Ian Dury (1942 – 2000) was an influential UK musician and songwriter. A victim of polio in his childhood, he studied at the Royal College of Art before joining other musicians on the pub-rock circuit, employing in his music elements of jazz, reggae, and classic British Music Hall. He is best known as the leader of Ian Dury and the Blockheads, who gained renown in the late 1970s, early 1980s. “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick,” on Stiff Records, reached #1 in the UK. Dury prior fronted the important pub rock group Kilburn & The High Roads. He continued to perform until his death in 2000.

This collection of manuscript drafts of some of Ian Dury’s most important lyrics and poems was originally included in correspondence between Dury and a friend in New York City during the years of 1974 to 1976.

“The Ian Dury Manuscript Collection” is now at the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford.