Pauline Black facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pauline Black
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Black in San Francisco, 2005
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Belinda Magnus |
| Born | 23 October 1953 Romford, Essex, England |
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| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1979–present |
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Pauline Black, whose birth name is Belinda Magnus, was born on October 23, 1953. She is a well-known English singer, actress, and author.
For over 40 years, Pauline Black has had a successful music career. She became famous in the late 1970s. This was when she was the lead singer of The Selecter. This band played 2 Tone ska music. The Selecter had four songs that reached the Top 40 charts in the UK. These songs included "On My Radio" and "Three Minute Hero". Rolling Stone magazine praised her voice. They said she had the best voice in 2 Tone music. Pauline Black has also acted in movies and on television.
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Early Life and Education
Belinda Magnus was born in Romford, Essex, England, on October 23, 1953. Her birth mother was Anglo-Jewish, and her father was Nigerian. She was adopted by a white couple and named Pauline Vickers. Her biological father was a prince from Nigeria. Pauline did not know about her Jewish background until she was 42 years old. This was when she found her birth mother.
Pauline studied science at Lanchester Polytechnic. This school is now Coventry University. After that, she trained to be a radiographer in Coventry. She worked for the NHS for five years. Then, she started her career in music.
Music Career Highlights
Pauline Black helped start the 2 Tone ska band The Selecter. The band formed in Coventry in 1979. The Selecter, along with bands like the Specials and Madness, helped bring back ska music. Pauline chose the stage name "Black" to keep her music work a secret from her employer. She also chose it because of how her adoptive family used to describe her.
The Selecter broke up in 1982. However, they have gotten back together many times since 1994.
Other Music Projects
In 2001, Pauline Black joined with other musicians to form a group called 3 Men & Black. They played acoustic versions of their famous songs. They also shared stories about how they wrote the music. The group's members changed over time.
In 2010, The Selecter reformed again. Pauline Black and Arthur 'Gaps' Hendrickson from the original band played together. They celebrated the 30th anniversary of their first album, Too Much Pressure.
In 2014, a picture of Pauline Black was shown in an art exhibition. It was part of the Return of the Rudeboy exhibition in London.
Pauline Black has also performed with the band Gorillaz. She joined them on their Humanz tour.
Awards and Recognition
Pauline Black was honored with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award in 2022. This award was for her services to entertainment. In May 2022, she was also named a Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands.
Television and Acting Career
After The Selecter first broke up, Pauline Black became a television host. She co-hosted a children's quiz show called Hold Tight. She also started an acting career. She appeared in TV shows like The Bill and Two Thousand Acres of Sky.
Pauline Black also acted in the soap opera Hollyoaks. She played the character Diane Valentine for four episodes. In 1991, she won the Time Out award for Best Actress. This was for her role as Billie Holiday in the play All or Nothing at All. She also acted with Christopher Lee in the horror movie Funny Man. In 2010, she was a guest on the TV show Never Mind the Buzzcocks.
Radio Work
In 2007, Pauline Black narrated a BBC Four documentary. It was called Soul Britannia. This show told the story of British soul music. Later, she appeared in another documentary called Reggae Britannia. She was interviewed and also appeared as a member of The Selecter.
Author and Book Writing
In 2011, Pauline Black released her own book. It was her autobiography, called Black by Design.
See also
In Spanish: Pauline Black para niños
