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Ben E King 1969

Object

Photograph

Production date

2010
1969

Object number

2011.3

Physical Description

Black and white photograph of American soul and R&B singer Ben E King at the Four Aces Club, embracing two women. The woman on the right also appears in 2011.04.

The Four Aces club was founded in the 1960s and for 33 years was home to influential black music and musicians.

Associated Organisation

The Four Aces Club (Subject of)

Associated Person

Dunbar, Newton (Founder)
Whittier, Winstan (Printer)

Associated Place

Material

Card

Dimension

Width (Frame): 38cm
Height (Frame): 58cm

Exhibition Label

The Four Aces Club

The Four Aces (1966 – 1997) was a pioneering music club in Dalston, and one of the first venues to play music rooted in African and Caribbean cultures in the 1960s. It showcased up-and-coming reggae musicians and provided opportunities for Black artists at a time when there were no Black radio stations and few Black stars in the UK. By the 1970s, West Indians from across London and the UK were flocking to the club.

People Power: Black British Arts & Activism in Hackney 1960s-2000s
From 'Hackney's Got Style: Celebrating the History and Impact of African and Caribbean Fashion & Hair'

Founded in the 1960s on Dalston Lane, The Four Aces was a pioneering club and one of the first venues to play African and Caribbean music in Britain.

For many young people a night out at a club was an important opportunity to show off a new outfit and express themselves through clothing.

These photographs, taken in 1969, show two women dressed in African-style kaftans with American soul and R&B singer Ben E. King.

Credit line

Courtesy of Newton Dunbar and Winstan Whitter

On display?

No

Inscription

4/25 Ben E King The Four Aces Club