Photo by Barry Chang, courtesy of Getty Images
A mentor to The Beatles and icon of Liverpool’s Caribbean community is to be honoured with a mural in the city.
Painted by John Culshaw – famous for his range of murals across Liverpool – the mural of Lord Woodbine will be the latest in a series of works commissioned by local charity Mandela8 to showcase and celebrate community role models and local heroes.
Mandela8 are aiming to “change the face of the community we live in by portraying positive models and their achievements” and have previously commissioned murals in Liverpool of LFC’s first Black player, Howard Gayle; photographer and urban griot Leroy Cooper; swimming hero James Clarke, and Nelson Mandela himself.
Harold Adolphus Phillips, known as Lord Woodbine, was a Trinidadian calypsonian, steelpan player and music promoter, who became an influential figure in Liverpool’s Caribbean music scene and an early mentor to the Beatles.
A member of the Windrush generation, he arrived in England in 1948 after serving in the RAF. Leading bands such as Lord Woodbine and his Trinidadians and the All-Caribbean Steel Band, he introduced calypso and steelpan to British audiences. Partnering with club owner Allan Williams, he promoted the pre-fame Beatles and drove them to Hamburg in 1960, performing alongside them.
Often called the “forgotten sixth Beatle” such was his influence on the band’s early work, he preferred modest living over any exploitation of The Fab Four’s fame. He tragically died in a house fire with his wife Helen at their home in Toxteth.
Liverpool artist John Culshaw has begun work on the mural
Carol Phillips, Lord Woodbine’s daughter, said: “The mural is for the whole family of Liverpool 8, not just our family, and we hope it will be a catalyst for the celebration and visibility of the Liverpool 8 music scene and the contributions musicians like my Dad made. Many of them played a prominent role in the growth of Liverpool’s music scene and on the international stage, yet some of their stories and contributions have remained unsung. It is important that we now recognise, celebrate and make visible the part they played in Liverpool’s musical history.”
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “Liverpool’s musical history is full of people whose stories deserve to be told, and Lord Woodbine is one of them. His contribution to our city’s music scene, and to the story of The Beatles, has been hugely important, yet for far too long his name hasn’t had the recognition it deserves. This fantastic mural will help put that right. It’s a fitting tribute and a reminder that our musical heritage was shaped by people from all backgrounds and communities. I’m proud that we can help bring Lord Woodbine’s story back into the spotlight and make sure it’s there for future generations to see and learn from.”
Sonia Bassey MBE, Chair of Mandela8, said: “This mural has been 18 months in development, so to finally see Lord Woodbine take his rightful place in the landscape of our city is incredibly significant. Woodbine, and many others from Liverpool 8, played a significant role in shaping the music scene in Liverpool and beyond, yet their contribution remains largely invisible in the story the city tells about its musical heritage. Our role is to help change that, to ensure our community heroes are seen, their stories are told and their contribution is recognised for generations to come.”
“We are enormously grateful to Lord Woodbine’s family for trusting and supporting us in bringing this mural to life. We also want to thank our partners, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Mayor’s Fund, Liverpool Business Improvement District, Northern Roots, Riverside Group and Liverpool’s Accommodation BID. Their support and commitment have helped turn an idea we have nurtured for the past 18 months into a lasting and visible celebration of an important part of Liverpool 8’s cultural and musical history.”
Sarah Wall, Head of Communities & Livelihoods at Riverside said: “We are thrilled to see this mural unveiled and delighted to be supporting Mandela8 once again as they bring another important project to life. “It is fantastic to see the life and legacy of Lord Woodbine recognised in this way. We hope the mural will inspire a new generation of Toxteth residents and Liverpudlians to take pride in their community and celebrate Liverpool’s rich cultural heritage.”
Stephen Nze, Ambassador at Mandela8, said: “It has been an honour and a pleasure to work once again with John Culshaw on Mandela 8’s fifth mural in the series, celebrating community members and the achievements of Black people across our great city. This mural is particularly special to me because of the man at its centre. As a child, I knew him simply as ‘Woody’ or ‘Mr Woodbine’. It was only as I grew older that I began to discover the remarkable accomplishments, talents and contribution of this great man.
For me, there has always been a deep sense that too much of his story — and the wider contribution of Black people to Liverpool — was overlooked, forgotten or written out of our history. As a community, we have felt that this was a great injustice. We at Mandela 8, are helping to put that right. This mural is about more than celebrating one remarkable individual; it is about reclaiming a piece of our shared history and making sure that future generations know the story of this great man, who arrived on the shores of our Liverpool city and made Liverpool 8 his home. It is a privilege to play a part in setting the record straight and ensuring that his legacy, and the legacy of so many others, is seen, remembered and celebrated.”
Photo courtesy of the Phillips family
Mural Artist, John Culshaw said: “I’m so happy to be part of this project. Doing my research for this project, I got to learn about Harold and the pivotal role he played in the Liverpool music scene. Not just in the early days of the young Beatles, but introducing calypso and an exotic flavour to the scene, that future musicians could learn from and influence their own music. I think this among many others musical influences are what has made Liverpool a hotbed for unique talents.”
There will be an official unveiling of the mural with guest speakers on Monday 19th October 2026 at 2pm. The mural’s location will be on Hillaby Close, L8 8LY (off Upper Warwick Street). For more information on Mandela8’s community murals, click here.