Latest news with #Handsworth-born
BBC News
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Birmingham reggae concert to mark Bob Marley's 80th birthday
A special concert celebrating Birmingham's reggae history is to take place on what would have been Bob Marley's 80th Reggae Origins concert will see Basil Gabbidon and musicians from Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG) join forces on Thursday evening at the city's Town reggae singer Marley died of cancer at the age of 36 on 11 May founding member of the Handsworth-born reggae band Steel Pulse, said the musician would "probably be as surprised as we are" that the genre was growing and still going strong. "It's amazing how it's just spread across the world," he said of the reggae scene."When you hear Bob Marley's music, it's always been there."The classical and reggae fusion concert will see strings and a full band performing brand new arrangements of songs from the Birmingham Reggae scene, alongside some of Bob Marley's biggest said he had initially approached BCMG a few years ago to try and put the project together but there was no funding for it at the time."It's something I'm looking forward to doing," he said of the concert."I love fusion and I think it's something that needs to be put across, that all music basically is one music."Roots reggae band Steel Pulse was formed in 1975 by school friends who attended Handsworth Wood Boys group became first non-Jamaican act to win the Grammy Award for Best Reggae spoke about the Catch A Fire album by Marley's band The Wailers and a track called Concrete Jungle, which he said inspired him to "take guitar seriously" and to start playing the instrument."If it wasn't for that album, I don't think Steel Pulse would have been born," he said."If you listen to Steel Pulse there's a lot of fusion going on in there," he added. "There's funk, a bit of rock... pop."Gabbidon added the Windrush Generation also played an important part in bringing Reggae from Jamaica."They brought the culture, you could say the music culture," he explained."We're in an age now, in Britain, in Birmingham, where's there's a cross-culture thing going on. We're fusing all those various cultures together." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Proud Brummie' Benjamin Zephaniah remembered by first city medal
The late writer and poet Benjamin Zephaniah will be the first recipient of a medal created to honour Birmingham residents. The Handsworth-born actor, whose work often addressed themes of racism, inequality and human rights, died in 2023 aged 65, after being diagnosed with a brain city council has now approved proposals to posthumously confer upon Zephaniah the City of Birmingham Medal, in a move to celebrate his Thompson, deputy council leader, said he was a "proud Brummie and a man of compassion who never forgot the community that shaped him". The council created the medal in April Thompson told Tuesday's full council meeting that when Zephaniah died, she made a promise to his family the city "would honour him in a significant way"."It's fitting he is the first recipient of this medal because he spent his whole life breaking new ground."The authority agreed it should consult with Zephaniah's family to make arrangements for awarding the medal within 12 a statement on behalf of family this month, his brother Tippa Naphtali said following Zephaniah's death, his family were approached by "many individuals, organisations and institutions who wanted to stage events or initiatives in his memory".The family worked with more than 45 such parties nationally in the year following his passing, he added."Such was the strength of feeling in Birmingham, we have worked (and are still working) with third parties on a number of legacy projects."Mr Naphtali said up to his death Zephaniah remained committed to doing everything he could to promote the city "on a national and international stage". The poet was "passionate about giving the city the recognition and national profile" it deserved, he added. Conservative councillor Darius Sandhu said Zephaniah "was a force that never forgot where he came from".And Roger Harmer, Liberal Democrat leader at the council, stated the poet grew up in a time of huge challenges, such as racism, inequality and the struggles of working class life."He turned them into fuel for his art," he said. "His poetry reflects the rhythms of Birmingham's streets."Green Party councillor Julien Pritchard said he had been inspired by Zephaniah's sense of hope and justice. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
