Michael Baxter | A Blue Plaque Celebration for Millie Small - 28th October 2023 @mickeypenguin | Uploaded October 2023 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
What a wonderful afternoon in Shepherds Bush W14 for Millie Small's blue plaque unveiling.
Organised by the Nubian Jak Community Trust (NJCT) and presumably Hammersmith and Fulham council (as well as the current owner of the property who kindly gave his permission for the plaque to be actually attached to his wall sometime next week).
It was great that the blue plaque was being presented in Black History Month of October seventy five years after the HMT Empire Windrush docked at Tibury dock. Of course, the timing might have been intentional!
Although the weather was predicted to be wet, there was no sign of rain, and the sun was shining throughout the event, apart from a quick shower for a few minutes after the event.
It is as if, someone was looking down on the event from high above, up in the Heavens!
There was lots of love shown from the eighty-odd folk that were there cramped up amongst the parked cars and spilling onto the road, and across the road.
Several speakers were involved, one of whom, Tony Washington, played the piano on the studio recording of 'My Boy Lollipop' in 1964. An original Island Records employee from the early sixties was there. The Deputy Mayor of Hammersmith and Fulham spoke, as did the wonderful Jaelee Small, Millie Small's daughter.
Laurence Cane-Honeysett, writer and expert on all things 'Trojan' was meant to speak but was not there for some reason.
A few other dignitaries were there and spoke to the crowd.
Winston Francis, the great Winston Francis, got on the mic and sung Dennis Brown's; 'Here I Come Again' to an instrumental backing tape of the same song.
Some Rasta drummers were there.
Jenny 'Petra' was there so it was nice to see her for an hour or so!
The spotlight was of course on Jaelee Small who handled everything happening this afternoon with grace and with a huge smile on her face.
Oh, also ITV was there filming everything, so you never know, I might be looking gormless on TV at some point!
Marvelous stuff.
I started to film the event, which I was not actually intending to do, but as I started I didn't stop. So a large file and a reasonably large amount of power needed...
A problem arose though.
My mobile phone battery died just a few minutes before the end of the event. It was around ten minutes, but those minutes were made up of Cleon Roberts, the daughter of the great Sonny Roberts A.K.A Sonny Orbitone, who held the keys to 108 Cambridge Road in Kilburn, one of the original addresses for Island Records and set up the first black owned recording studio in the UK.
I would have loved to have been able to film Cleon speaking. I was there listening (obviously) but the footage not being recorded is a loss to this YouTube post.
AND... I missed the actual unveiling of the plaque by Jaelee Small with the Rasta drummers supplying the earth-beat.
This really was a fail.
So, as you can probably imagine, I was quite annoyed!
I had a charger with me, so fitted that but of course the phone could not be restarted until a reasonable amount of charge is stored, like 5% or something.
I took several photographs of the wonderful Jaelee Small holding the plaque a few minutes after I restarted the phone so at least I have those photographs to add to the footage.
I have also placed up the audio of Millie Small's 'Enoch Power' at the end of the footage, so as a reminder of what a lovely singer she was.
Millie Small - Beautiful Angel - May she continue to Rest In Peace.
What a wonderful afternoon in Shepherds Bush W14 for Millie Small's blue plaque unveiling.
Organised by the Nubian Jak Community Trust (NJCT) and presumably Hammersmith and Fulham council (as well as the current owner of the property who kindly gave his permission for the plaque to be actually attached to his wall sometime next week).
It was great that the blue plaque was being presented in Black History Month of October seventy five years after the HMT Empire Windrush docked at Tibury dock. Of course, the timing might have been intentional!
Although the weather was predicted to be wet, there was no sign of rain, and the sun was shining throughout the event, apart from a quick shower for a few minutes after the event.
It is as if, someone was looking down on the event from high above, up in the Heavens!
There was lots of love shown from the eighty-odd folk that were there cramped up amongst the parked cars and spilling onto the road, and across the road.
Several speakers were involved, one of whom, Tony Washington, played the piano on the studio recording of 'My Boy Lollipop' in 1964. An original Island Records employee from the early sixties was there. The Deputy Mayor of Hammersmith and Fulham spoke, as did the wonderful Jaelee Small, Millie Small's daughter.
Laurence Cane-Honeysett, writer and expert on all things 'Trojan' was meant to speak but was not there for some reason.
A few other dignitaries were there and spoke to the crowd.
Winston Francis, the great Winston Francis, got on the mic and sung Dennis Brown's; 'Here I Come Again' to an instrumental backing tape of the same song.
Some Rasta drummers were there.
Jenny 'Petra' was there so it was nice to see her for an hour or so!
The spotlight was of course on Jaelee Small who handled everything happening this afternoon with grace and with a huge smile on her face.
Oh, also ITV was there filming everything, so you never know, I might be looking gormless on TV at some point!
Marvelous stuff.
I started to film the event, which I was not actually intending to do, but as I started I didn't stop. So a large file and a reasonably large amount of power needed...
A problem arose though.
My mobile phone battery died just a few minutes before the end of the event. It was around ten minutes, but those minutes were made up of Cleon Roberts, the daughter of the great Sonny Roberts A.K.A Sonny Orbitone, who held the keys to 108 Cambridge Road in Kilburn, one of the original addresses for Island Records and set up the first black owned recording studio in the UK.
I would have loved to have been able to film Cleon speaking. I was there listening (obviously) but the footage not being recorded is a loss to this YouTube post.
AND... I missed the actual unveiling of the plaque by Jaelee Small with the Rasta drummers supplying the earth-beat.
This really was a fail.
So, as you can probably imagine, I was quite annoyed!
I had a charger with me, so fitted that but of course the phone could not be restarted until a reasonable amount of charge is stored, like 5% or something.
I took several photographs of the wonderful Jaelee Small holding the plaque a few minutes after I restarted the phone so at least I have those photographs to add to the footage.
I have also placed up the audio of Millie Small's 'Enoch Power' at the end of the footage, so as a reminder of what a lovely singer she was.
Millie Small - Beautiful Angel - May she continue to Rest In Peace.
