Today on this Gwen Guthrie ‘ Outside In The Rain’ Way back Wednesday I greet you with this amazing front cover image of a soul surviving icon who had dazzling dancing skills both on the dance floor and on the football pitch. This dapper don looking very nostalgic is none other than the late and ground breaking footballing superstar Laurie Cunningham. He is to many of us from the African Diaspora, a template example of how we can rise from the shackles of slavery, racism and the subliminal and blatant adversity that comes with it. The book Foreword is from the perfect example of how Laurie influenced the next generation of black footballers Ian Wright. Now what is my Kleeer ‘ Intimate Connection’ with this book? ‘ Hold Tight’ like Change as I’m about to share this conundrum.

I was contacted randomly by the author and journalist and sports editor of The Times newspaper..Dermot Kavanagh, who was advised by my fellow west London compadre and jazz dancer Seymour Nurse, to contact me about 5 years ago in 2012. We spoke on his idea to document Laurie Cunningham a local from north London ( Archway I believe) as a youth, and his cultural surroundings and upbringing. Laurie not only was a gifted footballer, he was also known for his dancing and fashion attire in the early to late 1970’s. He frequented many of the local and west end soul clubs including Crackers Wardour Street .W.1. So I advise Dermot he should speak with Dez Parkes, Paul Anderson, George Power and another mate Kayanja. Unfortunately Paul Anderson was unable to contribute but Dez Parkes, George Power and Leon Herbert did, and their contributions are in this fascinating book.

Over the years Dermot kept in touch and did an event to promote his venture locally in Archway where he Dermot himself comes from. ‘ Movin’ On’ like The Joneses last Wednesday Dermot rang me to say he has published a book and wanted to send me one. It arrived on Friday and I flicked through it as I was getting ready to head for Margate. I saw how much space he gave to Dez Parkes in the book and thought wow! Then I looked at the back in the Acknowledgements and see my name in lights on page 222…double damn. I was truly humbled to be in the same space as Laurie Cunningham, Dez Parkes and Ian Wright Wright Wright. Dermot expressed that me giving him the links to speak with Dez and George really gave his venture a new direction once he was introduced to the underground soul surviving world that Laurie Cunningham was living in outside his footballing domain. I rang him and thanked him and again he expressed his EWF ‘Gratitude’. I’ve never actually met Dermot, but that will soon ‘Change’ like Donald Byrd!!

What is significant is the timing of the book arriving via Postman Pat on Friday 4th August 2017. Not only does it coincide with us documenting 30 years of the ‘Rare’ album on RCA featuring Dez Parkes, it was the eve of Jamaican Independence Day 6th August and the interesting Kypton Factor is this.. Laurie Cunningham, Ian Wright, Dez Parkes and myself are all of hardcore Jamaican souljah survivors roots culturally. To add to that my son Jamal Kin-Foo was born 6th August and shares the first four letters of his name with our cultural motherland Jamaica. This is all providential and not coincidental..a phrase taught to me by Melba Moore when we spoke in 2008. I stand by that phrase all day long. Please get a copy of the book Different Class about the late legendary Laurie Cunningham, as in more ways than one he was a soul survivor!!