The vibrant, eclectic and diverse music scene of Manchester has long been hailed as one of the most influential in the world.

However, there is an important story that remains untold - the invaluable contributions of Black musicians to the city’s rich musical heritage. The Blue Plaques campaign is about centralising that legacy, and making visible the valuable contributions of musicians from Black and dual heritage backgrounds, and this campaign will be extended to include music creatives overlooked often due to the failure of particular music scenes, and genres of music being talked about and documented in the city and in the UK

MDMArchive Trustee, Karen Gabay, has championed this recognition and worked to build the partnership between MDMArchive, Nubian Jak Community Trust and Greater Manchester Combined Authority with the support of the Manchester Music Commission. To date we have two plaques installed, Denise Johnson and Diane Charlemagne, and our third will be this year for Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the godmother of Rock 'n' Roll.

As we move into the next phase in 2026, Karen Gabay in collaboration with MDMArchive wish to continue to raise support for the next series of plaques Your help will enable recognition for artists and creatives, often overlooked, and help us build a legacy across Greater Manchester.