I saw a piece this week on a local news show about a British funk band called Cymande from the early 1970's. I'd never heard of them, a little before my time, I would have been listening to glam rocck and pop at that time, bands like Sweet, Slade and TRex. By the mid 70's however I do remember the British funk explosion, the holy grail being to sound American, I was about to write to 'sound like the real thing', one of the UK's best soul groups of the 1970's was The Real Thing from Liverpool.
Cymande have enjoyed a late blossoming due to their songs being sampled by the likes of 'De La Soul, Wu-Tang Clan and the Fugees' according to the report. Incidentally members of The Fugees have a Caribbean background. The Caribbean contribution to US hip hop has been well documented, but this is not my area of expertise, however I remember being surprised when I learnt that The American jazz musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron, thought by some to be an early originator of rap, was the son of a Jamaican footballer.
But I digress, members of Cymande went on to get day jobs (two became lawyers), but despite their late flourishing some rancour remains. One member said ' back then there was not much promotion of black music, or black musicians'. Back in the 1970's young black men in the UK were regarded with suspicion and fear, a lot of black men of my generation were not given the opportunities or recognition that their talents deserved. The British upper and middle classes were (are?) well versed in keeping out interlopers. Today the establishment is committed to anti-racism, but on its own terms in its own way in its own time. Professor David Olusoga OBE, Baron Sewell of Sanderstead, Dr (Hon) Marcus Rashford MBE, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Lenny Henry and others - what do these people have in common? I'm not commenting on their merits or talents, I am saying that the British elites has long practiced co-option and patronage. The establishment can safely exclude 'undesirables' while pointing out their own excellent record on diversity and exclusion. They still decide who will be included (and excluded).
PS I just heard an interview on Radio 4 with Cymande, I recognised the name of one of the members, his mother and mine are old friends. Steve's mother and mine had flats in a house back in the day. I was born in the terrible winter of 1963. My dad went out to call the midwife (at a phone box!) who was caught in the snow. Steve's mother stayed with mine until my dad got back, between them they brought me into the world. My mum says I brought myself into the world.
I saw a piece this week on a local news show about a British funk band called Cymande from the early 1970's. I'd never heard of them, a little before my time, I would have been listening to glam rocck and pop at that time, bands like Sweet, Slade and TRex. By the mid 70's however I do remember the British funk explosion, the holy grail being to sound American, I was about to write to 'sound like the real thing', one of the UK's best soul groups of the 1970's was The Real Thing from Liverpool.
Cymande have enjoyed a late blossoming due to their songs being sampled by the likes of 'De La Soul, Wu-Tang Clan and the Fugees' according to the report. Incidentally members of The Fugees have a Caribbean background. The Caribbean contribution to US hip hop has been well documented, but this is not my area of expertise, however I remember being surprised when I learnt that The American jazz musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron, thought by some to be an early originator of rap, was the son of a Jamaican footballer.
But I digress, members of Cymande went on to get day jobs (two became lawyers), but despite their late flourishing some rancour remains. One member said ' back then there was not much promotion of black music, or black musicians'. Back in the 1970's young black men in the UK were regarded with suspicion and fear, a lot of black men of my generation were not given the opportunities or recognition that their talents deserved. The British upper and middle classes were (are?) well versed in keeping out interlopers. Today the establishment is committed to anti-racism, but on its own terms in its own way in its own time. Professor David Olusoga OBE, Baron Sewell of Sanderstead, Dr (Hon) Marcus Rashford MBE, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Lenny Henry and others - what do these people have in common? I'm not commenting on their merits or talents, I am saying that the British elites has long practiced co-option and patronage. The establishment can safely exclude 'undesirables' while pointing out their own excellent record on diversity and exclusion. They still decide who will be included (and excluded).
PS I just heard an interview on Radio 4 with Cymande, I recognised the name of one of the members, his mother and mine are old friends. Steve's mother and mine had flats in a house back in the day. I was born in the terrible winter of 1963. My dad went out to call the midwife (at a phone box!) who was caught in the snow. Steve's mother stayed with mine until my dad got back, between them they brought me into the world. My mum says I brought myself into the world.