Darcus Beese (OBE) was the president of Island Records in the UK and the first black CEO of a UK record company. He is also largely regarded as the best A&R man of his generation, signing and nurturing the likes of Amy Winehouse, Florence and the Machine, and Mumford and Sons. recently launched his own label in a joint venture with Warner Music UK. His family background is no less enthralling: his father was activist and broadcaster Darcus Howe and his mother was Barbara Beese, former UK Black Panther. Both featured in the 2021 Steve McQueen short film Mangrove as part of his Small Axe series.
His memoir Rebel With A Cause is the remarkable story of how a teenage Londoner (and apprentice hairdresser) worked his way up from being the tea boy to becoming the President of one of the UK's biggest and most successful record labels.
