This article is about culture and the arts in the city of Birmingham, England. It covers both notable history and notable contemporary activities. For other uses, see Culture (disambiguation). ... The Arts is a broad subdivision of culture, comprised of many expressive disciplines. ... This article is about the British city. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...

Popular music

Black Sabbath

Image File history File links Black_Sabbath_1999-12-16_Stuttgart. ... Image File history File links Black_Sabbath_1999-12-16_Stuttgart. ... For other uses, see Black Sabbath (disambiguation). ...

History

Birmingham has had a vibrant and varied musical history in popular pop and rock music, since the 1950s.

1950s

Fifties bands such as Billy King and the Nightriders, Pat Wayne and The Deltas and The Dominettes gave rise in the following decade to the Brum Beat era of the early 1960s featuring early progressive rock and bluesbands such as The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, The Fortunes, The Rockin Berries, The Idle Race, The Moody Blues and The Move (members of the last two going on to form The Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard). The 1950s decade refers to the years 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ... Brum Beat is the name of a magazine about the music within Birmingham, United Kingdom. ... Blues music redirects here. ... The Spencer Davis Group was a mid 1960s British beat group from Birmingham, England, founded by Spencer Davis (born 17 July 1939, Swansea, Wales). ... Traffic was a rock band from Birmingham, England, formed in late 1966 by Steve Winwood with Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. ... The Fortunes are an archetypal English beat group. ... The Idle Race were an English cult rock group from Birmingham, in the late 1960s. ... The Moody Blues are a British rock band originally from Birmingham, England. ... The Move were one of the leading British rock bands of the 1960s from Birmingham, England. ... ELO redirects here. ... This article refers to the 1970s rock and roll band. ...

1960s

The Brum Beat era of the early 1960s featured early progressive rock and bluesbands such as The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, The Fortunes, The Rockin Berries, The Idle Race, The Moody Blues and The Move (members of the last two going on to form The Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard). Brum Beat is the name of a magazine about the music within Birmingham, United Kingdom. ... Blues music redirects here. ... The Spencer Davis Group was a mid 1960s British beat group from Birmingham, England, founded by Spencer Davis (born 17 July 1939, Swansea, Wales). ... Traffic was a rock band from Birmingham, England, formed in late 1966 by Steve Winwood with Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. ... The Fortunes are an archetypal English beat group. ... The Idle Race were an English cult rock group from Birmingham, in the late 1960s. ... The Moody Blues are a British rock band originally from Birmingham, England. ... The Move were one of the leading British rock bands of the 1960s from Birmingham, England. ... ELO redirects here. ... This article refers to the 1970s rock and roll band. ...

The city is often cited as the birthplace of heavy metal music in the late 1960s, with Judas Priest and Black Sabbath coming from Birmingham. Robert Plant and John Bonham, later members of Led Zeppelin and being local to the city, played in bands which were part of the Birmingham music scene, they performed and rehearsed frequently in the city. Rob Halford of Judas Priest attributes the band's success to 'Birmingham having that [...] tough, working-class feeling [...] We weren't born with a silver spoon in our mouths. We had to go to work and work really hard. Some people that work in a coal mine or work in the car industry might argue and say, 'These guys haven't worked a day in their lives.' That's not true. To be in a band – to be in a worldwide, successful band – is incredibly hard work.[1] Heavy metal redirects here. ... For other uses, see Judas priest (curse). ... For other uses, see Black Sabbath (disambiguation). ... Robert Anthony Plant (born August 20, 1948, West Bromwich, West Midlands, England), is an English rock singer and songwriter, famous for his membership in the rock band Led Zeppelin as the lead vocalist, as well as for his successful solo career. ... John Henry Bonzo Bonham (May 31, 1948 – September 25, 1980) was an English drummer and member of the band Led Zeppelin. ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... Robert John Arthur Halford (born August 25, 1951) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist for the heavy metal band Judas Priest. ... Silver Spoons was a sitcom that aired on NBC from 1982 to 1986 and in first-run syndication from 1986 to 1987. ... Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the mining of coal. ...

Also in the late 1960s, there were psychedelic rock bands, such as Bachdenkel, who Rolling Stone called “Britain’s Greatest Unknown Group”.

1970s

In the 1970s members of The Move and The Moody Blues formed the Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard. In the 1970s, Birmingham's increasing West Indian population contributed to the popularity of reggae, with Steel Pulse's ground-breaking album Handsworth Revolution being a notable product of the time. ELO redirects here. ... This article refers to the 1970s rock and roll band. ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. ... Steel Pulse is a well-known roots reggae musical band. ... Handsworth Revolution is a reggae album by Steel Pulse. ...

Early 1980s

As the 1980s arrived, the Rum Runner nightclub played a significant role in rock music in the city, particularly in the case of New Romantic supergroup Duran Duran. Dexys Midnight Runners, Stephen "Tintin" Duffy and The Bureau also emanated from the city's music scene at this time. The Rum Runner nightclub was opened on Broad Street in the Birmingham city centre in 1979. ... Laser lights illuminate the dance floor at a Gatecrasher dance music event in Sheffield, England A nightclub (or night club or club) is a drinking, dancing, and entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Duran Duran are an English rock band notable for a long series of popular singles and vivid music videos. ... Too-Rye-Ay (1982) Dexys Midnight Runners – the name consistently spelled without an apostrophe [1] – were a British New Wave and Northern Soul band, who achieved their major success in the early to mid 1980s. ... Stephen Anthony James Duffy (born May 30, 1960 in Birmingham, West Midlands, England) is a British songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist. ... The Bureau were a new wave soul group formed in late 1980 in Birmingham (England) when the original lineup of Dexys Midnight Runners split-up. ...

Later Musical Youth, UB40, the first truly mixed-race UK dub band, and Pato Banton found commercial success, as did 2 Tone band The Beat who drew their influences from Jamaican ska music. Musical Youth formed in 1979 at Duddeston Manor School, Birmingham, England. ... UB40 are a British dub band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. ... For other uses, see Dub. ... Pato Banton (born Patrick Murray) is a reggae singer and toaster from Birmingham, England. ... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... The Beat, known in North America as The English Beat, was one of the most important 2 Tone ska music groups. ...

Political skiffle was, for a short time in the mid-1980s, a notable Birmingham sound - led by bands such as Terry & Gerry.

The hip hop scene dates back to at least 1980, and has produced popular performers like Moorish Delta 7 and Brothers and Sisters. The city had a pirate radio station called 'Fresh F.M.' which broadcast from the city. The station played hip hop and breakdance records and inspired a rap crew called Jump who released two records, 'We Come to Jam' and 'Feel It', as early as 1985. In 1980 a Birmingham rapper 'Sure Shot' appeared on a UK breakfast show, followed in 1985, a hip hop collective named Jump (which included Sure Shot) released two records; 'We Come to Jam' and 'Feel It'. The crew formed 'The Audio Kings' and 'The Black Prophetz'. Moorish Delta 7 are a Hip Hop/Garage crew from Birmingham, England. ... The term pirate radio usually refers to illegal or unregulated radio broadcasting. ... Look up jump in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Late 1980s

Later in the 1980s, Grindcore music, a blend of punk and heavy metal, was pioneered in the city by Napalm Death. The Charlatans, Dodgy, Felt, The Lilac Time, and Ocean Colour Scene were other notable rock bands founded in the city and its surrounding area in this period. Pop Will Eat Itself formed in nearby Stourbridge and consisted of Birmingham band members, as did Neds Atomic Dustbin. Grindcore, often shortened to grind, is an evolution of crust punk, most commonly associated with death metal, a very different though similarly extreme style of music. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Napalm Death are a grindcore/death metal band from Birmingham, England. ... The Charlatans (known in the United States as The Charlatans UK) is a British band. ... Dodgy were a British pop trio, composed of Birminghams Nigel Clark (vocals and bass) and Mathew Priest (drums), along with Londoner Andy Miller (guitar). ... Felt were a 1980s UK indie band, led by Lawrence Hayward (known simply as Lawrence, his full name was never listed in any record credits), and included guitarist Maurice Deebank for the first half of the bands existence, keyboard player Martin Duffy who essentially replaced Deebank, and drummer Gary... The Lilac Time is a band from Herefordshire, England, formed by Stephen Duffy and his brother Nick in 1986. ... Ocean Colour Scene (often abbreviated to OCS) are an English rock band from Birmingham. ... Pop Will Eat Itself (also known as PWEI or the Poppies) were an English band formed in Stourbridge, with band members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. ... , Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. ... Neds Atomic Dustbin is a British Grebo rock band that formed in Stourbridge in West Midlands, England in November 1987. ...

The city embraced the national acid house scene (see Birmingham House music scene), supported by local figures such as the late Tony De Vit, Steve Lawler and Scott Bond. Acid house nights such as Spectrum took place at the Digbeth Institute (now the Sanctuary), C.R.E.A.M., the Hummingbird (now the Carling Academy Birmingham), and The Que Club (one of the biggest clubs the city has ever had). Birmingham has given birth to some of the UK's most influential dance nights Gatecrasher, Sundissential, Atomic Jam, and later, Gods Kitchen. Successful house musicians and DJs included the late Tony De Vit, Steve Lawler, Steve Kelley, Scott Bond, Jem Atkins, Al McKenzie, Colin Dred, The Ryan Brothers, Mark Jarman, Patrick Smooth, Tall Paul and Jeremy Sylvester. For the 1994 novel by Irvine Welsh, see The Acid House. ... Birmingham-based tape recorder company, Bradmatic Ltd helped develop and manufacture the mellotron. ... Tony De Vit (b. ... Steve Lawler is a British house music producer and DJ who has held residences at many popular dance clubs such as Space and Twilo. ... Scott Bond is a trance music artist, producer, and promoter from Birmingham, England. ... For the 1994 novel by Irvine Welsh, see The Acid House. ... The Digbeth Institute is 2,000 capacity a music venue in Birmingham which has been synonymous in the development of the British rave music and drum and bass scene. ... CHOOSE RIGHT EASY AND MELLOW or C.R.E.A.M. House music night was a musical event established in Birmingham England in 1990. ... The Carling Academy Birmingham is a music venue in Dale End, Birmingham, England that is run by the Academy Music Group. ... Gatecrasher may mean: Gatecrasher (person), someone who enters an event without a ticket or invitation. ... Sundissential is a music event formed in Birmingham, England, in the mid- to late 1990s. ... Atomic Jam is the largest and one of the most influential Techno and Hard House events in the United Kingdom. ... Tony De Vit (b. ... Steve Lawler is a British house music producer and DJ who has held residences at many popular dance clubs such as Space and Twilo. ... Steve Kelley (born January 8 1953) current state Senator from Minnesota. ... Scott Bond is a trance music artist, producer, and promoter from Birmingham, England. ... Tall Paul was a seminal song in both the careers of Annette Funicello and the Sherman Brothers. ...

1990s

Electronic artists include electro dub music creators Rockers Hi-Fi, Big Beat musicians Bentley Rhythm Ace, UK garage/house act The Streets, and Electronica bands Broadcast, Pram, Plone, Surgeon, Add N to X, Electribe 101, Mistys Big Adventure, Editors and Avrocar. Rockers Hi-Fi were an electronic Dub/dance outfit formed in Birmingham england in the mid 90s. ... Big beat (sometimes called chemical breaks) is a term deployed in the mid 1990s by the British music press to describe the work of artists such as The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim and The Prodigy. ... Bentley Rhythm Ace (BRA) is a duo formed in Birmingham, England in the late 1990s consisting of Mike Stokes and Richard March. ... UK garage (also known as UKG or just garage) refers to several different varieties of modern electronic dance music generally connected to the evolution of house in the United Kingdom in the mid 1990s. ... House music is a style of electronic dance music that was developed by dance club DJs in Chicago in the early to mid-1980s. ... Mike Skinner (born November 27, 1978), more commonly known by his stage name The Streets, is a rapper from Birmingham, England. ... Electronica refers to a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; but unlike electronic dance music, is not specifically focused on the dance floor. ... Broadcast are an electronic music band, based in Birmingham, England. ... Pram are an electronica band, formed in Birmingham, England in the 1990. ... Plone was an electronic music band from Birmingham, England. ... Surgeon is the pseudonym of Anthony Child, an English electronic musician and DJ. He began DJing regularly at Birminghams House of God parties in 1991 and released his eponymous debut EP on Downwards Records in 1994. ... Add N to (X) was a British band specializing in electronic music. ... Electribe 101 was a British based electronic music group in the late 1980s / early1990s, managed by Tom Watkins of Bros, Pet Shop Boys, and 2wo Third3 fame. ... Mistys Big Adventure is an unusual band from Birmingham England. ... For other uses, see editor. ... Avrocar is an Electronica band formed in Birmingham, England in the 1990s. ...

Electroacoustic and experimental music emerged in the city, via ensembles such as BEAST.

The city's cultural diversity also contributed to the blend of bhangra and ragga pioneered by Apache Indian in Handsworth. When hip hop performer Afrika Bambaata visited Britain he inspired new rappers and hip hop DJs including Moorish Delta 7 Elements, Roc1, Mad Flow, Creative Habits, Lord Laing and DJ Sparra (twice winner of the DMC mixing championships). Brothers and Sisters took place in the 'Coast to Coast' club in the old ATV television studios on Broad Street in the early 1990s. Then came Fungle Junk, held for many years beneath House music club 'Fun'., and bringing The Psychonaughts, Andy Weatherall and the Scratch Perverts to the city. Bhangra (Punjabi: , IPA: ) is a lively form of music and dance that originated in India. ... Not to be confused with Rāga. ... Apache Indian is the stage name of the reggae dee jay/toaster, Steven Kapur (born 11 May 1967, Handsworth, Birmingham). ... Afrika Bambaataa (born April 10, 1960) is a DJ and community leader from the South Bronx, who in the late 1970s, was instrumental in the early development of hip hop. ... List of hip hop musicians is broken down into several smaller lists and categories: // Beatboxers DJs and producers Turntablists Groups Rappers Christian (rappers | groups) Fictional Singers Albanian (groups) American (rappers | groups) Angolan (groups) Australian (rappers | groups | Crews) Austrian Belgian (groups) Bosnian and Herzegovinan (rappers | groups) Brazilian (rappers | groups) British (rappers... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... DJ or dj may stand for Disc jockey, dinner jacket The DeadJournal website, or Djibouti. ... Moorish Delta 7 are a Hip Hop/Garage crew from Birmingham, England. ... DMC has several meanings: Disco Mix Club, an organization known for its yearly world DJ championships. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Broad Street as seen from above Broad Street is a major thoroughfare to the immediate West of Birmingham city centre. ... House music is a style of electronic dance music that was developed by dance club DJs in Chicago in the early to mid-1980s. ... For the 1914 Charlie Chaplin film, see Recreation (film). ... The Scratch Perverts are a collective of turntablist DJs from the UK, formed in 1996 by Tony Vegas, Prime Cuts and DJ Plus One. ...

List of notable historical musical artists

Successful Birmingham singer/songwriters and musicians include: Joan Armatrading, Steve Gibbons, Mike Kellie (of Spooky Tooth),Keith Law (Velvett Fogg & Jardine) Jeff Lynne, Phil Lynott, Carl Palmer (of Emerson Lake and Palmer), Roy Wood, Jamelia, Kelli Dayton of The Sneaker Pimps, Martin Barre (guitarist with Jethro Tull), Bev Bevan, Ali Campbell, Steve Cradock (guitarist for Ocean Colour Scene and Paul Weller), Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Jamelia, Denny Laine, Fritz Mcintyre (keyboardist of Simply Red), Christine Perfect (of Fleetwood Mac), Robert Plant (born in West Brom and played in Brumbeat bands), Nick Rhodes, Ranking Roger, John Henry Rostill (bass guitarist/composer for The Shadows), Matt Skinner, Dave Swarbrick (of Fairport Convention), John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Ruby Turner, Ted Turner (guitar/vocals, Wishbone Ash), Peter Overend Watts, Steve Winwood and Dave Mason. Nick Mason of Pink Floyd was born in the city and was brought up in London. It has been suggested that The Weakness in Me be merged into this article or section. ... The Steve Gibbons Band is a musical band formed by Birmingham-born Steve Gibbons after he performed for Idle Race. ... Mike Kellie (born March 24, 1947, Birmingham, England) is an English drummer. ... Spooky Tooth was an English progressive rock band from the late 1960s. ... Jeff Lynne (born December 30, 1947 in Shard End, Birmingham) is a Grammy Award-winning English rock songwriter, singer, guitarist and record producer. ... Philip Parris Lynott (20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Half Irish Blood Half Brazilian who was Born, Raised and Died in England singer, instrumentalist, and songwriter, who first came to prominence as the frontman of Thin Lizzy. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... ELP can also stand for Extra Long Play, a format for the VCR tape. ... Roy Adrian Wood (sometimes erroneously thought to be born as Ulysses Adrian Wood, from a offhand interview comment in the 1960s) (born 8 November 1946 in Birmingham), is a songwriter, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. ... Jamelia Niela Davis (born on 11 January 1981), better known as Jamelia, is an English R&B and pop singer and songwriter who found fame in early 2000 after impressing music executives at Parlophone Records with self-written a cappella songs. ... Sneaker Pimps is a British Electropop band formed in Reading, England in 1995. ... Martin Lancelot Barre (born 17 November 1946, in Kings Heath, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England) is an English rock musician. ... For the 18th-century agriculturist after whom the band was named, see Jethro Tull (agriculturist). ... Bev Bevan was the drummer, as well as one of the original members of the Electric Light Orchestra and served as the drummer for Black Sabbath from 1983-1984. ... UB40 is a popular Dub Reggae and pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England. ... Steve Cradock (born 22 August 1969) is a guitarist for the British rock group Ocean Colour Scene. ... Paul Weller (born John William Weller May 25, 1958, in Sheerwater, near Woking, Surrey) is an English singer-songwriter. ... Stephen Anthony James Duffy (born May 30, 1960 in Birmingham, West Midlands, England) is a British songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist. ... Frank Anthony Tony Iommi (born February 19, 1948, in Aston, Birmingham, England) is a guitarist best known for his tenure in the heavy metal band Black Sabbath. ... Ozzy redirects here. ... Denny Laine (born Brian Hines, on 29 October 1944, in Birmingham) is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his roles as former guitarist and lead singer of The Moody Blues and, later, co-founder (along with Paul McCartney) of Wings. ... Simply Red are an English pop band. ... Christine McVie (born Christine Anne Perfect, July 12, 1943, in Greenodd, Lancashire) is an English singer, keyboardist, and songwriter. ... This article is about the band. ... Nick Rhodes in 1981. ... Ranking Roger (b. ... The Shadows were an English instrumental rock n roll group active from the 1950s to the 2000s. ... Dave Swarbrick with Martin carthy and Diz Disley (1967). ... Fairport Convention are often credited with being the first English electric folk band. ... Taylors first solo recording was a hit single for the 9½ Weeks movie soundtrack. ... Roger Andrew Taylor (born April 26, 1960) is the drummer for the pop band Duran Duran. ... Ruby Turner (born 22 June 1958, Jamaica) is a British soul singer and actress. ... For other persons named Ted Turner, see Ted Turner (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Nicholas Berkeley Nick Mason (born January 27, 1944 in Birmingham, England) is the drummer for Pink Floyd. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that initially earned recognition for their psychedelic or space rock music, and, as they evolved, for their progressive rock music. ...

See also: List of songs about Birmingham This is a list of songs about Birmingham, United Kingdom: Sex Pistols - Bodies (She was a girl from Birmingham/She just had an abortion ) The Smiths - Panic (Panic on the streets of London/Panic on the streets of Birmingham) Category: ...

Famous instruments

Birmingham-based tape recorder company, Bradmatic Ltd helped develop and manufacture the Mellotron. Over the next 15 years, the Mellotron had a major impact on rock music and is a trademark sound of the progressive rock bands. The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...

Contemporary bands and labels

Many varieties of electronic and dance music continue to cross-fertilise in the city with acts such as Bentley Rhythm Ace, The Streets, Rockers Hi-Fi, Editors, Surgeon, Mistys Big Adventure and Broadcast. Bentley Rhythm Ace (BRA) is a duo formed in Birmingham, England in the late 1990s consisting of Mike Stokes and Richard March. ... Mike Skinner (born November 27, 1978), more commonly known by his stage name The Streets, is a rapper from Birmingham, England. ... Rockers Hi-Fi were an electronic Dub/dance outfit formed in Birmingham england in the mid 90s. ... For other uses, see editor. ... Surgeon is the pseudonym of Anthony Child, an English electronic musician and DJ. He began DJing regularly at Birminghams House of God parties in 1991 and released his eponymous debut EP on Downwards Records in 1994. ... Mistys Big Adventure is an unusual band from Birmingham England. ... Broadcast are an electronic music band, based in Birmingham, England. ...

Notable dance music record labels include Network records (of Altern8 fame), Different Drummer, Urban Dubz Records, Badger promotions, Jibbering records, Iron Man, Earko and Munchbreak records. Altern-8 is an early 1990s rave group. ... Leftfoot is a musical event. ... Urban Dubz is a successful Techno and House record label based in Handsworth, Birmingham, England. ...

As of 2005 The Medicine Bar (situated in the old Bird's Custard Factory) continues the city's hip hop connection and is home to two of the longest running Funk and hip hop nights in the UK: Substance and Leftfoot, both featured on BBC Radio 1. They fuse Acid Jazz, hip hop and funk artists from across the Globe. Munchbreak, a live hip hop collective, host a regular session in the old Rainbow pub in Digbeth which is part owned by Fuzz Townswend, a former member of Bentley Rhythm Ace and Pop Will Eat Itself. Punch Records, in the Custard Factory, run street dance and Hip Hop DJ training courses. 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Medicine Bar in Birmingham, England started as a collaboration in the 1990s between the London Medicine bar and local Hip Hop DJ Simon Fat Head, who began his career at the legendary Brothers and Sisters at the Coast to Coast club on Broad Street. ... The Custard Factory is an arts and media centre located in Birmingham, England (grid reference SP078864). ... Leftfoot is a musical event. ... Acid jazz (sometimes groove jazz) is a musical genre that combines jazz influences with elements of soul music, funk, disco and hip hop. ... Digbeth is an area of Birmingham, England. ... Bentley Rhythm Ace (BRA) is a duo formed in Birmingham, England in the late 1990s consisting of Mike Stokes and Richard March. ... Pop Will Eat Itself (also known as PWEI or the Poppies) were an English band formed in Stourbridge, with band members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. ... Punch Records is a Record shop and Hip Hop record label based in Newtown Birmingham England. ...

Independent shops in the city selling vinyl records include Swordfish Records, Tempest Records, Summit Records (which now sells mainly reggae and doubles as an Afro Caribbean barbers), Jibbering records, Punch Records, Old School Daze, Dance Music Finder Records, Three Shades Records and Hard To Find Records, which is the original 'dance music finder' in the UK and now trades as one the largest vinyl record and DJ shops in the world. Chemical structure of the vinyl functional group. ... Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. ... Punch Records is a Record shop and Hip Hop record label based in Newtown Birmingham England. ... Hard To Find Records first began in Birmingham, England in 1991. ...

Contemporary Venues and Music Festivals

Birmingham's current music venues - large and small - include Symphony Hall at the ICC, The National Indoor Arena, Carling Academy Birmingham, the National Exhibition Centre, The CBSO Centre, The Glee Club, The Adrian Boult Hall at Birmingham Conservatoire, The Yardbird, mac (Midlands Arts Centre) at Cannon Hill Park, The Custard Factory, the Drum Arts Centre, The Jam House, and pub and bar venues including The Rainbow (Digbeth), The Bull's Head (in the suburb of Moseley), The Cross (Moseley), the Ceol Castle (Moseley), the Hare and Hounds (Kings Heath), Scruffy Murphy's, the Jug of Ale, The Queen's Arms (city centre), a branch of Barfly and the Hibernian. The NIA The National Indoor Arena (NIA) situated in Birmingham, England was opened in 1991. ... The Carling Academy Birmingham is a music venue in Dale End, Birmingham, England that is run by the Academy Music Group. ... Atrium entrance 2 at the NEC The interior of a section of the atrium The National Exhibition Centre (NEC) is the seventh largest exhibition centre in Europe, located in Solihull, near Birmingham, England. ... The mac (formerly Midlands Arts Centre) is a non-profit arts centre situated in Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, England. ... The Custard Factory is an arts and media centre located in Birmingham, England (grid reference SP078864). ... The Drum is an arts centre in the Newtown area of Aston, in Birmingham, England. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Party in the Park is Birmingham's largest annual music festival, at Cannon Hill Park, where up to 30,000 revellers of all ages listen to popular chart music. Party in the Park is the generic name given to popular music concerts organised by Capital Radio Group in the UK, typically in various large parks during the summer. ... Cannon Hill Park is a park located in the Moseley suburb of Birmingham, England. ...

The newest music festival that Birmingham has to offer is Gigbeth, first piloted in March 2006 and now annual on the first weekend of November in Digbeth. Gigbeth is a music festival celebrating local independent music from the West Midlands.

Jazz

Jazz is popular in the city. Many venues support a jazz scene in the city, often promoted by Birmingham Jazz. Jazz musicians associated with the city include Soweto Kinch, Julian Arguelles, Ronnie Ball, Tony Kinsey, Douglas "Dougle" Robinson and King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys. For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... Soweto Kinch Soweto Kinch is a British jazz alto saxophonist and rapper. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The busiest promoter of contemporary jazz in the city is the voluntary organisation Birmingham Jazz, which mounts dozens of concerts every year featuring local, national and international artists in venues such as the CBSO Centre, the mac arts centre, the Glee Club and Symphony Hall. It enjoys the support of the city council and the Arts Council of England and also commissions new works from both local performers and performers of international standing. Birmingham Jazz is a voluntary, non-profit making organisation responsible for promoting and commissioning some of the most exciting jazz and related contemporary music in the UK. In this year (2006) Birmingham Jazz is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary as one of the most active independent promoters of contemporary music in... The Arts Council of England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. ...

Classical music

History

The Birmingham Triennial Music Festival took place from 1784 - 1912 and was considered the grandest of its kind throughout Britain. Music was written for the festival by Mendelssohn, Gounod, Sullivan, Dvořák, Bantock and most notably Elgar, who wrote four of his most famous choral pieces for Birmingham. The Birmingham Triennial Musical Festival is the longest-running classical music festival of its kind. ... Portrait of Mendelssohn by the English miniaturist James Warren Childe (1778-1862), 1839 Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born and generally known as Felix Mendelssohn (February 3, 1809 – November 4, 1847) is a German composer, pianist and conductor of the early Romantic period. ... Categories: Stub | 1818 births | 1893 deaths | Opera composers | Romantic composers | French musicians ... Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (May 13, 1842 – November 22, 1900) was an English composer best known for his operatic collaborations with librettist W. S. Gilbert. ... Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( , often anglicized DVOR-zhak; September 8, 1841 – May 1, 1904) was a Czech composer of romantic music, who employed the idioms and melodies of the folk music of his native Bohemia and Moravia in symphonic, oratorial, chamber and operatic works. ... Sir Granville Bantock (August 7, 1868 - October 16, 1946), was a British composer of classical music. ... Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, Bt OM GCVO (June 2, 1857 – February 23, 1934) was a British composer, born in the small Worcestershire village of Broadheath to William Elgar, a piano tuner and music dealer, and his wife Ann. ...

Albert William Ketèlbey was born in Alma Street, Aston on 9 August 1875, the son of a teacher at the Vittoria School of Art. Ketèlbey attended the Trinity College of Music, where he beat the runner-up, Gustav Holst, for a musical scholarship. Albert William Ketèlbey (9 August 1875 - 26 November 1959) was a composer and musician from Aston, Birmingham, England, born to George Ketelbey [sic - no accent], an engraver, and Sarah Aston. ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Trinity College of Music is one of the UKs top [[music conservatory|music conservatories], based in Greenwich, London, England. ... Gustav Holst Gustav Holst (September 21, 1874, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire - May 25, 1934, London) [1] [2] was an English composer and was a music teacher for over 20 years. ...

Groups, venues and orchestras

The internationally-renowned City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's home venue is Symphony Hall, which in acoustic terms is widely considered to be one of the greatest concert halls of the twentieth century and also hosts concerts by many visiting orchestras. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is based in Birmingham, England. ... Symphony Hall is a concert venue located inside the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham, England. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...

Other professional orchestras based in the city include the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, a chamber orchestra specialising in modern music with some world premieres; the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, who give concert performances under music director Barry Wordsworth in addition to playing for the Birmingham Royal Ballet; and Ex Cathedra, one of the country's oldest and most respected early-music and Baroque period instrument ensembles. Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, commonly known as BCMG, is a chamber orchestra based in Birmingham, England specialising in the performance of new and contemporary music. ... The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is the Orchestra of Birmingham Royal Ballet. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Papal infallibility. ... Early music is commonly defined as European classical music from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque. ... Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750. ... In the historically informed performance movement, musicians perform European classical music using restored or replica versions of the instruments for which it was originally written. ... A musical ensemble is a group of two or more musicians who perform instrumental or vocal music. ...

Birmingham is an important centre for musical education as the home of the UCE Birmingham Conservatoire, founded in 1859. The Royal College of Organists is based in Digbeth. Birmingham Conservatoire UCE Birmingham Conservatoire is an international conservatoire. ... The Royal College of Organists or RCO, based in Birmingham, England, is the United Kingdoms national body charged with promoting organ and choral music and overseeing musical education and training for organists and choral directors. ... Digbeth is an area of Birmingham, England. ...

The Birmingham Royal Ballet resides in the city as does the Elmhurst School for Dance, based in Edgbaston, and which claims to be the world's oldest vocational dance school. Banner advertising the Birmingham Royal Ballet at the Hippodrome The Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) is one of the UKs foremost ballet companies, based at the Birmingham Hippodrome in Birmingham, where it enjoys custom-built facilities such as the Jerwood Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Dance Injuries and... Elmhurst School for Dance is the oldest and one of the most successful vocational dance Schools in the UK. After recently relocating from London to Edgbaston in Birmingham the school has teamed up with Birmingham Royal Ballet. ...

Birmingham's professional opera company - the Birmingham Opera Company - specialises in staging innovative performances in unusual venues (in 2005 it performed Monteverdi's Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria in a burnt-out ice rink in the Chinese Quarter). Its artistic director, Graham Vick, has also directed at La Scala, Milan, the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Royal Opera House in London. Birmingham Opera Company is a professional opera company based in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, England, that specialises in innovative and avant-garde productions of the operatic repertoire, often in unusual venues. ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, by night. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ...

Visiting opera companies such as Opera North and Welsh National Opera perform regularly at the Hippodrome. Opera North is a British opera company. ... The Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru or Wales Millenium Centre, a new performing arts centre which opended in 2004, is the home of the Welsh National Opera (WNO), a touring operatic company founded in Cardiff in 1943. ... The Birmingham Hippodrome is a theatre situated on Hurst Street in Birmingham, England. ...

Birmingham's other principal classical music venues include The National Indoor Arena (NIA), CBSO Centre, Adrian Boult Hall (ABH) at Birmingham Conservatoire, the Barber Concert Hall at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts and Birmingham Town Hall, currently closed for refurbishment. Concerts also regularly take place in churches around the city including St Phillips Cathedral, St Paul's in the Jewellery Quarter, St Alban's in Highgate and The Oratory on the Hagley Road. The NIA The National Indoor Arena (NIA) situated in Birmingham, England was opened in 1991. ... The CBSO Centre The CBSO Centre is the administrative home and practice centre of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group on the corner of Berkley Street and Holliday Street, in Birmingham, England. ... The Adrian Boult Hall of Birmingham Conservatoire The Adrian Boult Hall is the main concert hall of the UCE Birmingham Conservatoire in central Birmingham, England. ... The University of Central England in Birmingham (UCE) is located in Birmingham, England. ... The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is an art gallery in the English city of Birmingham, situated in purpose built premises on the campus of the University of Birmingham. ... The Town Hall emerging after years of refurbishment. ... St Philips Cathedral St Philips Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral, in Colmore Row, Birmingham, England, dedicated to St Philip. ... St Pauls, Grid reference SP064874, is a church and a Georgian square in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, England. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... “Little Rome in Birmingham”, the Oratory Church, Hagley Road, Birmingham was built between 1907-1910 in the Baroque style as a memorial to Cardinal Newman, founder of the English Oratory. ...

Symphony Hall

Symphony Hall is a concert venue located inside the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham, England. ...

Literature

Many famous literary figures have been associated with Birmingham:

Historical authors

• W.V. Awdry wrote his first Thomas the Tank Engine in Kings Norton and remained in the city until 1965.
• W. H. Auden grew up in Harborne, Birmingham, and taught for many years at schools in nearby Malvern.
• Barbara Cartland was born in Edgbaston in 1901. The family home was on Cartland Road, Kings Heath.
• Charles Dickens once gave readings in Birmingham Town Hall and was the sixteenth President of The Birmingham and Midland Institute.
• Leonard Cottrell was a Brummie author, archaeologist, commentator, and producer for the British Broadcasting Corporation. He also worked as a war correspondent for the Royal Air Force, and later became the editor of the Concise Encyclopaedia of Archaeology (1965).
• Arthur Conan Doyle [2] lived in Aston from about Spring 1879 - early 1882 and some of his works include references to people or places he knew there.
• Edgar Guest was born in the city in 1881, moved to America with his family as a boy, and achieved fame there as a poet.
• Gerard Manley Hopkins taught under John Henry Newman at the Oratory School in Edgbaston when he graduated and converted to Catholicism in 1867. It was here that he first developed his ideas of inscape and instress that were to prove central to his poetic practice.^[1]
• William Hutton 1723-1815, moved from Derby to Birmingham at a young age and became well know in the region as a poet and documented the history of the region in many books.
• Washington Irving [3] stayed with his sister in Birmingham for some time, during which he wrote stories including Rip van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Bracebridge Hall, or, The Humorists, A Medley is based on Aston Hall.
• Louis MacNeice lectured in classics at the University of Birmingham in the early 1930s, and wrote several poems about the city, including parts of Autumn Journal.
• Enoch Powell was born and raised in Birmingham, and was a significant poet as well as a politician.
• J. R. R. Tolkien spent most of his childhood in the Birmingham area, and his work is much influenced by his time there [4], his parents also came from Birmingham.
• Arthur Henry Ward, born in Birmingham, wrote the Fu Manchu thrillers under the pseudonym of Sax Rohmer.
• Charles Talbut Onions worked on the Oxford English Dictionary and was a prominent etymologist.
• Emma Jane Worboise, known as Mrs Etherington Guyton, was born in Birmingham in 1825 and was well known for her many novels (including "Overdale", subtitled "The Story of a Pervert").
• John Wyndham, author of The Day of the Triffids, The Midwich Cuckoos and many others, was born in nearby Knowle and lived in Edgbaston until he was eight years old.

Wilbert Vere Awdry, OBE, (June 15, 1911 – March 21, 1997), better known as the Reverend W. Awdry, was a clergyman, railway enthusiast and childrens author. ... Thomas the Tank Engine This article is about the fictional tank engine. ... See also: Kings Norton, Leicestershire , Kings Norton is an area of Birmingham, England. ... Wystan Hugh Auden (21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) IPA: ;[1], who signed his works W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet, regarded by many as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. ... Harborne is an area 3 miles southwest from Birmingham city centre, England. ... Dame Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland DBE CStJ (9 July 1901 – 21 May 2000) was one of the most successful writers of romance novels of all time, specialising in historical love themes. ... Edgbaston constituency shown within Birmingham Edgbaston is an area and ward in the city of Birmingham in England. ... Dickens redirects here. ... The Town Hall emerging after years of refurbishment. ... Birmingham and Midland Institute, current site The Birmingham and Midland Institute (Grid reference SP066870), now on Margaret Street in the city centre of Birmingham, England was a pioneer of adult scientific and technical education (General Industrial, Commercial and Music) and today offers Arts and Science lectures, exhibitions and concerts. ... For other uses, see Author (disambiguation). ... Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... The word commentator has many different meanings. ... This article is an overview article about the Crown chartered British Broadcasting Corporation formed in 1927. ... RAF redirects here. ... Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a Scottish author most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger. ... For other uses, see Aston (disambiguation). ... Edgar Albert Guest (August 20, 1881 – August 5, 1959) was a prolific United States poet popular in the first half of the 20th century. ... The Best ideal is the true/ And other truth is none. ... J H Newman age 23 when he preached his first sermon. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Edgbaston constituency shown within Birmingham Edgbaston is an area and ward in the city of Birmingham in England. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Blue plaque to William Hutton William Hutton (30 September 1723-1815) was a poet and the first significant historian of Birmingham, England. ... Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American author of the early 19th century. ... For the operetta of the same name, see Rip Van Winkle (operetta). ... The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a short story by Washington Irving contained in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. ... Aston Hall, after the coming of the railways, in 1851 Aston Hall is a Jacobean-style mansion in Aston, Birmingham, England, completed in 1635. ... Frederick Louis MacNeice (September 12, 1907 – September 3, 1963) was a British and Irish poet and playwright. ... Website http://www. ... John Enoch Powell, MBE (June 16, 1912 – February 8, 1998) was a British politician, linguist, writer, academic, soldier and poet. ... Tolkien redirects here. ... This article is about the fictional literature character. ... Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward (February 15, 1883 - June 1, 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer, was a prolific English novelist. ... Charles Talbut Onions (C.T. Onions) (1873-1965) was an English grammarian and lexicographer. ... The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is the most successful dictionary of the English language, (not to be confused with the one-volume Oxford Dictionary of English, formerly New Oxford Dictionary of English, of... John Wyndham (July 10, 1903 – March 11, 1969) was the pen name used by the often post-apocalyptic British science fiction writer John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris. ... The Day of the Triffids is a post-apocalyptic novel (categorised by author Brian Aldiss as a cosy catastrophe) written in 1951 by the English science fiction author John Wyndham. ... The Midwich Cuckoos is a science fiction novel written by English author John Wyndham, published in 1957. ... For other uses, see Knowle (disambiguation). ...

Contemporary authors

• Jonathan Coe was born and raised in Birmingham, which is the setting of two of his novels The Rotters' Club and The Closed Circle.
• Judith Cutler's crime novels are set in present-day Birmingham.
• Roshan Doughe became the fifth Poet Laureate for Birmingham in October 2000.
• Julie Boden became the seventh Poet Laureate for Birmingham in October 2002.
• David Lodge taught and wrote in the city, which appeared as Rummage in his books.
• Benjamin Zephaniah is a black dub poet from Handsworth who tackles prejudice, poverty and injustice.

The city also has literary publishers such as Tindal Street Press and hosts The Young Book Reader UK festival, as well as an online literary community called Birmingham Words. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Judith Cutler is a writer of crime fiction whose novels are mostly in three series: ten in the series about amateur sleuth, Sophie Rivers; six about Detective Sergeant Kate Power; plus a forthcoming series with Caffy Tyler. ... David Lodge (born January 28, 1935 at London, England) is a British author. ... Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah (born 15 April 1958, Coles Hill, Birmingham, England) is a British Rastafarian writer and dub poet, and is well known in contemporary English literature. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Handsworth is an inner city suburb of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. ... Tindal Street Press is a Birmingham-based independent publisher of contemporary fiction, with a particular focus on writers born, or living, in Birmingham and the West Midlands. ...

Theatre

Famous stage names

Kenneth Peacock Tynan and David Edgar are possibly Birmingham's most famous members of the theatrical scene. The Birmingham School of Acting trains actors in the city. Kenneth Peacock Tynan ( 1927– 1980) was an drama critic, author, and theatrical executive from Birmingham, England. ... David Edgar (b. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Theatres

There are many theatres in Birmingham. The four largest professional theatres are the Alexandra Theatre ("the Alex"), Birmingham Repertory Theatre ("The Rep"), the Birmingham Hippodrome and the Old Rep. The mac and Drum arts centres, the Crescent Theatre and the Old Joint Stock Theatre also host many professional plays. Sutton Coldfield Town Hall has theatre facilities and hosts numerous amateur productions. The actors in the long-running Radio 4 serial The Archers live in and around Birmingham, where the supposedly rural programme is recorded. The main entrance The Alexandra Theatre, commonly known as The Alex, is a theatre on Station Street in Birmingham, England. ... Birmingham Rep (formerly Birmingham Repertory Theatre) is a theatre in Birmingham, England. ... The Birmingham Hippodrome is a theatre situated on Hurst Street in Birmingham, England. ... The Old Rep is a theatre located in Station Street in Birmingham, England, managed by Birmingham City Council. ... The mac (formerly Midlands Arts Centre) is a non-profit arts centre situated in Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, England. ... The Drum (grid reference SP072890) is an arts centre in the Newtown area of Aston, in Birmingham, England, established as the United Kingdoms national centre for Black British and British Asian arts. ... The Crescent Theatre is a small, professional theatre run mostly by volunteers, based in Sheepcote Street, Brindleyplace in Birmingham, England. ... The Old Joint Stock pub and theatre The Old Joint Stock Theatre is a pub theatre located at 4 Temple Row West in the centre of Birmingham, England. ... The front façade of Sutton Town Hall with the clock tower at the end. ... The Archers is a British radio soap opera broadcast on the BBCs main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. ...

Birmingham also hosts a number of independent and community theatre companies, including Banner Theatre which was founded in the city over thirty years ago. Round midnight ltd produce work for schools, colleges and arts centres as well as film, television and radio. For ten years, Birmingham's Fierce! festival has presented a performance art festival. It has recently begun commissioning new works from British and international performers. Fierce! is an international performance festival that has taken place annually in and around Birmingham, England since 1997. ...

Comedy

Famous comedians from Birmingham include Sid Field, Tony Hancock, Jasper Carrott and Shazia Mirza. Other leading figures include Jo Enright, Natalie Haynes, James Cook, Weakest Link winner Andy White and Barbara Nice (the creation of actress Janice Connolly). The Glee Club and Birmingham Jongleurs are both prominent comedy venues. The Drum Arts Centre and the mac also host monthly comedy sessions while smaller independent comedy promoters/ venues include The Laughing Sole (in Strichley), Cheeky Monkey (The Station, Kings Heath - and the city's longest running independent comedy club), Up The Cross (The Cross, Moseley) and The Collective (Nightingale, city centre). Sid Field (1904 - February 3, 1950) was a British comedy entertainer. ... Biography published in 1978 (1983 paperback reprint shown) Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 24 June 1968) was a major figure in British television and radio comedy in the 1950s and 1960s, known as Tony Hancock. ... Jasper Carrott OBE (born Robert Davis, March 14, 1945) is an English comedian (declaring himself world famous in Birmingham). // Born in Acocks Green, Birmingham, he was educated at Moseley Grammar School and later attended Aston University in the heart of Birmingham. ... Mirza performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Shazia Mirza (born 3 October 1976) is a comedian from Birmingham in England, whose act revolves around her Muslim faith. ... The Glee Club is a comedy venue in Birmingham, England. ... Jongleurs in Birmingham is one of many branches of the same name around the UK. A prominent comedy venue located on Broad Street, Jongleurs atracts many local and international comedians to the centre of Birmingham. ... The Drum is an arts centre in the Newtown area of Aston, in Birmingham, England. ... The mac (formerly Midlands Arts Centre) is a non-profit arts centre situated in Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, England. ...

The Birmingham Comedy Festival was founded in 2001 and runs during 10 days at the beginning of October.

Visual arts

History of painting and illustration

David Cox was a famous Birmingham watercolour artist and President of the Associated Artists in Water Colour in 1810. Prominent people named David Cox: David Cox (Australian politician) - former member of the House of Representatives for the Division of Kingston David Cox (artist) - prominent English landscape painter Sir David Cox (statistician) - prominent English statistician David J Cox (canadian Poet, Writer) +David Cox (Murderer)-Convicted of homocide in Fairbanks, Alaska...

An "Academy of Arts" was organised in 1814, and an exhibition of paintings took place in Union Passage that year. A School of Design, or "Society of Arts," was started Feb. 7, 1821; Sir Robert Lawley, Bt (the first Lord Wenlock) presenting a valuable collection of casts from Grecian sculpture. The first exhibition was held in 1826, in a building on New Street. Greece is often referred to as the cradle of Western civilisation and ancient Athens was considered to be its center. ...

The first Ballot for pictures to be chosen from the Annual Exhibition of Local Artists took place in 1835.

Edward Burne-Jones was born in Birmingham, spent his first twenty years in the city, and later became the president of the Birmingham Society of Artists (which dates from 1826). He strongly influenced the Birmingham Group, which formed the link between late Romanticism in the visual arts and the Birmingham Surrealists who were prominent in the city's arts in the early and mid 20th century. Love Among the Ruins, by Edward Burne-Jones. ... The Birmingham Group were an important school of artists, one of the last outposts of late Romanticism in the visual arts, and an important link between the last of the Pre-Raphaelites and the new Slade Symbolists. ... The Birmingham Surrealists were an informal grouping of artists and intellectuals associated with the Surrealist movement and based in Birmingham, England from the 1930s to the 1950s. ...

David Bomberg's first well known works date from the 1910s. They are rather complex geometric compositions built over relatively traditional subjects, and typically use a limited number of striking colours with humans being turned into simple, angular shapes. Some have likened these works to 70's New York Graffiti. Bomberg travelled France, where he met Modigliani and Picasso. David Bomberg (December 5, 1890 – August 19, 1957) was a British painter. ... This article is about the state. ... For other uses, see Graffiti (disambiguation). ... Modigliani is the last name of two famous persons of Italian descent. ... A young Pablo Picasso Pablo Picasso, formally Pablo Ruiz Picasso, (October 25, 1881 - April 8, 1973) was one of the recognized masters of 20th century art. ...

The Birmingham Arts Lab at Gosta Green was an important centre for alternative comic art in the late 1970s; in the 1990s the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery staged a historical retrospective of the work made there. Gosta Green is an area in the city of Birmingham, England. ...

History of photography

Victorian photographer Sir Benjamin Stone (1838-1914) lived and worked in Erdington, Birmingham. The Birmingham Central Library now holds the Benjamin Stone Collection. The Victorian "father of art photography", Oscar Gustave Rejlander lived and worked at nearby Wolverhampton, and was a founder member of the Birmingham Photographic Society. The BPS later elected Henry Peach Robinson as a member. Sir John Benjamin Stone (February 9, 1838 - July 2, 1914), known as Benjamin, was born in Aston, Birmingham the son of a local glass manufacturer. ... Oscar Gustave Rejlander (Sweden 1813 – Clapham, London on 18 January 1875) was a pioneering Victorian art photographer. ... Robinsons Fading Away Henry Peach Robinson (b. ...

Contemporary artists

Graffiti (or "spraycan art") culture appeared in the early 1980s, with the area featuring in Channel 4 documentary Bombing. Local artists who use urban Birmingham as their canvas (this is illegal, and regarded by some as vandalism) have included Chu and Goldie (see Birmingham Hip Hop scene). Graffiti competitions are still regularly held. For other uses, see Graffiti (disambiguation). ... This article is about the British television station. ... The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century and created a state in North Africa, centered on the city of Carthage. ... For other uses, see Goldie (disambiguation). ... The Birmingham hip hop scene began to develop in Birmingham, England as early as 1980. ...

The construction of the Bull Ring Shopping Centre included three light wands which were erected at the main entrance, a huge mural on a glass façade located at the entrance facing New Street station and three fountains in St Martin's Square in the shape of cubes, which are illuminated at night in different colours.^[2] Selfridges at the Bullring St Martins Church, with Selfridges in the background The interior of the Bullring The Bull Ring market has been an important feature of Birmingham since the Middle Ages. ... For other uses, see Light (disambiguation). ... The giant Galligantua and the wicked old magician transform the dukes daughter into a white hind. ... West façade of the Notre-Dame de Strasbourg Cathedral A facade (or façade) is the exterior of a building – especially the front, but also sometimes the sides and rear. ... The tracks at the eastern end of Birmingham New Street station Class 390 no. ... A cube[1] is a three-dimensional solid object bounded by six square faces, facets or sides, with three meeting at each vertex. ...

Contemporary African Caribbean artists and photographers who have exhibited internationally include Pogus Caesar, Keith Piper and the late Donald Rodney. It has been suggested that Pogus Caesar Interview (The Voice) 1989 be merged into this article or section. ... Keith Piper born 18 December 1969 in Leicester Keith is retired professional cricketer. ... Donald Rodney (born May 18 1961 - died March 4 1998) was a British artist. ...

Current art galleries

• The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is housed at the University of Birmingham and although only a small gallery it was declared 'Gallery of the Year' by the Good Britain Guide 2004.
• Birmingham has one of the largest collections of Pre-Raphaelite art in the world at The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.
• The Ikon Gallery is housed in a neo-gothic former school in Brindleyplace and showcases modern art. Number 9 The Gallery is close by.
• The Halcyon Gallery is located inside the International Convention Centre. It opened with a major retrospective of Robert Lenkiewicz, and has continued with exhibitions by artists as diverse as Rolf Harris and L. S. Lowry.
• The Waterhall gallery in the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery displays a regular showcase of modern art which includes local artists and others sometimes from the city's own extensive collection.
• Harborne Gallery, the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists and the 'New Gallery' in St Paul's square also shows local artists.
• The old Bird's Custard Factory is now one of the largest media and arts villages in Europe, with occasional exhibitions and modern sculpture and water features.
• The mac hosts theatre performances, concerts, literature and poetry showcases, courses, film screenings and small art exhibitions.
• The Drum Arts Centre features works of African, Asian and Caribbean contemporary artists.
• Selly Oak ball park is home to many graffiti murals that change on a regular basis. Other graffiti art can be seen across the city on disused buildings and canal towpaths as well as subways.

There are a variety of other small and private galleries in the city. The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is an art gallery in Birmingham, England. ... Website http://www. ... The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of English painters, poets and critics, founded in 1848 by John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt. ... Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery Opened in 1885, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (BM&AG), in Birmingham, England, has a collection of international importance covering fine art, ceramics, metalwork, jewellery, archaeology, ethnography, local and industrial history. ... The Ikon Gallery The Ikon Gallery from the entrance. ... Neo-gothic architecture is an American branch of the Gothic revival style that was imported from England in the 1830s. ... Brindleyplace Brindleyplace (often written Brindley Place) is a large mixed-use canalside development, near the centre of Birmingham, England. ... Dejeuner sur lHerbe by Pablo Picasso At the Moulin Rouge: Two Women Waltzing by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1892 The Scream by Edvard Munch, 1893 I and the Village by Marc Chagall, 1911 Fountain by Marcel Duchamp, 1917 Campbells Soup Cans 1962 Synthetic polymer paint on thirty-two... There are four Halcyon Galleries in the United Kingdom, the original gallery is in Birmingham whilst the other three supplementary galleries are in London. ... The International Convention Centre is a major conference venue in central Birmingham, England. ... Robert Oscar Lenkiewicz (1941–August 6, 2002) was one of the South West of Englands most celebrated artists of modern times. ... Rolf Harris, MBE (1968), OBE (1977), CBE (2006), AM (1989) (born 30 March 1930), is an Australian musician, composer, painter, and television host. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery Opened in 1885, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (BM&AG), in Birmingham, England, has a collection of international importance covering fine art, ceramics, metalwork, jewellery, archaeology, ethnography, local and industrial history. ... Royal Birmingham Society of Artists The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists or RBSA is a learned society of artists and an art gallery based in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, England. ... The Custard Factory is an arts and media centre located in Birmingham, England (grid reference SP078864). ... Sculptor redirects here. ... The mac (formerly Midlands Arts Centre) is a non-profit arts centre situated in Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, England. ... Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ... The Drum is an arts centre in the Newtown area of Aston, in Birmingham, England. ... Selly Oak constituency shown within Birmingham Selly Oak is an area in south Birmingham, England. ...

Film

History

Albert Austin (born 13 December 1881 or 1885) was an actor, film star, director and script writer, primarily in the days of silent movies. He was born in Birmingham. He worked for Charlie Chaplin's Stock Company and played supporting roles in many of Chaplin's films, and working as his assistant director. Albert Austin (13 December 1881 or 1885 - 17 August 1953) was an actor, film star, director and script writer, primarily in the days of silent movies. ... is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about the comedy film. ... Charles Chaplin redirects here. ...

In the 1920's Oscar Deutsch opened his first Odeon cinema in the UK in Perry Barr. By 1930 the Odeon was a household name and still thrives today. Oscar Deutsch (1893-1941) was the founder of the Odeon Cinemas chain in the United Kingdom. ... Perry Barr constituency shown within Birmingham Perry Barr is an area in north Birmingham, England . ...

In 1930 the Birmingham Film Society was set up.

Contemporary

The Electric Cinema on Station Street is still open and is said to be the oldest working cinema in the UK. The Electric Cinema is a cinema in Birmingham, England. ...

Publishing

History

In 1742, 'Aris's Gazette' was established as Birmingham's first newspaper.

Contemporary

Birmingham now has two local daily newspapers - the Birmingham Post and the Birmingham Mail - as well as the Sunday Mercury, all owned by the Trinity Mirror, who also produce The Birmingham News, a weekly freesheet distributed to homes in the suburbs along with Forward (formerly Birmingham Voice), the Birmingham City Council's free newspaper distributed to homes and via community centres and public buildings. Several local newspapers serve Birmingham including the Sutton Coldfield Observer and Sutton Coldfield News for the area of Sutton Coldfield. The Birmingham Post was originally started under the name Daily Post in Birmingham, England in 1857 by John Frederick Feeney. ... The Birmingham Mail is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, UK but distributed around Birmingham, The Black Country, Solihull, Warwickshire and parts of Worcestershire and Staffordshire. ... Sunday Mercury is a sunday newspaper published in Birmingham, UK. A tabloid, with a sensationalist streak, it is owned by Trinity Mirror and produced in the same newsroom as The Birmingham Post and The Evening Mail. ... Trinity Mirror is a large United Kingdom newspaper and magazine publisher. ... The Birmingham News is a the daily newspaper for Birmingham, Alabama, and the largest newspaper in Alabama. ... Local Government History Most of Birmingham was historically a part of Warwickshire, though the modern city also includes villages and towns formerly in Staffordshire or Worcestershire. ... The Sutton Coldfield Observer is a free local newspaper serving the residents of Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham, England. ... The Sutton Coldfield News is a free weekly newspaper serving the area of Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham, West Midlands, England. ... , Holy Trinity Church on Trinity Hill north of Sutton town centre. ...

Birmingham is also the hub for various national ethnic media, including The Voice, The Sikh Times, Desi Xpress, The Asian Today^[3] and Raj TV (based in The Mailbox^[4]). National showbiz magazine Ikonz is based in Birmingham, one of the few outside of London. An ethnic group is a group of people who identify with one another, or are so identified by others, on the basis of a boundary that distinguishes them from other groups. ... The Voice is a British national weekly tabloid newspaper owned by the Jamaican publisher, the Gleaner Voice Group, aimed at the British Afro-Caribbean community. ... The Sikh Times is a Handsworth-based dual language weekly newspaper primarily targetting Sikhs in the Birmingham area in England. ... Desi Xpress newspaper Desi Xpress is a national UK weekly entertainment newspaper published by Urban Media, who also produce The Asian Today. ... The Asian Leader The Asian Leader was a free fortnightly community newspaper published and distributed in the Midlands, England and has now been renamed The Asian Today. ... Ikonz is an entertainment magazine published in the United Kingdom. ...

Broadcast

History

The area was one of the first to receive programming from the new ITV network in 1956. The networks' original representatives were Associated TeleVision (ATV) who served the area during the week and ABC Weekend TV who broadcast at the weekends. In 1968 ATV won the contract to serve the area seven days a week and built new studios off Broad Street at the heart of the city featuring the landmark Alpha Tower. In 1982 ATV was reorganised and became Central Independent Television, which was rebranded as Carlton Central in 1999 and again as ITV Central in 2004. ITV's Birmingham studios are famous for many shows, including Tiswas, Crossroads and Bullseye. For other uses, see ITV (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Associated British Corporation (otherwise known as ABC Television or ABC Weekend TV) was one of a number of commercial television companies set up in the 1950s by cinema chains in an attempt to safeguard their business by getting involved in television which was taking away their cinema audiences. ... Alpha Tower now looks very outdated as it is surrounded by new developments in the redevelopment of Birmingham, UK. A prime example of architecture from the 1960s and 1970s which is now being widely disputed by the public and experts. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Tiswas was an anarchic Saturday morning childrens British TV show which ran from 5 January 1974 to 3 April 1982. ... Crossroads is a British television soap opera set in a motel near Birmingham, England. ...

Current stations and programmes

The BBC has two facilities in the city. The Mailbox in the city centre is the location for the national headquarters of BBC English Regions,^[5] the regional headquarters and television centre for BBC West Midlands and the headquarters of the BBC Birmingham network production centre. It is here programmes including Midlands Today and the world's longest running radio soap opera, The Archers, are produced.^[6] The overnight programmes of BBC Radio 2 are also broadcast from here. For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Categories: Places of interest in Birmingham, England | Stub ... BBC English Regions is the division of the BBC responsible for the corporations local television, radio, web and teletext services in England. ... Categories: Station stubs | BBC radio ... The Mailbox, current home to BBC Birmingham BBC Birmingham is one of the oldest regional arms of the BBC. It was the first region outside of London to start brodcasting both the corporations radio (in 1922) and television (in 1948) transmissions from the Sutton Coldfield television transmitter. ... Midlands Today is the BBCs regional television news programme for the West Midlands region, which comprises the West Midlands county, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. ... The first TIME magazine cover devoted to soap operas, dated January 12, 1976. ... The Archers is a British radio soap opera broadcast on the BBCs main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. ... BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBCs national radio stations and the most popular station in the UK. As well as having most listeners nationally, it ranks first in all regions above local radio stations. ...

The BBC Drama Village, based in Selly Oak, is a production facility specialising in television drama and is the home of nationally networked programmes such as Dalziel & Pascoe and Doctors.^[7] Before 2004 the BBC's Birmingham home was at the famous Pebble Mill Studios. The BBC Drama Village is a television production facility run by the BBC and based largely at the Selly Oak campus of the University of Birmingham in Birmingham, England. ... Selly Oak constituency shown within Birmingham Selly Oak is an area in south Birmingham, England. ... Cathy Come Home, a 1966 entry into The Wednesday Play anthology series, voted the best drama and second highest programme overall in the British Film Institutes 2000 survey of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes of the 20th century. ... Detective Superintendent Andrew Dalziel (usually known as Andy) and Detective Sergeant (later Detective Inspector) Peter Pascoe are two fictional Yorkshire detectives featuring in a series of novels by Reginald Hill and a BBC television series. ... For the BBC television series produced 1969-71, see The Doctors (1969 TV series). ... Pebble Mill Studios were located in the leafy suburbs of Birmingham, England. ...

Sky TV has its own news team bureau based in the University of Birmingham's Aston Campus. Local cable and satellite broadcasters include the Natural Health Channel and Asia 1 TV. British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB - formerly two companies, Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting, which merged) is a company that operates the most popular subscription television service in the UK and Ireland. ... Website http://www. ...

Local legal radio stations include BRMB, Galaxy, BBC WM and Heart FM, and Kerrang! 105.2, Birmingham's first dedicated rock station. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Galaxy 102. ... BBC WM is the BBC Local Radio service for the West Midlands and South Staffordshire, operated by BBC Birmingham. ... 100. ... Kerrang! 105. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...

Major arts events

For several years the city has hosted an annual arts festival ArtsFest during September, where families can enjoy many of the city's arts, for free. It is said to be the largest free arts festival in the UK. In December 2006 the City Council announced that it would no longer hold Artsfest. [5], but it seems set to continue in 2008. ArtsFest is an annual arts festival held in September in Birmingham, England. ...

References

Konow, David. Bang Your Head: The Rise and Fall of Heavy Metal (New York: Crown, 2002) ISBN 0-609-80732-3

External links

• Birmingham Alive!
• Created in Birmingham
• Birmingham ArtsFest
• mac (Midlands Arts Centre)
• Birmingham Comedy Festival