In the 1940s the jitterbug, a type of swing dancing that was pioneered by African American communities in New York during the early twentieth century, took the United Kingdom by storm. The energetic dance, which featured elements of the jive, the charleston, and other swing dances, divided Britain, with it being embraced by those who flocked to dancehalls up and down the country, whilst others viewed it as a morally dangerous American import. In this special blog, using newspapers from …
music history
American-born jazz age superstar Adelaide Hall (1901-1993) was a Black music legend, who from 1938 onwards made Britain her home. She went on to have a long and successful career in the UK. In this very special blog, as part of Black History Month on The Archive, we will celebrate this jazz age queen who came to Britain and entertained thousands of people via her stage and radio performances, using newspapers taken from our Archive. A Star Is Born To …
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This week at The Archive we are delighted to welcome three wonderful and brand new Welsh language newspapers to our collection, alongside 75,422 brand new pages. Meanwhile, from Holborn to Hornsey, from Nelson to North Middlesex, we’ve updated six of our existing titles from Scotland and England. So read on to discover more about our new and updated titles of the week, as well as to learn about the National Eisteddfod of Wales in 1891, the largest of several eisteddfodau …
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This week at The Archive we are treating you to two new newspapers from the North West, as we have added 189,566 brand new pages to our collection over the last seven days. Meanwhile, from Coventry to Croydon, from Leicester to Liverpool, from Westminster to Widnes, we have updated 28 of our existing titles from across the United Kingdom. So read on to find out more about our new North West duo of newspapers, as well as to discover which …
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From the 26th to the 31st August Afton Down on the Isle of Wight was home to one of the largest rock festivals the world has ever seen. With an attendance that surpassed Woodstock the previous year; it is estimated that between 600,000 to 700,000 people flocked to the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. With such large numbers in attendance, all did not go as planned, much like the revival of Woodstock in 1999. The festival was marred by petty …
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‘Sea shanties are having a great vogue right now,’ reports the Leeds Mercury in January 1927. The writer may well have been describing the sea shanty trend of the present day, as the haunting harmonies of traditional sea shanties once again have captured the popular imagination. And one hundred years ago, during the 1920s, sea shanties were also incredibly popular. You could listen to them on the radio, or on your gramophone, and they were even performed by MPs. Sailors turn the capstan …
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Celebrating the History of Black British Musicians – Five Black British Musicians and Their Legacies
October is Black History Month, and to celebrate, here at The Archive we are uncovering the amazing stories of Black British figures from history. In this first of a series of special blogs, we begin by celebrating the work of five Black British musicians, and highlighting their amazing legacies, using newspapers taken from The Archive. Register now and explore The Archive So read on to discover more about child prodigy George Bridgetower who took the courts of Europe by storm …