Pioneering R&B DJ and broadcaster Trevor Nelson started out more than 35 years ago on pirate radio station Kiss.
Hackney-born and of St Lucian heritage, Trevor, 59, tells Metro why the Windrush 75th anniversary concert he is hosting at the is so important, why he won’t ask for an interview and why he’s not bothered about turning 60…
What were your emotions when you were asked to host the Windrush 75 concert?
is one of those things that I knew of, but I didn’t know it was 75 years.
The whole narrative of Windrush has changed so much because of .
I’m second-generation. I’m St Lucian heritage and I’m equally as proud of being St Lucian as of being British. I said I’d host it, absolutely.
Did your mum and dad used to tell you about when they first came to Britain?
They never really did. For the majority of my friends their parents didn’t really go into it. I think that’s because it was such a struggle when they got here to get accommodation and work and to be accepted.
If they had told us those stories it would have been like, ‘Well, why are we here then if it was so hard for you?’
I think they protected us a lot. At the same time, they gave us opportunity. I wouldn’t have become what I am today if my parents didn’t come over. I see this event as, ‘Thanks Mum and Dad.’
Who are you most excited to see perform on the night on June 9?
I’m glad we’ve got . She has become a tour de force. She’s just real. I do love her.
We’ve put together a very eclectic line-up of artists to try and reflect the influences that Caribbean music has had on the UK.
We’ve got saxophonist YolanDa Brown, Hak Baker who is alternative, Tobago Crusoe who is a calypsonian performing Lord Kitchener’s London Is The Place For Me, and Craig David who is phenomenal. Also, Loose Ends who were my band when I was younger.
Before Soul II Soul made a record, I remember Jazzie B saying how influential Loose Ends was to him. They’re doing Hangin’ On A String with the Chineke! Orchestra, the orchestra that did Bob Marley Reimagined.
It’s five years since the Windrush deportation Scan**l. Is it important to highlight that there are families who are still struggling to put their lives back together?
It’s the most awful situation you can imagine, especially for people who have worked all their lives and then near the end to have this injustice. It’s just a hideous scenario.
The concert will be a celebration, but we are going to touch on it. My culture has always celebrated the highs of life with music and got over the lows of life with music.
That was the joyous thing about people first getting the Notting Hill Carnival off the ground.
Can you believe you once got Destiny’s Child to play the Notting Hill Carnival?
When Destiny’s Child were a young band, I really supported them a lot. It’s mad how much access I had to Beyoncé back then.
I asked her dad – who was their manager – if they would perform. I told him it was the biggest street festival in Europe. He just cancelled what they had on and I got a show from Destiny’s Child for absolutely zero money. When you think what Beyoncé tickets are going for now…
Is there any chance of an interview with her again?
I haven’t tried; I don’t want to hear the word ‘no’. She doesn’t do interviews anymore really, does she? And you know what? Good for her.
I can’t look at her in any way other than total admiration for what she’s achieved. She is the queen.
Is there an interview with any artist that you would like to do over again if you had the chance?
Oh loads. There was one interview I did with Jay-Z, which was really funny when he fooled us all into believing he was going to retire after The Black Album.
I haven’t looked at it since. I hope I said, ‘There’s no way you’re retiring.’ He has always been the most super-cool of all those guys in that era.
How do you feel watching your own daughter DJ?
She’s pretty phenomenal actually. She hates the publicity of people knowing she’s my daughter because we didn’t trade on that in any shape or form. Hence her DJ name, Shy One.
You’ve got a big birthday coming up next year. How will you celebrate it?
I’ve never gone huge on my birthday. I might throw a tiny little party for old friends who want to hear the music I used to play when I was on pirate radio.
I haven’t DJ-ed with vinyl for 20-odd years. And no one will know about it – but now I’m talking to you. Why am I talking to a newspaper about it?!
Trevor Nelson will present Windrush 75 at the Royal Albert Hall on June 9. It will be broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on June 18, royalalberthall.com
