▁ ▁Early ▁years ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁issue ▁of ▁Black ▁E cho es ▁[ as ▁it ▁was ▁then ▁named ] ▁was ▁published ▁on ▁ 3 0 ▁January ▁ 1 9 7 6 .   It ▁was ▁then ▁a ▁week ly ▁ 2 4 - page ▁tab lo id ▁newspaper ▁covering ▁several ▁gen res ▁of ▁black ▁music ▁– ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁mostly ▁soul , ▁fun k , ▁reg ga e , ▁northern ▁soul ▁and ▁some ▁bl ues . ▁It ▁took ▁in ▁the ▁rise ▁of ▁hip - h op ▁and ▁R & B ▁during ▁the ▁eight ies , ▁and ▁added ▁jazz ▁to ▁its ▁re per toire . ▁ ▁Publish ers ▁were ▁John ▁Thompson , ▁former ▁b oss ▁of ▁IP C ▁[ where ▁he ▁was ▁publish er ▁of ▁Mel ody ▁M aker , ▁S ounds . ▁Disc ▁and ▁Music ▁E cho   ▁- ▁later ▁to ▁become ▁Record ▁Mir ror / Dis c ▁and ▁then ▁Record ▁Mir ror ] ▁and ▁Alan ▁Wal sh , ▁co - found er ▁of ▁S ounds ▁and ▁former ▁jazz ▁journalist ▁with ▁Mel ody ▁M aker . ▁ ▁Black ▁E cho es ▁was ▁the ▁only ▁week ly ▁read ▁for ▁black ▁music ▁fans ▁across ▁the ▁gen res . ▁ ▁The ▁paper ' s ▁first ▁editor ▁was ▁Peter ▁Har vey , ▁with ▁Alan ▁Wal sh ▁as ▁Editor - in - Ch ief . ▁▁ 2 1 st ▁Century ▁▁ ▁With ▁colour ▁playing ▁an ▁ever ▁more ▁important ▁part ▁in ▁the ▁printing ▁process ▁of ▁newsp apers ▁and ▁mag az ines , ▁E cho es ▁[ as ▁it ▁was