Black music events shine a light on city pioneers

The Black Sound exhibition is being held in Coventry to shine a light on the pioneers of black British music in the city.

It is one of a series of events, hosted by Coventry University, telling the story of 100 years of musical creativity, organisers said.

Black music expert Lloyd Bradley said: "When people think of black British music they think of places like London, Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham, but I didn't feel Coventry's place in the story is celebrated as much as it could be."

This the first time the exhibition has been held outside London, creative director Scott Leonard said.

The exhibition, a collaboration with the university's Gallery of Living History, opened at the Delia Derbyshire building on Saturday and runs until 28 February.

The exhibition charts the timeline of contemporary black music in Britain from 1919, when the Southern Syncopated Orchestra arrived from the US.

It goes up to last year's release of We Know It's Christmas – a rebuttal to the 40th anniversary remake of Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas by British-Ghanaian singer Fuse ODG.

Organisers said that Coventry, the home of 2 Tone, was ideally placed to host the event, which will also delve into the city's wider black music heritage.

2 Tone music started in Coventry in the 1970s and was a blend of Jamaican reggae, ska and British punk music.

Panel discussions will be held on 7 and 8 February, with films and talks.

Live performances will include Coventry Youth Orchestra and contemporary artists including Danniella Dee, one of the founders of Coventry's all-female dub trio, Sisters in Dub.

The final event will be a Heritage Collection Day on 8 February, when visitors will be able to take in objects or souvenirs to be scanned, digitally preserving them for future generations to discover.

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