Stuart Cosgrove wins Penderyn Music Book prize

Scottish journalist Stuart Cosgrove has won the 2018 Penderyn Music Book Prize for the second book in his "epic trilogy" about soul music and social change in three American cities during three crucial years.

Memphis 68: The Tragedy of Southern Soul was announced as the winner at the Laugharne Weekend Festival on Sunday 8th April 2018 and Cosgrove was presented with a cheque for £1,000 and a bottle of Penderyn Single Cask Whisky.

Memphis 68 is the second in Cosgrove's "epic trilogy" about soul music and social change in three American cities in three crucial years. Detroit 67, published in 2015, was the first installment of the trilogy and the final instalment, Harlem 69, the third, will be published in October 2018.

Cosgrove said: "Winning this award, amongst such formidable competition, is a privilege. It reflects the widespread public interest in popular social history and soul music. It also highlights the range of books being published independently in Scotland. I am delighted to accept the award. I have a passionate belief in the creativity of small nations and see Penderyn as a very inspiring example of that."

Cosgrove was a fanzine writer on the northern soul scene before joining music paper Echoes as a staff writer. He then became media editor with the NME and a feature writer for a range of newspapers and magazines. He has won prizes as a radio and TV broadcaster, including a BAFTA for coverage of the 2012 Paralympic Games. He has been nominated twice for the Penderyn Music Prize: for Young Soul Rebels and Detroit 67 (both published by Polygon). He lives in Glasgow.

The Penderyn Music Book Prize is in its fourth year and is organised by Richard Thomas, founder of the Laugharne Weekend festival.

The prize is sponsored by Welsh whisky company Penderyn, which has its distillery in the village of Penderyn nestled in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons.