From soul music to Sunday service: Black US Airmen’s Cultural Influence in Cold War East Anglia revealed

Magee Haywood/Yanks in England 1952/Getty Images #blackhistoryculturecollection

I'm thrilled to introduce you to a new collection of powerful audio stories from my project, which I've been working on alongside my consultancy.

The content examines the cultural impact of Black American United States Air Force (USAF) personnel in East Anglia has launched on www.blackusaf.org.

Since launching last June, the pioneering cultural heritage project, Black USAF: Cultural Connections in Cold War East Anglia, has been capturing first-hand reflections from people across the region on how the presence of Black American service members shaped their lives and local communities. 

The stories come from Cambridge, Peterborough and Norwich, and the Suffolk towns of Ipswich, Mildenhall, Tostock and Woodbridge. They explore themes including intercultural friendships, religion, American football, hard-to-find Black hair products, entrepreneurship, WWII veterans, soul food and of course music.

Find the stories here.

Together, the stories reveal a rich history of cultural exchange, influence and belonging in towns and cities across East Anglia during the Cold War period.

Alt text: A collection of six photos featuring Black and white people in various settings, taken between the '60s to the present day.

Music stands out as a common theme

The most common theme emerging from the stories and research is music – from 1960s soul and hip hop to funk and gospel. Some contributors refer back to the 1960s, when African American airmen* made East Anglia a major centre of soul music within the UK. 

Few would expect rural East Anglia to have been a hotbed of Black American culture, especially, music. In the ‘60s the USAF airmen brought sounds that were genuinely new and exciting to British ears – and white musicians, drawn to that energy, found themselves welcomed into the mix, creating a surprisingly vibrant centre of music that developed a life very much its own.

There’s also an emerging connection between art school students in the region and links between East Anglian-based airmen and famous London clubs like The Flamingo.

Alt text: two old photos from the 90s - a group of four young men in red and white American Football uniforms, with an older Black man in a sweater, jeans and cap, standing to their left. And from the 70s - a young Black man in a colourful kaftan.

My mum inspired this work

Black USAF was inspired by my dear mum who used to talk about bumping into Black musicians like Wilson Pickett in local pubs near Mildenhall in the ‘60s. She told me how musicians including James Brown would hang out locally and jam with other musicians. It’s highly likely Curtis Mayfield played on Mildenhall airbase too, and there's photographic evidence of Sammy Davis Jr performing there in 1960.

“I’m proud the project demonstrates that East Anglia has a much more diverse – and cool – history than previously understood by the wider public. I see this work as a celebration of our diversity, and how people are united through Black culture- and that hasn’t stopped! Excitingly, we’ve only just scratched the surface.

Among people sharing their stories is a former ‘60s keyboard player, Eddie Huggins, who played with Black airmen and taught the The Animals’ keyboardist to play.

Soul singer Nate James, a son of an African American airman, grew up in Woodbridge and appeared on The Voice UK 2013. We also found out that a young Rod Stewart spent a lot of time in the East – attracted to the Black music scene. And Dermot O’Leary played with The Cardinals American football team alongside Glen Chisolm, and were coached by airmen. 

Other stories cover other topics and all reflect the rich and lasting cultural legacy of Black American personnel stationed in the region between the 1940s-1990s. 

Hard to find, or inaccurately catalogued?

Alongside these interviews, the project’s specialist heritage researchers, Eleanor Root and Isobel Keith, have been undertaking archival and online research. Their key findings will be published on the project website in a few weeks, offering deeper historical context for the public and valuable material for future researchers.

An early finding is that stories couldn’t be found through traditional methods - they’re held by members of the public. Also, how information is catalogued has been a barrier to finding relevant content.

Lots of excitement!

The response to Black USAF has been overwhelmingly positive – with lots of excitement! We hope to capture more stories and carry out more research in future. I’d like to thank everyone who’s been involved so far – anyone who’s supported us from people sharing their stories to USAF veterans and soul music enthusiasts.

And the project team, partners including universities, cultural and heritage organisations, and, of course, our generous funders: Arts Council England through its National Lottery Project Grants programme, and Essex Cultural Diversity Project.

In addition to the core activities, the project has also received significant in-kind support from global image agency, Getty Images through its Black Culture and Heritage Collection.

The project’s photography of ‘60s music icon Geno Washington by photographer John Ferguson has been exhibited at Ipswich County Library, Cambridge Central Library and the Museum of Cambridge, extending public reach. Also, Music in the East Zone has been a source of valuable information.

Sign up to the newsletter and listen to stories at www.blackusaf.org.

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* ‘Airmen' is the USAF’s term for its staff regardless of gender, job or rank.