Ms Dynamite: Garage, Soul and the Power of Speaking Out
Ms Dynamite brought a distinctive voice from London’s garage scene into British popular music. Her recordings connect quick, assured MCing with melodic singing and a concern…
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Black Women’s History
Women’s lives, achievements, work, creativity, campaigning and community leadership, across different periods and countries.
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Read the article: Ms Dynamite: Garage, Soul and the Power of Speaking Out
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Jazzie B: From London Sound Systems to Soul II Soul
Read the article: Jazzie B: From London Sound Systems to Soul II SoulJazzie B carried the knowledge of London sound systems into records that travelled around the world. Soul II Soul grew through dancers, singers, producers, shops and…
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Sade: The Voice, the Band and the Craft Behind the Songs
Read the article: Sade: The Voice, the Band and the Craft Behind the SongsSade Adu’s voice is central to a musical partnership that has connected British soul with listeners around the world. Alongside Stuart Matthewman, Andrew Hale and Paul…
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Janet Kay: Silly Games, Lovers Rock and Black British Musical Life
Read the article: Janet Kay: Silly Games, Lovers Rock and Black British Musical LifeJanet Kay brought a remarkable voice to lovers rock, helping a sound nurtured by Black British listeners reach a national audience. Her career connects recording studios,…
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Daphne Steele: Nursing, Leadership and Life in Ilkley
Read the article: Daphne Steele: Nursing, Leadership and Life in IlkleyDaphne Steele’s appointment as an NHS matron in 1964 made national history. Her wider career connected Guyana, London, the United States and Yorkshire. Following her work…
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Jackie Kay: Poetry, Voice and Belonging
Read the article: Jackie Kay: Poetry, Voice and BelongingJackie Kay’s poetry, fiction and memoir explore family, language and the changing meanings of belonging. From The Adoption Papers and Trumpet to her years as Scotland’s…
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Tessa Sanderson: The Javelin Champion Who Kept Competing
Read the article: Tessa Sanderson: The Javelin Champion Who Kept CompetingTessa Sanderson’s Olympic gold in 1984 was part of a career spanning six Games and three Commonwealth titles. From junior athletics in Wolverhampton to international competition,…
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Winifred Atwell: Two Pianos and a Place in Popular Music
Read the article: Winifred Atwell: Two Pianos and a Place in Popular MusicWinifred Atwell brought classical technique, ragtime and boogie-woogie to records, television and crowded theatres. Her contrasting pianos became a signature, while work in beauty and hair…
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Mary Fillis in Elizabethan London
Read the article: Mary Fillis in Elizabethan LondonMary Fillis arrived in England as a child and worked in two London households. The detailed account of her baptism in 1597 preserves her father’s craft,…
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Olive Morris: Organising for Housing, Education and Black Women
Read the article: Olive Morris: Organising for Housing, Education and Black WomenOlive Morris organised across housing, education and the Black women’s movement in Brixton and Manchester. Her own writing and the memories of fellow campaigners reveal the…