Belinda Magnus better known as Pauline Black, is an English singer, actress and author. She was born in October 1953, in Romford, Essex to an Anglo-Jewish teenage mother and Nigerian father. She was adopted by a white middle-aged couple and given the name Pauline Vickers. Her biological father, Gordon Adenle, had come to London from Nigeria to study engineering and was a Yoruba omoba (or prince). Black was unaware of her Jewish heritage until the age of 42 when she traced her birth mother. Black studied science at Lanchester Polytechnic before training as a radiographer in Coventry. Upon completion of her studies she worked for the NHS for five years before she entered the music industry.
Black was a founding member and lead singer of 2 Tone ska band The Selecter who were formed in Coventry in 1979. The Selecter, along with the Specials and Madness, are credited with starting the ska revival movement. She adopted a stage name in order to conceal her involvement in the band from her employer, choosing the surname Black partly in reaction to her upbringing – her adoptive family had always referred to her as “coloured” rather than black.
The Selecter released four singles that entered the Top 40 charts in the United Kingdom during the 1970s and the 1980s, including “On My Radio”, “Three Minute Hero”, “Missing Words” and “The Whisper”. Rolling Stone said of Black “Hands down, Pauline Black possessed the best voice that ever graced a 2-Tone release. Blessed with a bewitching soprano and dramatic panache, Black’s voice reached plateaus that made every other musical detail sound like part of a backdrop painted just to set the stage for her entrance.” The Selecter split up in 1982 but have sporadically reformed since 1994.
In 2001 Black, with Jean-Jacques Burnel (The Stranglers), Jake Burns (Stiff Little Fingers) and Nicky Welsh (The Selecter & Bad Manners) formed and toured as 3 Men & Black, doing acoustic versions of songs they are famous for, and talking a little about how they came to write the songs etc. The band continued with a line-up of Black and three male artists, which varied according to availability as the artists also continued with their separate careers, and has also included Bruce Fixtin (The Jam & SLF). An album, 3 Men + Black, Acoustic, featuring Black, Burnel, Burns, Foxton & Welsh was released in 2004. Another revival of Selecter took place in 2010 with Black and Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson from the original band once again playing together under The Selecter name to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Too Much Pressure.
After Selecter had split up, Black was co-host, with Bob Carolgees and Spit the Dog, of the children’s television quiz show, Hold Tight. She developed an acting career in television and theatre, appearing in dramas such as The Vice, The Bill, and Hearts and Minds. Black appeared in Hollyoaks for four episodes as Diane Valentine, until her character was killed off. She won the 1991 Time Out award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Billie Holliday in the play All or Nothing at All.
In 2007, Black narrated the BB Four documentary Soul Britannia, which chronicles the history of British soul music. She later appeared in the follow-up Raggae Britannia as an interviewee, and as a member of the Selecter.She was awared an OBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to entertainment. She was appointed as a Deputy Lientenant of the West Midlands in May 2022.
