ICONIC Coventry 2-Tone group the Selecter has been featured in a new list celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Windrush first arriving in Britain.
The Selecter were featured in the top 20 playlist, which is now available on Spotify, for their 1980 hit ‘three-minute hero.’
The HMT Empire Windrush first arrived at Tilbury Docks in Essex on June 22 1948, bringing around 1,000 passengers from the Caribbean.
The top 20 playlist has been compiled by the Windrush 75 network which will be bringing together organisations on June 22 to celebrate the anniversary.
Many members of the Selecter were born in the Caribbean and immigrated to Britain with their parents.
The group’s lead singer, Pauline Black said: “The music they brought with them to Britain infused the culture of the late 70s, producing a true synthesis between black and white music to form the 2 tone movement in 1979.
“We were young musicians who understood the meaning of multiculturalism long before the nation did.
“Three Minute Hero speaks to the aspirations of all young musicians in those days – everybody wanted a three-minute long single out on vinyl that was going to played on the radio.
“I’m eternally grateful to our audiences that The Selecter were given that opportunity.”
Other acts to feature include UB40 and 50s pianist Winifred Atwell, who was the first black woman with a UK number one, as well as more modern acts such as Stormzy and Craig David.
The new playlist aims to showcase the huge contribution made to the British music scene and culture by the Windrush generation, their descendants and those who followed from across the Commonwealth over the past 75 years.
The playlist was overseen by Mykaell Riley, director of the Black Music Research Unit and PI for Bass Culture Research at the University of Westminster.
Riley was also a founder member of the British 70s band Steel Pulse, which became the first non-Jamaican act to win a Grammy for Best Reggae Album.
Click here to listen to the playlist.
