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This book originally accompanied the acclaimed, first ever large-scale exhibition on Black music in the UK and explores the people, spaces and messages that formed part of this central British soundtrack. We travel from jazz to calypso, from reggae, ska and, punk to soul and rap, and onwards through Garage, Jungle, Grime and Afrobeats. More than just music, the sounds, style, innovations and industries that have emerged from African and Caribbean visionaries in Britain are surveyed and celebrated.

We meet legends, innovators and pioneers including Ignatius Sancho, Billy Walters, Samuel Coleridge Taylor and Ken ‘Snakehips’ Johnson. The book seeks out the ground-breaking careers of Shirley Bassey and on through Pauline Black and Little Simz. The exhibition has uncovered a raft of new street-photography, as well as pivotal instruments, outfits, notebooks, zines, flyers and, of course, records all of which are presented in this landmark book.

Publication date: 10/06/2025

Author: Edited by Paul Bradshaw

Brand: British Library Publishing

Number of Pages:

Price

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British Library Exhibition Catalogues

Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music