The Empire Windrush docked in Tilbury on 22 June 1948 and four months later the SS Orbita arrived in Liverpool. These iconic vessels brought the first wave of those came to be known as the Windrush Generation. Responding to the needs of the post-war economy, they were vital to Britain’s public services and industries, not least our music industry. The British music scene would not be as vibrant as it is today without the influence of the Windrush Generation and their descendants. From the Calypso greats of Lords Kitchener and Woodbine, through to the Reggae Sound Systems of the 70’s, Norman Jay’s Good Times, Windrush has influenced all aspects for the UK music scene including the pop music of the Beatles and the electronica of Orbital.
SS Orbita to Orbital is WoW’s creative heritage project documenting the impact of the Windrush Generation on British music and to kick off Windrush Day, Monday 22nd June, this event will feature a Facebook Live stream, previewing an anthology of essays entitled From SS Orbita to Orbital. The collection was compiled by musicians, historians and researchers to document the impact of those brought to us by the Empire Windrush.
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