Anthony Pure Silk Brightly

about

Anthony Brightly was born in Hackney, East London, to Jamaican immigrants, George and Millicent Brightly. Growing up in the 1970s, Anthony was one of the first generation of children of West Indian parentage born in Britain. During these turbulent social times, this new immigrant population forged their own identity resulting in an amalgamation of British and West Indian culture. His father ran the Sir George sound system which afforded the young Brightly great exposure to the music industry and the day's leading artists. Still at school, he became the keyboard player in the band Black Slate with four school mates. Guided by their manager, Brightly senior, Black Slate became an early pioneer of UK based Roots Reggae alongside the likes of Steel Pulse and Aswad. The band saw early success with “Sticks Man” a social commentary track detailing the growing revolt of black youth against the oppression of British authority in 1977. 'Sticks Man' would become an anthem of teenage angst amongst British Black youth reportedly selling over a million copies all over Europe. As well as being a self contained band , Black Slate also provided live backing for a number of visiting reggae stars including Delroy Wilson, Leroy Smart, The Heptones, Dennis Brown and Johnny Clarke. A few years later they broke the colour barrier with the popular 'Amigo' which propelled them to being one of the first UK based Black groups to perform on the seminal TV show, “Top of the Pops.” It's now 1980, and a

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