Meet Del Singh
(Scroll down for his audio story)
Content warning - Del talks about issues including lived experience of racism, use of some language of the time, and authentic opinions.
"That spark was lit at the AQ Club…watching those people dancing, having a great time — me wanting to be a DJ."
In this lively and deeply personal account, Del Singh reflects on growing up in Peterborough in the shadow of RAF Alconbury and nearby American airbases. A British-born Sikh with an entrepreneurial family business, he found himself regularly trading on base in the 1970s – stepping into what felt like “a little piece of America dropped into East Anglia.”
It was at the Aquarius Club, surrounded by African American servicemen, disco, soul and early urban sounds, that a spark was lit. Watching a charismatic DJ known as “Huggy Bear” command the room, Del discovered not just a love of Black American music and culture, but a blueprint for confidence, performance and connection. That early influence would shape his journey – from teenage mobile discos to running a pioneering multi-genre music venue, and ultimately to telling the story of how American presence in East Anglia quietly changed lives, including his own.
Del's story
Click here for the transcript.
