Spotlight On Ealing's Rock History at Major Book Festival
Blues Festival founder Robert Hokum will on Ealing's musical heritage
Ealing's vital role in the history of rock music will feature as part of a major festival this Autumn.
The Chiswick Book Festival, one of west London’s leading cultural events, will be at Gunnersbury Park and Museum for the first time and on Wednesday September 18th 2019, will host a session called ‘How West London Rocked the World’, highlighting The A-Z of Ealing Rock Music, listing the many musicians who spent formative years at the Ealing Club, London’s first rhythm and blues venue.
Robert Hokum, founder of the Ealing Blues Festival, will talk about Ealing music scene’s global influence, chaired by Caroline Frost, author and former entertainment editor of Huffington Post.
The many music pioneers who lived, worked and played here include members of The Rolling Stones, The Who, Queen, Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Dusty Springfield, Fleetwood Mac and many more. A film, Suburban Steps To Rockland - The Story of The Ealing Club, is to be shown on Sky this autumn.
David Bowler, the chief executive of Gunnersbury, said: “Gunnersbury CIC is delighted to launch its partnership with Chiswick Book Festival by hosting this event. Working with dedicated, enthusiastic local experts, to uncover and present stories about the rich cultural heritage of west London, is key to our mission as the local museum service for Ealing and Hounslow.
“Robert Hokum’s talk and publication perfectly complements our museum collection which contains artefacts, archives and displays representing the role of local people and places in the story of the development of blues, rock and pop in the UK.”
The evening will be sponsored by the University of West London (UWL), which is home to London College of Music and where Freddie Mercury, Ronnie Wood and Pete Townshend all studied.
“We were delighted when Gunnersbury invited us to hold an event there” said Torin Douglas, director of the Chiswick Book Festival. “The park and museum have been beautifully restored and it will be wonderful to open the Festival at Chiswick House and close it at Gunnersbury, another historic house in west London. Gunnersbury has some terrific cultural displays - Freddie Mercury is celebrated there - and we hope to help it build further links with writers in Ealing.”
The opening event of the Festival will be held at Chiswick House & Gardens on Thursday September 12th 2019. The historian and broadcaster AN Wilson will talk about his new book, Prince Albert: The Man Who Saved The Monarchy. On Friday September 13th, there will be a session remembering the actor Richard Briers, a Chiswick and Ealing resident for many years, with his daughter Lucy Briers; Peter Egan, his co-star in Ever Deceasing Circles; and James Hogg, author of Richard Briers: More Than Just A Good Life.
Other speakers include Cressida Cowell, Max Hastings, Peter Frankopan, Polly Devlin, Janet Ellis, Sadie Jones, Peter Hennessy, Paddy O’Connell, Linwood Barclay, Mark Billingham, Ken Livingstone, Alan Judd, Lindsey Hilsum, David Nott, Michael Fuller, Fiona Davison, Mihir Bose, Kamal Ahmed, Henry Hemming, Cathy Rentzenbrink, Jane Garvey, Cahal Dallat, Anne-Marie Fyfe, David Whitehouse, Catherine Horwood and Tom Mangold. There is also a full Cookbook Festival programme.
Tickets for the Chiswick Book Festival are now on sale via the Festival website: www.chiswickbookfestival.net
30 July 2019