Billy Bunion, Pittsburgh 1928.

They/them

A prolific ‘needler’ in music halls across the North of Britain, Bunion’s trademark double-gramophone technique of mixing the end of one tune into the start of the next provided a continuous dance-track for Charleston-crazy crowds.

Bunion emigrated from native Scotland to capitalise on the new sounds emerging from the USA. Leaning heavily on illicit pills and plain drinking water to fuel performances, Bunion won prohibition-era audiences with all-nighters across the industrial cities of northeastern USA. The young racially-mixed blue collar attendees flocked easily to events beginning at midnight, and were reported to leave at daybreak in a state of trance and love for one another.