Ned's Atomic Dustbin singer Jonn Penney has been appointed as an arts ambassador in Dudley, aiming to boost music and culture across the borough. The new mayor, Pete Lowe, also nominated Eddie Morton and Trina Keane from Katie Fitzgerald's in Stourbridge for the role.
A Long-Standing Friendship
Penney revealed his musical roots go back to the 1980s and are connected to Councillor Lowe. 'I have known him since 1981, we first met when we started at secondary school. Pete was always very outgoing and I was quite quiet, we got on really well and were both into performance,' Penney said.
Early Musical Collaborations
Penney's first band included Lowe, who played guitar. The band also featured a friend known as Egg on Bontempi organ and Penney's best mate John Baker on bass. They wrote a song called 'Screaming Green', which Penney described as 'atrocious'. The duo also performed comedy, coming fourth out of four in a talent competition at Great Malvern, losing to an Elvis impersonator.
Black Country Creativity
Despite a less than auspicious start, Penney believes the region's musical heritage is rooted in the Black Country mindset. 'In the Black Country, we do stuff, we don't talk about it, we don't brag about it, we crack on and actually do it. I think that Black Country attitude has stood us in good stead through the centuries,' he said. He noted that Stourbridge's nationally recognised art college fostered many creative people.
Looking to the Future
Penney is inspired by current local talents like the band Gans from Stourbridge, who are making it big on the world stage. 'You see the logos popping up around Stourbridge, the reaction and the way people got behind them has been wonderful,' he said.
Plans for the Role
Penney has plenty of ideas to promote Black Country arts. He would love to see a big picture of Sir Lenny Henry in Dudley and a blue plaque on the side of JB's. 'Where you get austerity the first thing to suffer is the arts, we want to make sure they get our full backing. We want to do some events to support grassroots venues, get some arts trails going, and help support local theatre companies,' he said. 'We can point out what can be done; if you don't give it a go – you don't know.'
