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What happened in 1975:
- On 2nd February West Indian cricket legend Gary Sobers is knighted.
- Arthur Ashe becomes the first black man to win the Men's singles in Wimbledon at the age of 31. He also attained the ultimate ranking of No 1 in the world.
- The Ethiopian King Haile Selassie dies at the age of 83. The Rastafarian community are in shock as they believe he is the messiah. They do not believe he is dead and think it's a trick by the media to bring down their faith.
- The National Front rallies in London against Europe.
- Lenny Henry makes his television debut winning the New Faces talent competition by doing stand-up comedy impersonations.
- Home videotape systems (VCRs) are developed in Japan by Sony (Betamax) and Matsushita (VHS).
- Saturday Night Live premieres on US TV. The legendary long-running comedy show helped launch the careers of comedians Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, and Chris Rock.
- Black film director Horace Ové releases his groundbreaking film Pressure about a West Indian family leaving Trinidad and starting a new life in the UK. It highlights the struggles of their teenage son who tries to fit in but faces racism and its effects. It becomes recognised as the first British feature film to be made by a black director.
In the music:
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Soul Train premieres on television on 15th February in the United States. The show's first performance is by Gino Vannelli.
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In May Stevie Wonder performs before 125,000 people at the Washington Monument as part of Human Kindness Day festivities
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David Mancuso starts the first ever record pool (a means for record companies to distribute promos to DJs).
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Donna Summer hits big with the worldwide disco classic Love To Love You Baby after meeting producer Giorgio Moroder
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In the USA The Temptations land their staggering 14th No 1 hit with Shakey Ground, achieving more number ones than any other band in history.
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George Clinton's Parliament release the now legendary Mothership Connection. This is now seen as the album that put P-funk on the map.
Notable releases:
Albums:
- Gratitude - Earth, Wind And Fire
- That's The Way Of The World - Earth, Wind And Fire
- Feel Like Makin' Love - Roberta Flack
- Experience Gloria Gaynor - Gloria Gaynor (debut)
- Never Can Say Goodbye - Gloria Gaynor
- Chocolate City - Parliament
- Mothership Connection - Parliament
- Quiet Storm - Smokey Robinson
- Places And Spaces - Donald Byrd
Singles:
- Machine Gun - The Commodores
- Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas
- Summer Breeze - The Isley Brothers
- Queen Of Clubs - KC And The Sunshine Band
- Jungle Boogie - Kool And The Gang
- Dirty Old Man - The Three Degrees
- Stir It Up - Bob Marley
Grammy awards:
- That's The Way (I Like It) - KC and the Sunshine Band
- Get Down Tonight - KC and the Sunshine Band
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