Duffy
Duffy was born and spent her childhood years in the north Wales coastal community of Nefyn, a place too remote to be driven by style wars or opposing music factions (the nearest record counter was a bus ride away and only stocked the Top 40). The upbringing she describes is one in which everyone had to rub along together, making do and mending, accepting each other and their tastes without prejudice. Having no CD collection of her own, her first real musical memory is of walking into the kitchen unannounced to find her mother and stepfather dancing to Rod Stewart. The first steps she took towards defining her own personal identity came when she borrowed one of her dad's VHS tapes of the '60s TV show 'Ready, Steady, Go!'. "It had The Beatles, the Stones, the Walker Brothers, Sandie Shaw and Millie singing 'My Boy Lollipop'. So sexy and exciting! I played it again and again until finally it disintegrated."
Duffy was introduced to producer Bernard Butler by Rough Trade's Jeannette Lee who, in August 2004, after hearing demos recorded in this or that mate's home, became the singer's mentor and manager. Bernard produced the 24-year-old's debut single and title track"Rockferry" which set the tone for the album and went on to produce a further 3 album tracks, the other tracks being produced by Jimmy Hogarth and Steve Booker.
Rockferry was the best selling album in the United Kingdom in 2008 with 1.68 million copies sold and triumphed at the recent BRIT Awards 2009 for British Album, British Female Solo Artist, and British Breakthrough Act.
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Courtesy of Rock's Backpages
Blue and white jacket and lyrics to 'Rockferry'
This blue and white 1960s-style jacket was worn by Welsh singer-songwriter Aimee Duffy in the music video to debut single ‘Rockferry’. Duffy’s soulful, autobiographical songs such as ‘Mercy’ and ‘Warwick Avenue’ refer back to the female soul music of the 60s and her debut album was produced by former Suede guitarist and record producer Bernard Butler.
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Black Sabbath
This elaborate stage cape of yellow and purple satin was worn by lead singer and ‘Prince of Darkness’ Ozzy Osbourne at the California Jam Festival in 1974. As one of the most influential heavy metal bands, Black Sabbath helped to define the genre with their million-selling album Paranoid in 1970. They later released critically-acclaimed album Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath in 1973, which provided the name for their 1974 world tour and the inspiration for the embellishment on this cape.
