Witness History17 Okt 2024

Dyke and Dryden: Cosmetic kings

In 1969, a new sound began to dominate the airwaves in the UK, reggae.

This was terrible news for two Jamaican men, Len Dyke and Dudley Dryden who were making their money selling 'slices of home' records on market stalls in London.

They had been pushed out by big labels but being true businessmen, they established themselves in an area with little-to-no commercial competition - black women’s haircare.

Little did they know they were entering the market when black beauty was about to get a whole new look that would make them millions.

It was the dawn of the Jerry Curl. This was a new product that could chemically change the texture of afro hair making it straighter and shinier.

Rudi Page, Dyke and Dryden's former marketing manager tells Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty how the business became so successful that they started supplying products in Ghana and Nigeria as well as the whole of the UK.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Rudi Page. Credit: Rudi Page)

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