Sunderland
Sunderland has a long tradition of music dating back to the 700s.
The works of Venerable Bede have long been seen by music scholars as the first recorded form of the chant. Chanting began here, and started a rich legacy of music on Wearside.
In 1760 Sir William Herschel composed 6 symphonies here. Mark Sheridan made British music hall song I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside famous. Primary school staple Little Donkey was written by Mackem Eric Boswell. Elvis Presley and David Bowie’s records were made at RCA Records Pressing Plant in the 1970s.
The music talent emanating from Sunderland, a city of 277,000 people, is unprecedented. From George Bellamy of The Tornados to Alan Price, Bryan Ferry, Don Airey, The Toy Dolls, Red Alert, Trevor Horn, Dave Stewart, Leatherface, Ruth-Anne Boyle, Kenickie, Smoove, The Futureheads, Field Music, Emile Sande, Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand, Frankie & The Heartstrings, The Lake Poets and so many more.
The future is even brighter thanks to grassroots organisations including The Bunker, NAME and We Make Culture, nurturing a pipeline of amazing new talent.
We have diverse and unique venues: Pop Recs, The Peacock, The Fire Station, Sunderland Empire, The Stadium of Light, Sunderland Live Arena, The Museum Vaults and Sunderland Minster to name a few.
And 17 indoor and outdoor festivals including Summer Streets, Waves, Boundaries, Kubix and Marrafest.
Sunderland is, and has always been, one of the UK’s great Music Cities.
Why Music cities network?
Being part of the Music Cities Network is a historic moment for our city.
Sunderland Music City is incredibly excited to be working with partner members of the Music Cities Network to help shape local and global music policies through collaborative research, networking, knowledge exchange and mutual support and advice.
Music makes us feel good. It encourages us to learn new skills. It’s good for our mental health. It exposes us to different cultures. It helps us understand our history and heritage. From musicians to promoters, hospitality workers to teachers — everyone can make a living from it. Music drives tourism and encourages people to stay longer, thus spending more money in our cities and our businesses. We all need music in our lives.
We believe we have a shared vision with the Music Cities Network that we can develop and support music, in all its forms, bringing significant economic, employment, cultural and social benefits to our cities.
MICHELLE DAURAT
Chief Executive of the Sunderland MAC Trust,
Lead on Sunderland Music City
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Sunderland as a member city is represented by:
![Sunderland Music City black logo[84] (1).png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/182503_d7a5ed3183dd43a4b227dd1a4c2aef26~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_111,h_102,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Sunderland%20Music%20City%20black%20logo%5B84%5D%20(1).png)
