Born in 1937 in Coventry, Delia Ann Derbyshire is the electronic music pioneer behind the ‘Doctor Who’ theme, and is known and celebrated for her work with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
Highly academic, she always excelled in both maths and music and won a scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge, where she totally dedicated herself to sound.
Passed away in 2001, Delia was largely ignored in life and taken away from working in studios because she was a woman. She was one of the first women to get into electronic music’s world, giving the 60s and 70s scene a big contribution in terms of techniques and composition, creating a new wave of sounds and arrangements. That’s why her hometown university decided to award her with an honorary PhD.
Although not being able to gain widespread recognition during her career, the town of Coventry has been celebrating her with numerous events and actions. They are in fact planning a workshop series in her name to raise music and math interests in young folks. Residents also dedicated her a street, naming it after her legacy in 2016. Earlier this year, an event was thrown -on May 5th- as a celebration of her life and work on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of her birth.
Enjoy this big piece of history down here!
