Princes Boulevard and its surrounding streets have a long and vibrant black music and entertainment tradition, with sounds travelling across the Atlantic from other port cities. When the diverse community residing in the South Dock area suffered the Luftwaffe bombing raids they took refuge in Liverpool 8 where a black night club culture began to emerge.
By the 1950’s Liverpool 8 had the highest concentration of night clubs on Merseyside. Princes Road housed the Federal, The Pink Flamingo, the Silver Sands and the Sierra Leone while opposite on the Avenue was the Igbo Centre, among others. There were over forty clubs within a two-mile radius, established largely by migrant seafarers who had settled in Liverpool and their partners. Catering to eclectic tastes in musical styles and sounds, they were a place to dance, eat and drink after regular closing hours. The night clubs played a significant role in providing job opportunities for local musicians and artists. By day some served as community centres.
The clubs, with their mix of Jazz, R&B, Calypso and other music of black origin attracted people from all backgrounds but significantly African American military servicemen, stationed around Merseyside, who brought with them the latest hits from home.
Music was the life blood of Liverpool 8 and its clubs and musicians played a vital role in the development of the internationally acclaimed ‘Merseybeat’ which relaunched Liverpool as a universal centre of cultural interest. During this period, there was another ‘Merseybeat’ flourishing in the south end of Liverpool with the emergence of a different sound rooted in the Black American experience. The ideas and concepts of Liverpool 8 musical pioneers were much sought after and adapted by performers who went on to international acclaim.
The contribution of Liverpool 8 musicians and promoters in establishing the Mersey sound as a world-wide cultural phenomenon has often been overlooked and frequently blurred within the pages of popular culture. By the 1980’s the Liverpool 8 night club scene was heavily influenced by the Jamaican sound system culture. Clubs referred to as ‘The Blues’, playing reggae, soul, modern R&B, jungle and drum & bass were a feature of the area until the late 1990’s.
Liverpool’s annual Africa Oye, a festival much loved locally, has grown from its origins in the 90’s to become the UK’s biggest free festival of African and Black music and culture.
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