![]() “All in all,” explains Bradley, “it’s hardly surprising that London’s take on reggae music was far less confrontational and had a lusher, more conventionally pop-and-soul vibe, than what was being made in Jamaica.” Pop and soul from white and black artists was the soundtrack of their youth, and despite the considerable racism experienced by black Londoners, they shared with their parents a culture of aspiration - they were here to do better for themselves. Young people like Louisa had grown up hearing ska and reggae - but alongside watching The Beatles, Dusty Springfield, The Supremes and Jackson 5 on Top of the Pops. As Lloyd Bradley writes in his brilliant history of black music in London: “Even if reggae at the time enjoyed its highest-ever status, the truth behind the enthusiastic acclaim of the UK music press was that many sons and daughters of the Caribbean simply couldn’t relate to those records.” As a young teenager she would have been familiar with roots reggae music and its references to militancy and marijuana through artists such as Bob Marley. It was later used by the Sex Pistols for recording their demos, but on an autumn day in 1974 it was used by Louisa Mark to make history.īorn in 1960 to Grenadian parents in north west London, Louisa grew up in Shepherd’s Bush and was a keen and talented singer. ![]() During this period, Gerrard Street attracted many European immigrants, with one account from the 1930s describing the area as “a little state of Italy joined to a fragment of one of the more distant of the French departements.” With an influx of Chinese refugees in the 1950s, Gerrard Street acquired its current identity as the heart of London’s Chinatown, and in 1968 Peter Houghton opened Gooseberry as an affordable demo studio. She was about to make the first recording in a musical genre that transformed black music in Britain and gave a voice to the new generation of black Londoners born and raised here.Ĭurrently a hair salon, 19 Gerrard Street dates from the 1680s, with some major renovations in the mid 19th century. ![]() Louisa Mark was still just fourteen when she entered 19 Gerrard Street and made her way down to Gooseberry Sound Studio in the basement. 19 Gerrard Street - Photo: Jackie Hopfinger
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |