THIS OCTOBER, LIVERPOOL WILL CELEBRATE THE EXPLOITS OF HARRY STEDMAN AND HIS PEERS WITH AN EXHIBITION AT THE SHIPPING FORECAST.

These men – known as the Cunard Yanks – sparked a cultural diffusion in the 1950s and 60s that helped spawn a look, a sound and an attitude in Liverpool and beyond

As young merchant seamen, Harry and his fellow Cunard Yanks traveled on transatlantic adventures aboard cruise liners and cargo ships. When they returned to their home ports, Liverpool in Harry’s case, they brought back the slang, sounds, and looks that influenced the burgeoning music scenes, kick starting the youth explosion that created the culture that influences the way we live today.

Hosted by Harry’s eponymous clothing brand, ran by his son and grandson, and presented by Next Stop New York, the exhibition will include a limited edition screenprint by illustrator Ben Newman, photographs from Harry Stedman’s personal collection, and images from photographer, filmmaker and original Cunard Yank, Billy Harrison.

Billy first travelled the seas as a merchant seaman, before working as a chef on the famous trans-Atlantic cruise-liners between 1952 and 1976. Billy’s pictures convey working life on the Cunard line, periods of leave in 1950s Liverpool, the evolution of the ‘Cunard Yank’ style and of course images of the iconic city and it’s people that inspired his generation, New York.

The exhibition launches with a special invite-only evening on 13th October and runs until 28th October at The Shipping Forecast, Liverpool.

Billy & Gretsch by Billy Harrison

Tommy Cherry & Shipmates by Billy Harrison

Harry as Cunard Yank

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