Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music

The five-hundred-year story of Black British music is a journey from the court of King Henry VIII to the "Ends" of South London, from Africa to the Caribbean to the UK and back again. It spans subterranean speakeasys and church halls, royal command performances and sold-out stadiums, tracing how Black artists went from outsiders to shaping Britain's musical identity and dominating the charts.

It is a story of resilience that grapples with the slave trade, the prejudice of unwelcoming institutions and the bias of ignorance while ultimately celebrating the creativity and perseverance of the pioneers and innovators of today's digital age.

Published alongside the major British Library exhibition, Beyond the Bassline is a landmark volume of essays, features and interviews which traces a new timeline underpinned by the Black artists and musicians who, over centuries, have shaped Britain's unique and globally significant musical culture. Illustrating this vibrant history--which traverses musical genres from classical, gospel and jazz through to reggae, jungle and Afrobeats--are more than three hundred images including contemporary and classic photographs, paintings, posters and record sleeves.

Introduced by the exhibition's curators, Dr. Aleema Gray and Mykaell Riley, and edited by Paul Bradshaw, music journalist and publisher of Straight No Chaser magazine, Beyond the Bassline tells its essential story through specially commissioned pieces from musicians, composers, DJs, writers, photographers, and important voices in politics and history.

Authors/Contributors include: Tej Adeleye - Christian Adofo - Ishmahil Blagrove, Jr. - Stephen Bourne - Garth Cartwright - Monique Charles - Dalia Al-Dujaili - Tracy Durrant - Juliet Fletcher - Vivien Goldman - Julian Grant - Linton Kwesi Johnson - Anthony Joseph - Julian Joseph - Cassie Kinoshi - Kevin Le Gendre - Charis McGowan - Rasheda Ashanti Malcolm - Tony Montague - Malik Al Nasir - Sharon O'Brien - Michael I. Ohajuru - Lisa Amanda Palmer - Amar Patel - Ade Egun Crispin Robinson - Angus T