An Imagined Blue Plaque for Steve Currie

We are starting The Archive of Unmarked History to remember local people whose lives, achievements and sacrifices deserve to be remembered, but who may never have a physical plaque or memorial of their own.

Real plaques are an important way of marking a place and remembering a person, but they are expensive, and funds cannot be found to put plaques everywhere they are deserved. There may also be other reasons why a physical plaque is not possible: a building may have disappeared, a location may have changed, permission may not be available, or there may simply be nowhere suitable for one.

But the absence of a physical plaque should not mean that the person and their story are forgotten. A virtual plaque is better than no plaque at all.

Through this growing archive, the Grimsby & Cleethorpes Museum will create a permanent digital record of people whose stories might otherwise be overlooked. Each virtual plaque will tell their story and connect them with the places and communities where they lived and worked.

The Archive of Unmarked History does not replace real plaques. Where a physical plaque is possible, that is wonderful. But where it isn't, we can still remember.

Steve Currie was born in Grimsby on 19 May 1947. His musical career began locally, and during the 1960s he was a member of The Rumble Band, a Grimsby group with which he played for several years. By 1970, his local musical experience was about to lead to an extraordinary change in his life.

In November 1970, Currie joined T. REX as bass guitarist. His first documented performance with the band took place at Guildford Civic Hall on 24 November 1970. He became part of T. Rex during the period in which the band rose to become one of Britain's biggest rock acts.

Currie remained with T. Rex until 1976, playing bass on many of the band's greatest recordings and albums during their most successful period. He also appeared with the band in Marc Bolan's film Born to Boogie.

Producer Tony Visconti called him "One Take Steve", a nickname that became associated with Currie's reputation as a precise and dependable musician.

After leaving T. Rex, Currie continued to work as a session musician, including with guitarist Chris Spedding. His career therefore extended beyond his years with T. Rex, although his contribution to the band's classic period remains his most widely remembered work.

Currie later lived in Portugal. On 28 April 1981, he died in a car accident while returning to his home near Vale de Parra in the Algarve. He was just 33 years old.

Steve Currie's story is remarkable because it connects the local music scene of Grimsby with one of the defining periods of British rock music. A musician who began by playing with a local Grimsby band went on to become the bass guitarist of T. Rex at the height of their fame, contributing to recordings that remain part of the story of British popular music.

There is already a memorial plaque to Steve Currie at Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine in London. This imagined plaque is intended to recognise a different part of his story: his connection with Grimsby, the town where he was born and where his musical journey began.

The plaque shown here is imaginary. It is not an official plaque and does not currently exist. It represents the kind of recognition that many people might wish to see for Steve Currie in his home town, but which may never become a physical reality for a variety of reasons.

For now, the virtual plaque allows us to mark his connection with Grimsby and ensure that Steve Currie's name and remarkable musical contribution are not forgotten.