Mykaell Riley, a Reader, Director for the Black Music Research Unit (BMRU) and Principal Investigator for Bass Culture Research at the University of Westminster, contributed to a 26 July 2023 Guardian article on Sonny Roberts, a musical producer and entrepreneur. Roberts was recently honoured with a blue plaque by the Nubian Jak Community Trust, which memorialises the historic contributions of Black and minority ethnic people in Britain.
Roberts, the founder of Planetone, the UK’s first Black-owned music studio, emigrated from Jamaica to the UK in 1958 and made an indelible mark on the British reggae scene. He was also known for his hand-built Lavender sound systems. Mykaell Riley noted that in the 1960s there were no clubs to go to and said: “They’re having to create that scene and build that community. Sonny had that entrepreneurial spirit that the Windrush generation arrived with: we’re going to do it, in spite of the challenges.”
Mykaell Riley was a founding member of the British roots Reggae band Steel Pulse and The Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra, Britain's first black pop orchestra. Riley has composed extensively for television including the BBC 1&2, ITV1, 2,3, SKY and Endemol TV.
Read The Guardian article on Sonny Roberts headlined I Felt his Vibration!’ Sonny Roberts, the UK’s First Black Music Studio Owner.
