Cleo Laine, SCIF, and a Forgotten Anti-Racist Moment in British Music
Cleo Laine died this week, aged 98.
I’ll admit it — I was never much of a Cleo Laine fan. Her smooth, polished brand of jazz was always a bit too tame for me. But Laine was more than a jazz singer; she was part of a forgotten moment in British pop history — one that feels strangely relevant today.
In 1958, Notting Hill erupted in violent race riots. The White Defence League, led by future National Front founder Colin Jordan, whipped up hate in the area. Their followers — mainly teddy boys — attacked the local Black community, resulting in dozens of assaults and at least one murder.
In response, Laine and her husband, bandleader John Dankworth, co-founded the Stars Campaign for Interracial Friendship (SCIF) — the first anti-racist movement set up by British musicians.
Musicians Against Racism
SCIF quickly gathered an impressive list of supporters. Alongside Laine and Dankworth were jazz stars like Winifred Atwell, Ken Colyer, and George Melly, skiffle legend Lonnie Donegan, and teen idol Tommy Steele. Laurence Olivier even agreed to serve as chairman.
The campaign’s reach went international. They persuaded Frank Sinatra to write two anti-racist columns for Melody Maker: Jazz Has No Colour Bar and You Can’t Hate and Be Happy.
When Oswald Mosley — yes, that Oswald Mosley — stood as a candidate in Notting Hill during the 1959 general election, SCIF campaigned hard against him. Mosley was humiliated, limping in with just 8% of the vote.
A Legacy Buried by Time
SCIF has largely faded from memory, but one of its members, Alexis Korner, would go on to shape the sound of the 1960s as a pioneer of British blues and rock. Their message of tolerance — and respect for Black music — resonated with the emerging mod scene, inspiring countless white teenagers to discover and play the soul, R&B, and ska records that fuelled the next decade of British music.
Yet, most obituaries of Cleo Laine have overlooked this remarkable legacy. She wasn’t just one of Britain’s first mixed-race music stars. She was also one of its earliest anti-racism campaigners — at a time when taking that stance came with real risks.
Apparently, opposing race riots isn’t considered fashionable anymore.
This is from her husband, Johnny Dankworth's suite based on Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood