Avril Coleridge-Taylor (1903-1988);  Wikipedia says she was a "pianist".  She was.  She was also a composer and conductor (in fact she was the first female conductor of the band of the Royal Marines).   She was also the daughter of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Historian and author Stephen Bourne and musician and author Patricia Hammond talk about her  talent and her eventful  life in this episode. 

Find out more about Stephen and his work championing black and LGBTQ history here: https://stephenbourne.co.uk/
Follow Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/blackpoppies14

Find out more about Patricia, her music and her work to rediscover the music of the past , particularly unsung female composers here: https://patriciahammond.com/
Follow Patricia on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/hammondpatricia

Music:  Mr Sun & Can Sorrow Find Me are used with permission.  Both, along with many other gems can be found on Patricia's Youtube channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/patriciahammondsongs


Host:  Lottie Walker
Guests:  Stephen Bourne & Patricia Hammond
Production & Editing:  Harry Jacobs

Thank you for listening. If you've enjoyed today's podcast do subscribe via your streaming platform so that you never miss an episode and you can catch up on past episodes.

If you'd like to help us to keep the podcast going in these tough times, please consider becoming a patron. It's really easy to do. Just go to :
https://www.patreon.com/bluefiretheatre
if you're more comfortable with a one off donation you can do this via our website:
https://www.bluefiretheatre.co.uk/
or buy us a coffee on:
https://ko-fi.com/bluefiretheatre
Even the smallest donation helps us get our shows on the road and keep the lights on in the studio and we are so grateful for all your help and support.

And finally...don't forget to follow us on social media. We'd love to hear from you!
Find us at:
https://twitter.com/famous_heard
https://www.instagram.com/bluefire_tc
https://www.facebook.com/bluefirepodcast

We're delighted and privileged to be releasing today's podcast on the 200th anniversary of the death of Billy Waters.

Born in 1776 Waters was a familiar sight on the Strand in London.  He was a black ex-sailor who had been invalided out of the Navy after losing a leg.  With a crude wooden prosthesis he danced and also played the violin outside the Adelphi Theatre.  He became so famous that a whole industry grew up around him - his picture was painted by celebrated artists of the time, there were porcelain statues of him on sale and he was even portrayed in a popular play.  Sadly this story does not end well.

Why do we refer to him as "Waters" and not "Billy"?  precisely because "Billy Waters" became a fictionalised character.  In this podcast Dr. Mary Shannon talks about the real man behind the myth and how popular culture has not changed much in 200 years.  The "fame game" is still exploiting the vulnerable. 

What has changed considerably is the life of the busker and we're also fortunate to have first hand experiences of the modern day busking life told to us by Charlotte Campbell.

We've told some sad tales during the time we've been recording our podcasts, but Waters' is possibly the most tragic.  We just hope that we can contribute a little to seeing him get the attention he deserves.

Guest:  Dr. Mary Shannon
Guest:  Charlotte Campbell
Host:  Lottie Walker
Production & Editing:  Harry Jacobs

Find out  more about Mary:
https://pure.roehampton.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/mary-l-shannon

Look out for Mary's book,   "Billy Waters is Dancing", which  will be published by Yale University Press.

This research received support of a Linda H. Peterson Fellowship awarded by the Research Society for Victorian Periodicals and funded from the bequest of the Eileen Curran estate; it is currently funded by a Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship Grant.

Leverhulme Trust:
https://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/
The Research Society for Victorian Periodicals:
https://rs4vp.org/

Find out more about Charlotte:
https://www.charlottecampbell.co.uk/

More from Mary about Waters on BBC Radio 3:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001k1g8

Thank you for listening. If you've enjoyed today's podcast do subscribe via your streaming platform so that you never miss an episode and you can catch up on past episodes.

If you'd like to help us to keep the podcast going in these tough times, please consider becoming a patron. It's really easy to do. Just go to :
https://www.patreon.com/bluefiretheatre
if you're more comfortable with a one off donation you can do this via our website:
https://www.bluefiretheatre.co.uk/
or buy us a coffee on:
https://ko-fi.com/bluefiretheatre
Even the smallest donation helps us get our shows on the road and keep the lights on in the studio and we are so grateful for all your help and support.

And finally...don't forget to follow us on social media. We'd love to hear from you!
Find us at:
https://twitter.com/famous_heard
https://www.instagram.com/bluefire_tc
https://www.facebook.com/bluefirepodcast

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)  was a British composer.

His mother was English and his father from Sierra Leone.  He referred to himself as "Anglo-African" and was referred to by white musicians in the US as the "Black Mahler", which is the title of the biography by  Charles Elford.
Coleridge-Taylor entered the Royal College of Music at the age of only 15 and was taught by Prof. Charles Villiers Stanford, who conducted the debut performance of Coleridge-Taylor's "Hiawatha". 
He is renowned in the US as a role model for black classical musicians and Elgar said he was “far and away the cleverest fellow going amongst the younger men".
We hope you enjoy finding out more about him.

Guest :  Chenoa Murphy
Host:  Lottie Walker
Editor:  Harry Jacobs

About Chenoa Murphy: https://blackclassicalmusicians.com/about-chenoa/
Follow  Chenoa on Twitter : https://twitter.com/chenoaalamu
Suzuki Association of America: https://suzukiassociation.org/
Chineke! Foundation: https://www.chineke.org/
The Black Mahler Website: http://www.blackmahler.com/

Thank you for listening. If you've enjoyed today's podcast do subscribe via your streaming platform so that you never miss an episode and you can catch up on past episodes.

If you'd like to help us to keep the podcast going in these tough times, please consider becoming a patron. It's really easy to do. Just go to :
https://www.patreon.com/bluefiretheatre
if you're more comfortable with a one off donation you can do this via our website:
https://www.bluefiretheatre.co.uk/
or buy us a coffee on:
https://ko-fi.com/bluefiretheatre
Even the smallest donation helps us get our shows on the road and keep the lights on in the studio and we are so grateful for all your help and support.

And finally...don't forget to follow us on social media. We'd love to hear from you!
Find us at:
https://twitter.com/famous_heard
https://www.instagram.com/bluefire_tc
https://www.facebook.com/bluefirepodcast