Rock History

Unique stories from the British Music scene

Author: Rock History UK

  • Karl Dallas RIP

    Karl Dallas RIP

    I am sorry to report that Karl has died. A Melody Maker journalist with a strong interest in Folk music, his personal tastes actually veered all over the place. My wife worked for his for a period and we very much enjoyed his company and his views. I had seen him again recently as he…

  • from Sounds journalist to managing those groups

    from Sounds journalist to managing those groups

    Had a most enjoyable catch up today with one-time Sounds journalist John Ingham who championed the Sex Pistols right from the start and so is a prime candidate for our forthcoming book and documentary. Well it has been more than a few years since we met and the memories were being royally fired up on…

  • The EMI Records house snapper

    The EMI Records house snapper

    Peter Vernon got to take an endless role in the Seventies and Eighties photographing the artists as they came through EMI’s doors. He would have them constantly added to his diary and his role was to take press and promotion shots as well as some for record covers, record backs, inners or just to have.…

  • Jeff Jarratt was a new boy at Abbey Road

    Jeff Jarratt was a new boy at Abbey Road

    After starting work as a junior at Abbey Road, Jeff was asked to help with a new EMI signing called The Pink Floyd, so he went to see them at Regent Street Poly and absolutely loved them and especially their leading light Syd Barrett. Their first album was just his taste in the many years…

  • Gloria Bristow found that music publishing was quite fixed

    Gloria Bristow found that music publishing was quite fixed

    There was a era when music publishing was a cosy cartel and of course many of the deals that were made in the Sixties still apply today. Gloria became an exponent of fairer deals for the musicians.

  • Nick Simper changed from Flowerpot Man to a Deeper Purple

    Nick Simper changed from Flowerpot Man to a Deeper Purple

    Nick Simper changed his music after seeing Vanilla Fudge playing in a heavier style joining Jon Lord who was depping with the Flowerpot Men having left The Artwoods. Former Lord Sutch colleague Ritchie Blackmore joining them on guitar and the roots of Deep Purple were planted firmly in the ground

  • Richard Ames got one over that Noddy Holder

    Richard Ames got one over that Noddy Holder

    The games that were played by groups on the road to keep themselves amused through the boredom of touring in the Seventies – or then again just the fun of playing pranks on fellow musicians.

  • The Teenage Rage starts a new label

    The Teenage Rage starts a new label

    Falling out with Dick James when he started his own label, DJM, Larry struck out with a whole new world wide label called Penny Farthing Records with considerable success. They enjoyed many hits in many countries with the likes of Johnny Pearson Orchestra’s track, “Sleepy Shores”, let alone “Blue Is The Colour” by the Chelsea…

  • how Neil Rock went from Gonks to Beatles

    how Neil Rock went from Gonks to Beatles

    Hear the saga of how trying to manufacture those lovely Sixties soft toys called Gonks led them to acquiring the rights to merchandise those Beatles

  • Rock is the name

    Rock is the name

    Ibiza in a day was the brief as we headed off to film Neil Rock for the ongoing Davy Graham documentary. Neil was Davy’s busking mate in the early days and they went all over Europe so it is not surprising that Neil lives on this Spanish island. So lots more fascinating facts about the golden…

  • Terry Slater the eternal musician

    Terry Slater the eternal musician

    The stories from musician / publisher / manager of his life in the British and American music industry are the envy of many of those of us who are just a touch younger. Talk about right place, right time as a young market apprentice caught the the Rock ‘n’ Roll bug which swept him into…

  • from piano tuner to Abbey Road chief engineer

    from piano tuner to Abbey Road chief engineer

    Today’s treat was meeting up again with Haydn Bendall and that has been a while. He started at EMI’s Abbey Road studio in the early Seventies and rose through the ranks receiving as he says, a fantastic education working with all types of music, classical, pop, rock, middle of the road. The all round insight…