Individual results

Interviewee: Colin Bell
Track 2
Grew up in Coventry. Born in 1967, in Walsgrave hospital.

0:41 Listened to old time reggae and Ska. Three older sisters. Liked 'Beatles' and 'Monkees'. Influenced by Dad's records. Trojan Derrick Harriot. Dad from Jamaica.

1:26 Earliest musical memory, seven inch on gramophone. played tunes learned words.

1:52 7-9 Went to parties with parents. House parties. Police ballroom dances. Tunes Shaving Cream. Watched olds dancing. Sister threw record away. Little Jimmy Brown. Sixpence. Ram gut liver. Hey fatty fatty.

3:16 Regular pop music when younger. Top of the pops. Reggae Mento blue beat at home.

3:47 A lot of music and sound systems. Sisters went to Locarno. Two tone. Was rude boy in Harrington jacket.
Everything black and white. Sister was friend of Neville and Lynval. Brought him tunes and autographed them.

4:42 Two Tone was big. In trouble at school for wearing white socks and skinny black tie. Coundon Court school disco. Mod music & Sugar Minor, Dennis Brown. John Holt.

5:40 Hillfields had a lot of Blues. Ballrooms. Vibrant scene. Always something to go to. Youth disco at sports centre Coogers. BMX club. Late 70's early 80's.

6:49 Here until 15 years old, came back in 1985. A lot of parties and blues. House parties. West Indian Club. Sunday evening dance. Jah Pete white guy. Danced with women, not just look at them. Well attended.

7:59 John Holt and Dennis Brown in charts. 'Boney M'. Black music to masses. White friends asked him what a yagga yagga was.

9:05 Moved to New York. A lot of hip hop. Sister went to American airforce bases. Bought back a lot of tapes. American soul. Beginnings of Hip Hop. Super Rhyme 13mins long. Sugar Hill gang style. Hip hop and soul Marvin Gaye Eric B and Rakim. Begin of modern hip hop era.

10:37 West Indians in NY. Parties Dances. Good times. Good reggae. Not as electronic. People playing instruments. Radio was hip hop evenings was Reggae shows. Went out to hear reggae. Went to Def Jam concert 1987 and American house parties but rest was Reggae.

12:20 Spoken word and story telling like reggae chanters. Livening up the crowd. Hip hop similar. Reggae and hip hop blurred now. Crossover all artists doing different things. A lot of Americans think they are Jamaican. West Indian culture built into being a New Yorker.

13:32 Depressing to come back 1991. Everything had changed. Music similar to New York. Atmosphere changed, no blues to go to. West Indian Club odd to dance with each other. Everyone just watching. Unity with black people when growing up. Had to be united NF BNP in cov. Running battles.

14:58 Respect for elders even if a few years older. Different then. Would be rebuked by people. Now afraid to challenge younger people. No one talks to young people. No more Unity. His generation got respect for black people.

16:30 Music was unifying. Jazz Funk and dancing history in the city.

17:20 Virgin owned by Pete Waterman ran it. Alpha records in Hillfields or Don Christie in Birmingham.

18:15 Back and forth between Birmingham. High unemployment in the 1980s, dole to buy daysaver. Eighty on a train to Powerhouse to listen to music.

19:04 Could dance better. Similar scenes same music. Didn't mix. Inter town conflict.

19:55 Support. Was Disappointed with how people felt about Cov. Motivated to support young people to do things. When he was growing up had things to do & places to go. Holyhead for young black youths. Fell into his work. Wanted to make a change and support people. Saw people from his generation with nowhere to go. After two tone desert. Had to leave to practice art form. Started small. Help writing lyrics. Local studio.

22:40 Listened to records and wrote words out. Chatted them back. Loved lyrics and words. Wrote in America and chatted. Mostly Reggae.

Track 3
0:05 Own promotions. English Man Promotions. Legendary parties. Would MC.

0:46 always liked to write and listen to other peoples. 1985 came back to England. Hip Hop and break dancing just started. Started to write and chatted on sounds. Went out of town. Own crew Def Crew. Best rappers in Coventry at the time.

2:35 Didn't do hip hop cos everyone rapping and dancing so high quality. Listened to a lot of it. Friends were English or West Indian so listened to mostly reggae.

3:23 Work all over city. Priority neighbourhoods. Drive to support young people. Rappin DJ not seen as traditional art form. Need to be supported. Should harness and develop peoples passion and enjoyment. Seen people worked with years ago helping to develop young people. Can make a living from supporting peoples dreams and build confidence. Works with disadvantaged kids no one listens to them.

Track 4
No body understands them. Told they can't. Don't know how to help them. Wont amount to anything. Encourage them. Succeed at things. Have end products or events to show friends/family and peers.

1:32 Not about the product. Most important to be supported enjoy and gain confidence. Some work is high quality. Can change people.

2:38 let them achieve something and be recognised for moving forward.

2:56 Worked with Phoenix Knights. Perry is an MC tutor. Lisa and Shaleen work with youth. Dance & Sing.

3:44 Without Caribbean culture wouldn't be the urban music there is. Continues to influence.

4:12 Wouldn't have the diversity of styles. Wouldn't be as exciting. Would still be listening to rock and roll. Even that came from black music.

5:00 Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Sugar Bugger Minor, D Brown. Maxi Priests early stuff. John Mclean. Lovers Rock. Hip Hop that's constructive not bling. Kera

Copyright restrictions (can be listened to for research purposes but no use of audio without Colin Bell's consent)