The life of an “incredible” singer who rose to fame with Primal Scream and New Order has been honoured with a blue plaque outside her home in south Manchester.
The late Denise Johnson, who also recorded and performed with artists such as the Pet Shop Boys, Paul Weller and Ian Brown, was born and raised in Hulme before moving to Whalley Range in the south of the city in the early 1980s.
The 56-year-old was described as a “pioneer of the Manchester music scene” after her death in 2020.
Karen Gabay, who campaigned for the plaque, said it was “so moving to see so many people” come to witness the installation of the plaque in memory of an “incredible” woman.
“The way Manchester music is sold to the world is very much in the spirit of Oasis, The Smiths and New Order,” said Ms Gabay.
“But there is so much more to it.
“We should know her name and we should know other people’s names. And we just need to set the narrative right around Manchester’s music history.”
The plaque is the result of a campaign by Ms Gabay, a social historian and broadcaster, and the Nubian Jak Community Trust, which aimed to put the contributions of the city’s black musicians “in the much-needed spotlight”.
Numerous people from across Manchester’s arts and music scene came to the unveiling of the plaque in front of Johnson’s parents’ house on Strathmore Avenue.
The singer and songwriter is best known for her collaboration with Primal Scream, where she recorded background vocals for their groundbreaking 1991 album “Screamadelica”.
“Respected and loved”
Before her sudden death in 2020, she was about to release her debut album, “Where Does it Go,” which is described as a tribute to Manchester.
Singer Rowetta, known for her work with Happy Mondays, attended the ceremony and said it was “really nice” to see her friend remembered.
She sang with Johnson after moving to the area in 1987 and remembers the pair having a “funny sense of humor” and “sang really well together.”
“I wish she had known during her lifetime how much she was respected and loved.
“Everyone should have signed her.”
A spokesman for the Nubian Jak Community Trust said there were “surprisingly few blue plaques” in the city commemorating the achievements of “black and global musicians”.
In addition, plaques will be unveiled to honour the legacies of Manchester singer-songwriter Diane Charlemagne and African-American singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who performed in the city in 1964.
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