Blue Plaques are footprints of our history, commemorating those who excelled in their particular fieldMike Read, Trustee of the British Plaque Trust
Blue Plaques are a tradition that dates back 150 years, but there weren't many for music. All that changed on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Music Day, thanks to ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ local radio listeners.
For ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Music Day 2017, all 40 ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Local Radio stations and the Asian Network in England teamed up with the British Plaque Trust to unveil 47 historic Blue Plaques celebrating iconic musicians and venues.
Those honoured with a Blue Plaque include David Bowie (with not one but two plaques), broadcaster John Peel, the Grimethorpe Colliery Band and Delia Derbyshire who composed the Doctor Who theme tune.
Below we reveal the full list of Blue Plaques. Find out if there's a piece of music history hiding in an unexpected location near you.
Blue Plaques are footprints of our history, commemorating those who excelled in their particular fieldMike Read, Trustee of the British Plaque Trust
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ NORTH EAST & CUMBRIA
Mayfair's - The Gate complex, Newcastle
Mayfair Ballroom stood on this site 1961-1999 and is where the band that became Led Zeppelin made their UK debut on 4 October 1968.
Kathleen Mary Ferrier, Aspatria Parish Church, Cumbria
Internationally-famous contralto and stage, concert and recording artist, Kathleen Ferrier's first professional performance was at the Aspatria in 1937.
The Globe, The Tees
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Summer Holiday
Bruce Welch and Brian Bennett wrote the iconic song Summer Holiday for Cliff Richard & The Shadows in this theatre in 1962.
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ YORKSHIRE
Grimethorpe Colliery Band, Acorn Centre, Grimethorpe, Barnsley
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A Fistful Of Dollars
The home of the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, founded in 1917 and famous for appearing in the film Brassed Off.
Angela Morley
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Watership Down (1978) - Prologue & Main Title
The birthplace of Angela Morley (1924-2009), Emmy Award winning composer and conductor for radio, television and film.
The Shed, Brawby Village Hall, York
The home of The Shed, that brought the world to North Yorkshire. Artists from such countries as Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Japan, Finland and Alaska performed here.
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ EAST YORKSHIRE & LINCOLNSHIRE
The Spiders from Mars, Hull Paragon Station
Mick Ronson (1946-1993), Trevor Bolder (1950-2013) and Mick ‘Woody' Woodmansey, were David Bowie’s backing group in the first half of the 1970s and left this station for many musical adventures.
Sir Neville Marriner, Lincoln
Hailed as one of the world’s greatest conductors and the Founder of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville was born here.
The Gilderdrome. Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston's premier dance venue since 1939 and where Otis Redding, Strawbs, Stevie Wonder, Elton John and T. Rex have all performed.
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ NORTH WEST
Alfie Boe, Marine Hall, Fleetwood
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Bring Him Home
The internationally-acclaimed operatic tenor Alfie Boe gave his first public performance at the Marine Hall in 1987 at the age of 14. Watch a young Alfie in the clip above performing at Marine Hall in 1989.
Factory Records, Alan Erasmus's flat, West Didsbury
Factory Records (1978-1992) was founded here by Alan Erasmus and Tony Wilson and famously launched the careers of Joy Division, New Order and The Happy Mondays.
Eric's, Merseyside
Deaf School, Talking Heads, The Clash, The Police, Ramones, Echo and the Bunnymen, Wah and Heat all played here.
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ EAST MIDLANDS
Kevin Coyne, University of Derby Art School
Eric Pinkett, Church Langton Primary School, Leicester
The founder of the Leicestershire County School of Music and the Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra, Eric inspired generations of young musicians.
Constance Shacklock, Nottingham Theatre Royal
Constance Shacklock OBE (1913-1999), contralto with Covent Garden Opera Company Royal Academy of Music, began her career at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham with the Nottingham Operatic Society.
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ WEST MIDLANDS
Delia Derbyshire, 104, Cedars Avenue, Coventry
The home of Delia Derbyshire (1937-2001), the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radiophonic Workshop pioneer who realised Ron Grainer's Doctor Who theme and influenced the course of electronic music.
John Bonham, 84 Birchfield Road, Headless Cross
The birthplace of John Henry Bonham (1948-1980), the drummer with Led Zeppelin who sold over 200 million albums.
Jerry Lordan, Three Tuns, Bishop’s Castle
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Apache
Jeremiah Patrick ‘Jerry’ Lordan, songwriter (1934-1995) wrote Apache and many other hits for The Shadows and Cliff Richard.
Lemmy Kilmister, Port Vale FC
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Ace Of Spades
A plaque celebrating the life of Ian Fraser 'Lemmy' Kilmister (1945-2015), the Motörhead founder and singer, whose song 'Ace of Spades' has been adopted by Port Vale FC.
Nick Drake, Far Leys
A plaque marking where the singer/songwriter/poet Nicholas Rodney ‘Nick’ Drake (1948-1974) grew up.
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ EAST
Syd Barrett, Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University
The musician, songwriter, artist and founder member of Pink Floyd. Roger Keith 'Syd' Barrett attended the School of Art.
Steve Marriott, Beehive Cottage, Moreton
Singer, songwriter and vocalist with The Small Faces and Humble Pie, Steve Marriott lived in this house 1968 - 1977.
Sandy Denny, Byfield Village Hall
Alexandra Elene MacLean ‘Sandy’ Denny 1947-1978. The Influential folk singer/songwriter with Fairport Convention played her final gig at Byfield Village Hall 1st April 1978.
Norwich Arts Centre
Opened in 1977 the Norwich Arts Centre was named 'Britain’s Best Small Venue' by the NME.
John Peel, The Village Hall in Great Finborough
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft OBE aka John Peel (1939-2004), the pioneering and influential ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 1 broadcaster who helped the careers of many artists, grew up in the village.
The Control Room, Corn Exchange, Bedford
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Chattanooga Choo Choo
Glenn Miller Orchestra, Paula Kelly, Tex Beneke & The Modernaires
This was one of seven 'safe' out of London venues in Bedford used by the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ for the “Somewhere in Britain” broadcasts during WWII. 8,000 broadcasts were made from here from 1941-1945. The Glen Miller Orchestra even performed here.
The Stables, Milton Keynes
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Tomorrow's World Theme
The Stables was founded by Sir John Dankworth and Dame Cleo Laine with the first performance staged on 6 February 1970.
Watford Colosseum
Built in 1938, the soundtracks for films such as The Sound of Music and Lord of the Rings were recorded here. Among the artists who have performed here are the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Concert Orchestra, The Who, Robbie Williams and Oasis.
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ LONDON
Trident Studios, London
David Bowie (1947-2016) recorded many of his albums here, including Hunky Dory which marked the transition from rock to high concept and Ziggy Stardust.
Emile Ford, The Buttery, North Kensington
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What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For
Emile Ford (1937-2016), the singer, producer and sound scientist made his performing debut at The Buttery in 1957 and became the first black British male artist to have a No.1 hit and a million-seller.
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ SOUTH EAST
The Manish Boys, Royal Star Arcade, Maidstone
Maidstone group The Manish Boys regularly played here when it was the Royal Star Hotel Ballroom. David Bowie (1947-2016) was a member during 1964-65.
Rick Parfitt, The Square, Woking
Richard John ‘Rick’ Parfitt OBE (1948-2016); guitarist, singer, songwriter and member of Status Quo for 50 years.
ABBA wins Eurovision, The Brighton Dome
ABBA launched their career after winning the 19th Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden at the Brighton Dome on 6 April 1974. The Wombles were the interval act.
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ SOUTH
The Nerk Twins, Fox and Hounds Pub, Caversham
John Lennon and Paul McCartney played their only gig as The Nerk Twins at the Fox & Hounds on 23rd April 1960. This plaque has been awarded by ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio Berkshire.
Blue Horizon Studio, Oxford
Former home of the Chipping Norton Recording Studios from 1971-1999. Status Quo, XTC, Gerry Rafferty, Duran Duran, Steve Winwood, Beverley Craven and Radiohead all recorded here.
Jimmy Kennedy, Harbour Lights, Portsmouth
The songwriter Jimmy Kennedy (1902-1984) had the idea for the song Harbour Lights while here in 1937. The song has been recorded by Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby, The Platters and over 100 other artists. He also wrote the lyrics for The Teddy Bears' Picnic.
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ WEST
The Bamboo Club, Bristol
The Bamboo Club (1966-1977) was the home of ska, reggae and blue beat. Created by Tony and Lalel Bullimore, Bob Marley, Ben E King, Desmond Dekker, Percy Sledge and Jimmy Cliff played here.
John Entwistle, Royal British Legion, Gloucester
Plaque to commemorate the career of John Entwistle (1944-2002), founder member and bass player with The Who.
Gaumont Theatre, Salisbury
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ SOUTH WEST
Brenda Wootton, Penzance
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Tom Bawcock's Eve
The home of Brenda Wootton (1928-1994), Cornish poet, singer and ambassador for Cornish music and culture.
The Ham, Sidmouth Folk Week Festival
The town is the home of the internationally-renowned Sidmouth Folk Week Festival, an annual celebration of folk music, dance and song held in the first week of August since 1955.
Domenico Eusanio Santagelo, site of St Julian's Theatre, Guernsey
Domenico Eusanio Santagelo (1882-1970) composed the music for the island’s anthem Sarnia Cherie (Dear Guernsey) in 1911. He was also a founder member of the Guernsey Music Society in 1920.
John Fry Lobb, Jersey
John Fry Lobb (1914-1980) and his brother Arthur and sister Amy (Mrs Luce) formed and conducted many choirs and taught and inspired generations of Jersey children. Their choirs, notably the Jersey Festival Choir, have performed at this venue for over 60 years.
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ ASIAN NETWORK
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Asian Network and the British Plaque Trust have also awarded three blue plaques to commemorate people or places from the past that made a significant impact on the wider musical landscape. Asian Network DJs Bobby Friction and Dipps Bhamrah formed part of an advisory panel to select the first British Asian artists ever to be honoured as part of the scheme.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Birmigham
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Main Diwani Gunj Shakar Di
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (October 1948 - August 1997) will be commemorated with a plaque in Birmingham around the 20th anniversary of his death on 16 August.
Haroon Shamsher, East London
Haroon Shamsher is the founder of pioneering collective Joi founded in the 80s with his brother Farook, whose father – a Bangladeshi immigrant – ran a traditional tape shop in London’s East End. The group’s initial aim was to fuse traditional Bengali music with the energetic funk attack of James Brown.
Saifullah ‘Sam’ Zaman, East London
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Flight Ic408
Saifullah 'Sam' Zaman, a London-based DJ of Bengali heritage has been creating music as State Of Bengal for over two decades. He first rose to prominence off the back of a couple of tracks, Flight IC408 and Chittagong Chill on Tavlin Singh’s seminal ‘90s Asian Underground compilation Anokha. He's also gone global via a tour with Bjork and remixes for high profile artists like Massive Attack and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.