Black by Design: A 2-Tone Memoir

(Paperback, Main)

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Born in 1953 to Anglo-Jewish/Nigerian parents, Pauline Black was subsequently adopted by a white, working class family in Romford. Never quite at home there, she escaped her small town background and discovered a different way of life - making music.

Lead singer for platinum-selling band The Selecter, Pauline Black was the Queen of British Ska. The only woman in a movement dominated by men, she toured with The Specials, Madness, Dexy's Midnight Runners when they were at the top of the charts -and, sometimes, on their worst behaviour.

From childhood to fame, from singing to acting and broadcasting, from adoption to her recent search for her birth parents, Black By Design is a funny and enlightening story of music, race, family and roots.

Reviews

Gritty, witty and compelling * Elle *
Black paints a vivid portrait of simmering racial tension in Britain after the Second World War ... Intelligent and affecting * Independent *
Stories aplenty ... fascinating * Metro *
The story of a brave, intelligent woman's struggle to make sense of the world around her * Mojo *

Author Bio

Born in Romford, Pauline Black is a singer and actress who gained fame as the lead singer of seminal 2-tone band The Selecter. After the band split in 1982, Black developed an acting career in television and theatre, appearing in dramas such as The Vice, The Bill, Hearts and Minds and 2000 Acres of Sky. She won the 1991 Time Out award for Best Actress, for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in the play All or Nothing At All. This is her first book.