The Static TimesExtra

Labi Siffre

British musician (born 1945)

Claudius Afolabi "Labi" Siffre is a British singer, songwriter and poet. Siffre released nine albums between 1970 and 1998.

His compositions include "It Must Be Love", "Crying Laughing Loving Lying", and "(Something Inside) So Strong" – an anti-apartheid song inspired by a television documentary – which hit Number 4 on the UK chart. The latter song won Siffre the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.

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Labi Siffre

what: one person
from: Hammersmith
born: 1945
on the air here: 0 songs
still after: 6 songs

File card: Labi Siffre

real name: Claudius Afolabi Siffre

labels: Pye Records, Bell Records, EMI

genres: pop music

plays: voice

Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.

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The Elsewhere GazetteExtra

Early life and education

Claudius Afolabi Siffre was born in Hammersmith, London in 1945 as the fourth of five brothers to a Yoruba Nigerian father and a mother of Bajan descent . Siffre's father, whom he described as "a giant of a character", came to the UK in the late-1920s to work in law, but instead pursued a career in real estate. Siffre's maternal grandfather was from Barbados, while his maternal grandmother was "a Northern lass".

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The Broken RecordExtra

Career

Siffre played jazz guitar at Annie Ross's jazz club in Soho, London, in the 1960s as part of a Hammond organ, guitar, drums house band.

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Radio Free Elsewhere BulletinExtra

Legacy

"(Something Inside) So Strong" is often considered one of the most defining cultural and political anthems of all-time. It has been used in many contexts, including the anti-apartheid movement, vigils and memorials for politically-charged attacks and hate crimes, and as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2001, Siffre performed the song at the South Africa Freedom Day Concert in Trafalgar Square with the SA/UK Youth Choir.

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British vocalist, musician, and artist. Born on 25 June 1945 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK. Brought up in London, Siffre is the son of an English mother and a Nigerian father. After jobs such as mini-cab driver and delivery man he started to concentrate on music full-time, leaving for Cannes, France to play guitar with a variety of soul musicians and bands. He returned to the UK in the late 1960s and enjoyed solo hits in 1971 with It Must Be Love (later covered by Madness) and Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying. Although Watch Me (1972) was his last hit of the 1970s, he made a spectacular comeback with (Something Inside) So Strong (1987). In recent years Siffre's work has been reassessed by a new generation after the break from his song I Got The from the 171737 album (1975) was sampled by Eminem in his breakthrough hit 12114 (1999). Siffre nowadays spends much of his time writing poetry which deals with gay rights and other world issues. Also known as: Afolabi Siffre, Claudius Afolabi Siffre, J. Siffre, L Siffre, L. Safire From Discogs (free to use). Their entry