#IMBHM: How Windrush Changed Music in the UK

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The Windrush generation is most notably recognised for their contributions to post-war Britain and its economy. However, with these contributions, they also brought with them an array of sounds, songs, and music. But how exactly did this generation diversify the UK music scene?

Who are the Windrush Generation?

Despite what you may think, the name Windrush has little to do with the elements. Instead, the name comes from the ‘HMT Empire Windrush’ ship that ushered in hundreds of passengers from the Caribbean to the UK in 1948.

The 1027 passengers aboard the ‘HMT Empire Windrush’ played a crucial role in the reformation of the British economy after the brutality of the Second World War.

After arriving at the Tilbury Docks on June 21, most passengers worked as nurses, carpenters, engineers, and dressmakers. However, their flavourful roots spanning Jamaica, Bermuda, Trinidad, and other places quickly nestled into British culture. Roots which would later shape the way Britons spoke, created, and enjoyed music.

How they changed music in the UK

With Windrush, came a wealth of new types of music, musicians, and songwriters. Calypso, blues, soca, reggae, gospel, and Latin were some of the most prominent genres and sounds to cross the Atlantic alongside England’s new residents. These sounds would later breed a host of new genres such as Grime, garage, Drum & Bass, Dubstep, and jungle.

Explicit and implicit racial tensions made it difficult for Windrush arrivals and their descendants to integrate into British society. Clubs, bars, and pubs legally exercised their right to refrain from serving non-white or non-English customers. However, Parliament abolished this practice by enforcing The Race Relations Act of 1965.

Feelings of incongruity and social exclusion led this new populace to congregate in alternative spaces. Shebeens, dance halls, and street parties arose from the unjust social marginalisation and became meet-up hotspots.

The Introduction of Sound Systems

To help transform these establishments into effervescent cultural hives, sound-system culture allowed many West Indians to enjoy music outdoors. Have you ever heard of a Coxsone sound system? Well, you have Sir Lloyd Coxsone to thank for that. Jamaican-born sound-system operators Festus and Lloyd Coxsone founded the revolutionary music speakers, blasting the flavourful sounds of reggae and the Caribbean throughout London. Their legacy and impact on the Caribbean community runs as deep and powerful as the bass on their sound systems.

These sound systems played a critical part in developing Rave culture in the UK. Thanks to these systems, underground parties and informal gatherings were equipped with adequate sound equipment. As a result, listening to music was transformed from a predominantly indoor experience to an outdoor one.

Jungle Music

In 1991 music producers Shut Up and Dance and the Ragga Twins released an album titled ‘Reggae Owes Me Money‘. This album fused house, hardcore, and reggae and in subsequent years became one of the bedrocks upon which jungle music was built. Their track ‘18 Inch Speaker‘, combines reggae baselines with house-inspired drum beats. This experimental cacophony of sounds is arguably an early prototype of jungle music.

Grime and Drill

Much like their predecessors who arrived at the Tilbury Port, contemporary Grime and drill artists of Caribbean descent use music as a vehicle for social and political activism. UK drill and Grime artists voice the frustrations of a disenfranchised and alienated working-class subculture. Peppering their songs with colloquialisms and slang from Jamaica, they intertwine standard English with Caribbean dialects to discuss societal issues. This linguistic combination wouldn’t have been possible without the influence of the Windrush generation.

Known today as Multicultural London English, this sociolect is predominantly spoken by those from interracial, working-class backgrounds. It also includes various African, Arabic, and South Asian influences. Heavy hitters like Dizzee Rascal, Stormzy, and Little Simz, amongst countless others, incorporate MLE into their music and are responsible for its mass use across the UK.

Prominent figures & their legacies

Distinguished Calypsonian, Trinidadian, and Jamaican artists and music aficionados were some of the many ex-pats who boarded the ‘HMT Empire Windrush’. Trinidadian music promoter Lord Woodbine was one of them. He guided The Beatles through the formative part of their careers and worked closely with their first manager Allan Richard Williams. Lord Woodbine and his contributions to one of the most successful rock bands of the 20th century are immortalised in the Liverpool Beatles Museum. Thanks to the generosity of his daughter Carol Phillips who donated several items belonging to Lord Woodbine.

Adding to the voluminous collection of musical pioneers from the Windrush generation is Edmond Montague Grant. The legendary Eddy Grant was the mastermind behind hits such as ‘I Don’t Wanna Dance‘, ‘Electric Avenue‘, and ‘Gimme Hope Jo’Anna‘. Grant was one of the founders of The Equals and a core member of one of the UK’s first racially mixed pop groups. In 1967, the North-London-based group released the single ‘Baby, Come Back‘ which reached No.1 in the U.K.

Following a heart infection and a collapsed lung, Grant returned home to Guyana. He then pursued a solo career and released numerous Top 40 singles during the early 80s. His legacy lives on as one of the many reminders of the musical excellence and diversity birthed by a resilient generation.

76 years after receiving an invitation to help rebuild Britain, the Windrush generation and their descendants continue to reshape many facets of British culture.

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