Music Made in the Middle

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Music Made in the Middle: Part 2

Part 2 BBC Radio 4 - Music Made in the Middle, Part 2

Birmingham-raised singer Jamelia explores the music made in her native West Midlands.

Birmingham-born and raised singer Jamelia continues her two-part exploration of the music made in her native West Midlands.

Singer Jamelia, who was born and grew up in Birmingham, explores music made in the West MIdlands - asking if it has a distinct identity.

In this second episode of a two part series, Jamelia hears from more musical Midlanders and digs deeper into the area's rich diversity. Is Birmingham the original diverse city? 

People from the city and the conurbation have made a huge contribution to music all over the world, but Birmingham rarely seems to get the recognition given to other cities like Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield or London. Is it time to shout more about the region's achievements in music?

Jamelia continues her look at the unique and eclectic musical identity and hears how the city can lay claim to giving birth to a UK style of bhangra. She also asks if the West Midlands accent actually helps contribute to the area's musicality?.

Across the series, Jamelia hears how the various genres that have been championed in Birmingham and the West Midlands have often connected and crossed over. Would Elgar have been into heavy metal were he alive today?

Among those contributing to the series are Toyah Wilcox, ELO drummer Bev Bevan, Jaki Graham, reggae singer Pato Banton, Muff Winwood from the Spencer Davis Group, Duran Duran original Stephen Duffy and Apache Indian.

Jamelia also visits the legendary Grosvenor Road Studios and finds outs if she's made the Midlands music map.  

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Across two programmes, Birmingham-born and raised singer Jamelia begins an exploration of the music made in her native West Midlands.

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