Flip Fraser

Peter Randolph Fraser , known as Flip Fraser (1951-2014) was a Jamaican-British journalist and playwright. Fraser was founding editor of The Voice. He also wrote and directed the stage musical Black Heroes in the Hall of Fame, the first all-black cast production to play in the West End.

Life

Fraser was born on 25 October 1951 in Kingston, Jamaica. After attending Vaz Prep School, he won a scholarship to Jamaica College. At the age of 15 or 16, he moved to the UK when his father was posted to the Jamaican High Commission in London. Afer completing secondary schooling, he enrolled to study chemistry at Bradford University but dropped out after becoming allergic to the chemicals.

Working in the music industry with record label Trojan Records, he became interested in the media. After studying media and journalism at Tennessee State University, where he was a contemporary of Oprah Winfrey, he wrote for West Indian World, Sounds, Caribbean Times and West Indian Digest. In 1982 Val McCalla recruited him to be the first editor of The Voice.

Fraser later worked as a special projects, arts and entertainment officer for Camden Council. There he worked with J. D. Douglas, and the pair collaborated to write and stage Black Heroes in the Hall of Fame, with music by Khareem Jamal. The show opened at the Shaw Theatre in 1987, with original cast members including lover's rock singer Jean Adebambo, actor and musician Count Prince Miller, reggae musician Lloyd Brown and actor Fraser James. The musical later toured America, where Fraser and others were invited to the home of Louis Farrakhan.

Fraser died on 31 August 2014. A memorial service was held at St Martin's-in-the-Fields. In 2016 his widow Joyce established a charity, the Black Heroes Foundation, in his memory.