A free music festival will take place in Camden as eleven more icons are added to the Music Walk of Fame.
Janis Joplin, UB40, Buzzcocks, Billy Bragg and The Kinks will join Madness, The Who, Soul II Soul, Amy Winehouse and David Bowie whose links to the area's trailblazing music scene are recognised with stones embedded into the pavements of 'the Camden mile'.
Artists and pioneers to be honoured also include Producer and promoter Harvey Goldsmith, Kiss FM founder Gordon Mac, DJ Paul 'Trouble' Anderson, The Sugarhill Gang, Eddy Grant, and Shalamar, with stones unveiled between September 4 and 9.
Inductions are accompanied by a red carpet ceremony with artists, friends and family and fans lining the streets. Next month's unveilings culminate with a free all-day music festival with live entertainment and music along Camden High Street.
The main stage in Hawley Crescent, supported by the Music Venue Trust, will host Buzzcocks, Billy Bragg, Shalamar, Soul II Soul founder Jazzie B, and Rusty Egan of Blitz Music Machine, while on Camden High Street, there will be a sound system with DJs programmed by Mi-Soul Radio.
Organisers hope the Camden Music Festival will expand to become an annual three-day event taking in venues across the borough including Granary Square, Regent’s Park, Hampstead Heath, and Denmark Street.
The inductions start on September 4 when Joplin becoms the first American artist to be celebrated on the Music Walk of Fame.
Laura and Michael Joplin said: "It is a really special moment to see our sister being recognized by the Music Walk Of Fame. Janis's music resonated with a generation hungry for authenticity. Her legacy is a reminder that vulnerability can be a source of strength, and her voice continues to inspire countless others to embrace their true selves. At moments like this, it’s a pleasure to see her legacy being honored in this way."
Grant, who joined his parents in London in 1960, and attended Acland Burghley School, will be recognised on September 7 for his stellar career including hits Electric Avenue and Give Me Hope Joanna.
He said: "It will be great to be back in Camden, where I grew up. To be honoured with a stone plaque which will be laid in the street where I walked, rode and drove from childhood to manhood. It is especially satisfying to be receiving this honour in the year of my 75th birthday and the 40th anniversary of my ground-breaking album Killer on the Rampage. My grandmother always told me that when someone gives you something and it’s something good the most important thing to say is thank you."
The Music Walk of Fame was founded by Lee Bennett who hopes it will become a living museum and cultural attractraction featuring hundreds of artists and personalities - from Chalk Farm to Mornington Crescent - with each brought to life through through Augmented Reality technology allowing visitors to access artwork, videos and music through the stones.
He said: "I’m very excited that we’ll be progressing the project to a new level of integration and fan engagement by incorporating what will become an annual borough-wide festival utilising all the venues and open spaces that the London borough of Camden has to offer."
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