Pauline Black | de

Pauline Black (born Belinda Magnus, 23 October 1953) in Romford is a British singer, actress and author most notable as the lead singer of The Selecter. Black was born to an Anglo-Jewish mother and Nigerian father. She was adopted by a white middle-aged couple and given the name Pauline Vickers. Her father, Gordon Adenle, had come to London from Nigeria to study engineering and was a Yoruba prince. Black was unaware of her Jewish heritage until the age of 42 when she traced her birth mother.

Black was a founder member of the formation The Selecter who were formed in 1979 and described as leaders of the ska revival movement with The Specials and Madness.
Rolling Stone Magazine 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. 2011 saw another revival of The Selecter with Black and Gaps Hendrickson from the original band.

After The 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, Hearts and Minds and 2000 Acres of Sky. She won the 1991 Time Out award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in the play All or Nothing At All. She also starred next to Christopher Lee in the horror film Funny Man.

In 2007, Black narrated the BBC Four documentary Soul Britannia, which chronicles the history of British soul music. She later appeared in the follow-up Reggae Britannia as an interviewee, and as a member of The Selecter.

In 2011 Black released her autobiography, Black by Design. .