Rome. Each member is an accomplished professional - our combined experience not only covers weddings but radio, tv, festivals and stadiums. We are used to working on big stages, small stages and everything in between! We have worked together with different acts for over 10 years and in Soul Selecta since 2003. We provide a professional and comprehensive service to all our clients and pride ourselves on being easy to work with.

Soul Selecta predominantly cover classic and modern R’n’B, Funk and Soul; from James Brown to Beyonce (with some pop thrown in), but for occasions such as weddings and corporate events, are adaptable and versatile to cater for all across the genres and decades. Whilst mainly being a 'dance' band our clients comment on what a great band we are to listen to as well. It's a band we all love working with and this really comes across in our performances - which are always solid and fun!

NICKY PRINCE - LEAD VOCALS Nicky has been singing for over 20 years, (a dancer prior to that). She grew up on Soul, R&B and Jazz-Funk. She has been in many bands and her main influences and inspirations come from both old and new artists such as Stevie Wonder, Gladys Night, James Brown, Mary J Blige & Jill Scott. Over the years, Nicky has performed with Bernie Marsden at the Silverstone Grand Prix, supported Funk Pioneer Roy Ayres, Courtney Pine, The Three Degrees, Nate James (at the prestigious Jazz Cafe in London), Martha Reeves and The Vandellas and also Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club at The Bedford Corn Exchange and more recently the legends Soul II Soul. Back in the 90′s, she played Glastonbury several times with ‘Flipside’ and was also part of the UK’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest with Imaani; appearing on many TV shows included Top Of The Pops. Nicky released her first solo EP 'See What You Mean' in 2009 and the second 'Mischief'in 2016, both of which are available on CD and to download She also had chart success back in 2000 with the Zed Bias Garage track ‘Neighbourhood’. More solo material coming soon! PETE HEMSLEY - DRUMS Pete's career has taken in many facets of the music industry including producing, remixing, touring (both as a solo artist and sideman), composing and teaching drums. He has played with some of the greats, including Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, and recorded numerous albums, most recently with Solstice. Pete is a three times nominee for an APRA award! DAMIAN FLACK - KEYS Damian first began playing the piano at the age of seven. Since then, he has worked extensively and travelled the world as Musical Director with Cunard and performing with various well known artists. Damian has worked with Nicky Prince many times over the years on various projects. HOWARD NORMAN - GUITAR Howard has been playing guitar for around 25 years and has played in many different bands over this time, including several with other members of Soul Selecta. He has performed at many high profile corporate & private events both here & abroad. Including Weddings, Parties, Corporate events, Concerts & Festivals. He has played alongside & supported (among others) Courtney Pine at the Stables, Bernie Marsden at The Silverstone Grand Prix, Martha Reeves at the Bedford Corn Exchange, Nate James at the Jazz Cafe & The 3 Degrees in concert. He is also a very popular guitar teacher with well over 100 private lessons a month ROBIN PHILLIPS - BASS Robin has been playing bass since ’96 when he was asked to join Solstice and was gigging in Europe and at places like the 100 Club and the Astoria with some great players. His main influences are some of the great groove players – James Jamerson (Motown), Willie Weekes (Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder), Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn (Booker T. Stax), to name but a few. Robin is still a part of Solstice who are still recording and performing. Robin isn’t known as the ‘laid back groovesmith’ for nothing! TOM RIDOUT - SAX Tom is currently studying Jazz Sax at the Royal Academy of Music, here he has had the opportunity to perform with many top Jazz musicians such as Dave Holland, and perform in venues such as the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Tom gigs regularly on the London Jazz scene, and is a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, with which he performs regularly in many venues across the country. Recently NYJO performed in Buckingham Palace with guest star Gregory Porter, and also 3 days at Ronnie Scotts in Soho. Tom loves playing a wide variety of styles and genres, from baroque through Jazz and Soul to Heavy funk.

See a selection of songs in our Repertoire listed below. For occasions such as weddings and parties we also cover some Jazz, Rock, Rock and Roll and Indie to cater for varied tastes. 60’s Beggin You - Franki Valli For Once In My Life - Stevie Wonder Hard to Handle - Otis Redding Higher & Higher - Jackie Wilson Knock on Wood - Wilson Picket Motown Medley Mr Big Stuff - Jean Knight Respect - Aretha Franklin Say A Little Prayer - Aretha Franklin Shake Your Tail Feather - Ray Charles Son of a Preacher Man - Dusty Springfield Soul Man - Sam & Dave Sweet Soul Music - Arthur Conley 70’s Ain’t No Stopping Us Now - McFadden & Whitehead Blame It On The Boogie - The Jacksons Burn This Disco Out - Michael Jackson Car Wash - Rose Royce Cold Sweat - James Brown Disco Inferno - The Trammps Don’t Leave Me This Way - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes Feel The Need In Me - Detroit Emeralds I Wish - Stevie Wonder Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye Let’s Stay Together – Al Green Lovely Day - Bill Withers Move On Up – Curtis Mayfield Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry Rock With You – Michael Jackson Sex Machine - James Brown Shake Your Body Down (To The Ground) - The Jacksons Signed, Sealed, Delivered - Stevie Wonder Street Life - Randy Crawford & The Crusaders Superstition - Stevie Wonder Young Hearts Run Free - Candi Staton 80’s Ain’t Nobody – Chaka Khan Billie Jean - Michael Jackson Celebration - Kool & The Gang Give Me The Night - George Benson I’ve Found Lovin’ - The Fatback Band Kiss - Prince Let's Go Round Again - The Average White Band Let's Groove Tonight - Earth, Wind & Fire Never Too Much - Luther Vandross Night To Remember - Shalamar Outstanding - The Gap Band/Keni Thomas Thinking Of You - Sister Sledge We Are Family - Sister Sledge 90’s Cosmic Girl Jamiroquai Groove is in the Heart - Dee–Lite Midnight at The Oasis - Maria Muldaur/The Brand New Heavies Somebody Else’s Guy – Jocelyn Brown Teardrops - Womack & Womack You Don’t Love Me - Dawn Penn 2000+ All of Me - John Legend American Boy - Estelle Blurred Lines – Robin Thicke Crazy In Love/One Thing Medley - Beyonce Knowles/Amerie Do Your Thing - Basement Jaxx Forget You – Ce Lo Green Get Lucky – Pharell Happy – Pharell I Need A Dollar – Aloe Blacc Mercy - Duffy Price Tag – Jesse J Rehab/Valerie Medley - Amy Winehouse She Came To Give It To You - Usher She Said - Plan B Uptown Funk - Bruno Mars Specialised/Non-Mainstream All Night Long - Mary Jane Girls All This Love That I’m Givin’ - Gwen McRae Ascension - Maxwell Brick House - The Commodores Expansions - Lonnie Liston Smith Express Yourself - S.O.U.L I’ll Take You There - The Staple Singers I've Found Lovin - The Fatback Band Just Be Good To Me - The SOS Band Lets All Have a Good Time - Brand New Heavies Starksy & Hutch Theme - JTQ We Can Work It Out - Chaka Khan What's Going On - Marvin Gaye Wish I Didn’t Miss You - Angie Stone Work To Do - The Isley Brothers

All Of Me - John Legend Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol Come Away With Me - Norah Jones Evergreen - Will Young Fly Me To The Moon - Frank Sinatra Halo - Beyonce I'm Feeling Good - Nina Simone/Michael Buble It Had To Be You - Frank Sinatra/Harry Connick Jnr Just My Imagination - The Temptations Just The Way You Are - Barry White/Billy Joel Kiss Me - Sixpence None The Richer Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye Let's Stay Together - Al Green Lost Without You - Robin Thicke L.O.V.E - Joss Stone Love You More - JLS Lovely Day - Bill Withers Make You Feel My Love - Adele Moondance - Van Morrison My Girl - The Temptations Nobody Does It Better - Carly Simon Say A Little Prayer - Aretha Franklin She - Elvis Costello Someone to Watch Over Me - Ella Fitzgerald Somersault - Zero 7 Tenerife Sea - Ed Sheeran Thank You - Dido There's Nothing Like This - Omar Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran Unbelievable - Craig David Unforgettable - Nat King Cole Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton You Are the Sunshine Of My Life - Stevie Wonder You Do Something To Me - Paul Weller You're Still The One - Shania Twain Something a bit different.......... Ain't Nobody - Chaka Khan Celebration - Kool & The Gang Everlong - Foo Fighters For Once In My Life - Stevie Wonder Hey There Delilah - Plain White Tees Never Too Much - Luther Vandross Thinking of You - Sister Sledge To Be In Love - Masters at Work You're The First, Last, My Everything - Barry White

Jessica & Jamie Lawrence – Parkside House , Milton Keynes – "A HUGE thank you to Nicky and the band for their performance at our wedding last month! They were FANTASTIC and delivered a high quality set. We have been a big fan of theirs since first seeing them at our friends wedding in 2011 and regularly attend their gigs at the Slug & Lettuce in Milton Keynes. Everyone at our wedding got up to dance when they performed; it really was money well spent!! Thank you again xx" Katie & Andrew Ritchie – Bank House Farm, Etton, E Yorks – "Thank you all for the best night of our lives you guys were INCREDIBLE and all our guests LOVED you. Thank you for making it so memorable for us and all our guests ..." Mark Hale – 40th Birthday Party – The Marle Inn, Milton Keynes – "We were so happy with the band at our wedding we couldn't resist hiring you guys again and we were not disappointed! Thank you so much for making the party an amazing night! The place rocked! Everyone was up dancing all night and made Marks 40th a night to remember. We will definitely be getting in touch for future events!" Nicola and Steve Holmes - Flaxbourne Gardens, Beds - "My husband and I would like to thank you all for being such a fantastic band at our Wedding in June last year. Our family and friends all LOVED your performance and approach-ability.. Even letting us and a few others join you on stage to attempt to sing with you!! The dance floor was full all evening and that alone is a sure sign that everyone loved your live music. The highlight for us, was you learning three songs at our request, our first dance, which was sung beautifully and also our 'family song' which meant the world to my parents. In summary, we couldn't recommend you more.. A great band with fantastic approach-ability and 'can do' attitude.. Thank you!!" Liam & Sarah Mason – Ripley Castle, Harrogate, North Yorks – "Thank you ever so much for coming up to North Yorkshire. We both enjoyed the band so much, it was perfect! Everybody else keeps commenting on how great you were also! We hope you enjoyed the evening too....." Nick & Laura Turner – St Julien’s, Sevenoaks – "I have had so many reports on how brilliant you all are. It was such a treat to have you play at our wedding. You sang our first dance song so beautifully. Thanks so much for learning it....." Claire Swadling – 40th Birthday Party – "Hi Nicky and all of Soul Selecta, just wanted to say a big fat THANK YOU for doing such a great job at my party. You sounded amazing and certainly got the guests dancing the night away! I’ve had so many lovely comments about what a great band you were, so I just wanted to pass that onto you all and thank you again. Nicky, thank you also for being so prompt and organised with all the communication, with contracts, song lists, emails etc. Look forward to seeing Soul Selecta at some point in the future" Chris & Emma Birtle – Wedding - Whittlebury Hall, Northants – "Soul Selecta, what can we say but a massive thank you for making our wedding extra special. Everyone who came couldn’t stop talking about you guys! Lots of love Chris & Emma x" Nick & Sally Grant – Wedding - Auberge Du Lac, Brocket Hall, Herts – "Just a quick note before Sally & I go off on our honeymoon to say thank you all so much for yesterday. I had no doubt that you would be fantastic and you certainly didn't let us down. Every song was perfect for us and our guests and Nicky - all of our guests commented on what an amazing voice you have! Your version of Halo was brilliant. We've just watched the DVD and we think it's better than the original! Hopefully our dance did it justice....The keyboard & sax on the terrace was amazing as again, everyone commented. We found a copy of your set list in our papers when we got home today, something to keep as a memento from you of our day..." Chris & Yvette Brightman – Wedding - The Holiday Inn, Milton Keynes – "My partner and I would like to say a huge thank you to Soul Selecta for playing at our wedding. We had an amazing day and having the band play made the day even more special. Many of our guests have commented on how brilliant you all were, the dance floor was full all evening, and we were all left wanting more. Nicky and the guys are truly a class act, and the atmosphere they created was amazing. Thanks again and we would HIGHLY recommend you to anyone and everyone we know." Jayne Brereton – Wedding - The Moat House, Acton Trussell – "What can I say about Nicky and the Band - they were AMAZING. We had such a fantastic day and to have a band in the evening just topped the day off. I can't begin to say how many of our family and friends commented on Soul Selecta being one of the best bands they had heard a very long time (WoW) they blew us away. We started to dance part way through James and Vanessa first dance - (we were invited to join them :o) and only came off the floor when Soul Selecta took their breaks - they were just BRILLIANT. I went to bed with such sore feet but do you know what - it was worth it......I want to congratulate the band and say a big THANK YOU for making James and Vanessa's evening wedding so special. Thanks again" Gayle Porter – Aldenham Golf Club, Herts – !I had such a Fantastic 50th Birthday Party!! Everybody is calling me and saying how they really enjoyed it and how good the band was. Nicky and her band were really fantastic, they really made the evening special. I have given their cards out to my friends who want to book them! I must say they were great to watch. I love the Sax and Nicky really does put everything in to it – she’s a great singer and mover! I’m so pleased I hired them and they were able to play. They were worth every penny!" Sarah Sansom – Wedding - Abberton Hall, Pershore, Worcs – "Just before we go away for a rest we just wanted to thank Soul Selecta for the fantastic performance you gave at our wedding. Nicky your voice and energy that you put into the performance was fantastic and made it a night and set to remember. The rest of the band was also brilliant and the trumpet and saxophone player gave us the real soul sound we were looking for. We want to do it all over again!! Hope you all got back safely as I know you had a way to travel and you had enough to eat and drink all day. Let us know if you are doing any more public venues as we will want to come back and reminisce. (we kept your play list as a lasting memory!) Thank you again. Love Sarah and Mark" Margaret Sparks(The Brides mother!) – Tina and Steve McNeil’s Wedding – Bletchley Park – “Hi Nicky, your performance on Saturday was absolutely perfect. Nothing can beat live music played by a talented group. Thank you very much. Kind Regards, Margaret” Chris and Lucy Fink – Wedding - Wolburn Sculpture Gallery – "Thank you all very much for helping to make our wedding day perfect. It was a pleasure meeting and working with you all. Many thanks and best wishes, Lucy and Chris Fink" David and Candice Morris – Wedding - Tower Bridge, London – “Hi Nicky, as I didn't get to see you before you left (everything went by in a blur!!) I just wanted to say thank you to you and all the band so much for making our night great fun and very special. We had a fantastic time and I have lost count of the number of people that asked me where we found you and how fantastic you were! Kind regards, Candice” James and Claire Candy – Wedding - Silchester House – "A big thank you to Nicky and Soul Selecta! We couldn't have chosen a better band for our wedding. They were professional from the moment we booked which was great with all the other things that we needed to plan for "the big day". On the night they really got the party started and played a great mix of music so that we had everyone - young and old - strutting their stuff on the dance floor til the end! Everyone commented on how great they were! Thanks again and we'll definitely recommend you to others - not least so that we get to hear you again! Regards, Claire & James” Mr and Mrs Pollard’s Wedding – Horwood House, Little Horwood, Bucks - “We just wanted to say a huge thank you for playing at our wedding. The entertainment you provided was fantastic, from the choice of songs to the interaction with our guests. Many of our friends commented that you were the best band they had seen at a wedding reception which was a great compliment. Thank you for helping us to celebrate our wedding day, we really had the most wonderful time. Everything was perfect.” Mr and Mrs Puttick’s Wedding – Leaside House, Hatfield - “Thank you and the band for an excellent performance. We hope you enjoyed the evening as much as we and all of our guests did” Veda Beeharry – 30th Birthday Party – Newport Pagnell, Bucks - “I just wanted to thank all of you guys for an absolutely fantastic night. The party wouldn't have been the same without you and there were a lot of people loving your work! Thanks for making my 30th a truly memorable experience.”

Milton Keynes Theatre - Bucks Grand Prix - Silverstone - Northants Jagz of Ascot - Berks Bedford Corn Exchange - Beds Elvetham Hotel – Hants Horwood House, Bucks Bletchley Park, MK Brocket Hall, Hatfield Andaz Hotel, London Down Hall, Herts Auberg Du Lac, Welwyn Silchester House, Hamps St Julien’s, Kent Ripley Castle, Yorks Sudeley Castle, Gloucs Milton Keynes Stadium Grand Connaught Rooms - London Wilton Hall, Milton Keynes Woburn Sculpture Gallery - Beds Luton Hoo - Beds

Q: How long does setup take?

A: Around 1.5 hours

Q: What are your space and power requirements?

A: We require a stage area no smaller than 16 feet wide by 12 feet deep (5 X 4 meters). In some instances we can adapt to smaller or different dimensions but best to discuss this with us. We need suitable access to a minimum of 2 x 13 amp electric sockets.

Q: Do you take requests?

A: Yes we do allow a few requests with at least 1 months notice in case these are not on our song list.