Donate your musical memories

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Rhythmic recollections of post war to modern day black music scene

People who have had any kind of involvement in the black music scene in West London are being urged to share their experiences at a series of workshops in Shepherds Bush over the coming weeks.

Anyone who has attended, organised or performed at a musical event since the war, from reggae and ska in the sixties and seventies to R&B in the nineties, is being encouraged to come to Cocoon House, off Lime Grove, and be interviewed by researchers so that their story can be preserved in a special book on the subject.

The workshops are being organised by Community Entertainment Enterprise, a non-profit organisation that aims to bring communities together through music and sport. CEE won an award from the Heritage Lottery Fund to compile the book, in order to show future generations how black music has provided the template for much of mainstream pop. The book will be distributed to schools and colleges, and there are hopes to produce a CD-ROM and a documentary film to further bring the research to life.

The workshops will take place from 10am-5pm at Cocoon House, Market Approach, off Lime Grove on February 17 and 22; March 3, 8, 24 and 31; and April 7 and 14. Further sessions are planned at the Priory Community Centre in Acton, before a major launch and showcase event at Riverside Studios in May.

CEE founder Norman ‘Budgie’ Campbell, from Hammersmith, says: “We had a fantastic response in November when we announced the project, so we’re really hoping that lots of people will come to the workshops and tell us their memories. There are lots of different subjects that we hope to cover, from how people found the venues and publicised the shows, to what kind of amplifiers and sound systems they used, so every little detail will be of use. Hopefully we can raise awareness of how much our music today depends on the efforts and ideas of people in the fifties, sixties and seventies.”

                                                    

February 9, 2006