Black History Month is celebrated every October in the UK and is a time of celebration and recognition of Black people and their stories. We’ve grouped together some of our stories which celebrate the achievements of Black artists, and explores their influences on The Beatles.
A celebration of Black artists at The Cavern Club
For Black History Month 2023, we shone a spotlight on some of the incredible Black artists who have performed at Liverpool’s world-famous Cavern Club, which was established as a jazz club in 1957.
Artists like Stevie Wonder, Little Eva, The Chants and Chuck Berry have brought their unique sound to the famous Cavern stage. Black voices from Merseyside to Michigan; North Carolina to South Jamaica and beyond have delighted audiences in the cavernous club beneath Mathew Street.
This video was curated with the kind support of Dave Jones, Director and owner of The Cavern Club.
The Beatles, Race and Segregation
Delve into Dr. Kitty Oliver’s personal account of The Beatles’ Gator Bowl appearance in Jacksonville, Florida on September 11, 1964, where they refused to play to a segregated audience.
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Blackbird / BLACKBIIRD
In March this year, Beyoncé released a cover of The Beatles’ Blackbird, which was written originally by Paul McCartney. Paul, writing in his 2021 book The Lyrics, recalled “at the time in 1968 when I was writing ‘Blackbird,’ I was very conscious of the terrible racial tensions in the US. The year before, 1967, had been a particularly bad year, but 1968 was even worse. The song was written only a few weeks after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. That imagery of the broken wings and the sunken eyes and the general longing for freedom is very much of its moment.”
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