'Hidden history' of music at USAF bases explored

Sammy Davis Jr performed at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk in 1960

Memories of music at United States Air Force (USAF) bases are being sought for a project exploring its cultural impact on Suffolk.

Super Fly is looking into the influence of black American music at Mildenhall and Lakenheath and will showcase the results during the Woodbridge Festival of Art and Music in the summer.

It has asked for people to get in touch with their stories, photographs, posters and flyers from the 1960s through to the 1990s, to add to the research and interviews already carried out.

"This hidden history is well known locally and will hopefully now become recognised nationally," said Ben Osborne, founder of art collective Noise of Art, which is behind the project.

"Usually the influence of American black music in the UK is thought to have arrived through major port cities, such as London and Liverpool," he added.

"This story reveals an alternative route for music coming into the UK through East Anglian American air bases."

Work so far includes an interview with funk DJ Les Spaine, who played USAF bases in the 1970s and went on to head Motown UK.

The festival, now in its 11th year, will host events around Woodbridge from 30 August to 3 September.