Rock History

Unique stories from the British Music scene

Tag: RockHistory interview

  • Tony Bell on bass guitar

    Tony Bell on bass guitar

    Tony Bell recounted stories of the 2Is Coffee Bar where all the connections were made in the late Fifties with the likes of  Screaming Lord Sutch, Tommy & Tony Hicks and Johnny Kidd – and while manager Tom Littlewood used to put people together into groups he was very ‘careful’ with the money and you…

  • The Marmalade drummer was Alan Whitehead

    The Marmalade drummer was Alan Whitehead

    So it was The Marmalade back in the day and not Marmalade – the things you will learn from the esteemed drummer Alan in this interview. As an East End Londoner he joined this bunch of Glaswegians after first playing on the only hit for Crispin St Peter and enjoyed The Marmalade glory years with…

  • Willie Morgan describes what it was like to take records to Radio One

    Willie Morgan describes what it was like to take records to Radio One

    In the Seventies the biggest promotion any record could get was being played on Radio One, so the record companies employed callow young youths to go bang on the doors of the BBC producers to try and get them to play their priority records.

  • From Branson to Vicious

    From Branson to Vicious

    Last week we had the pleasure of a trip to the coast and a long chat with Sue Steward recounting her years with various madmen (and women). For many years she worked with Richard Branson in the early years of Virgin Records as it grew from a student newspaper into a indie record label. Then…

  • The Davy Graham documentary moves forward

    The Davy Graham documentary moves forward

    . We have been doing more filming recently and while outside Davy’s old flat in Camden, all sort of people saw us and stopped for a chat, telling us stories and memories of the man. This is Brian who lives next door with one of the photos he took of Davy all of which he…

  • Kingston-on-Thames shows off their musical history

    Kingston-on-Thames shows off their musical history

    For those of you interested in the musical history of the Kingston-on-Thames area, there is a new exhibition just opened at the local Rose Theatre. Supported by the Lottery Fund it collects together local history testimony covering the role of the American GIs based in nearby Bushey Park during WWII and their taste in ‘race’…

  • Nigel Grainge RIP

    Nigel Grainge RIP

    A hugely respected record company A&R man who signed Thin Lizzy and the Steve Miller Band to Phonogram and then went on the found Ensign Records with the likes of Sinead O’Connor and the Boomtown Rats. He was filmed about three years ago at his home in Santa Monica and the conversation and memories ranged…

  • Caldwell Smythe launches Colonel Barefoot’s Rock Garden

    The old hotel had fallen by the wayside but when Colonel Barefoot’s Rock Garden sprang back to life on the Eel Pie island, it was to showcase so many brilliant rock groups

  • Willie Morgan goes from shop to jockey with a few diversions enroute

    Willie Morgan goes from shop to jockey with a few diversions enroute

    This week we have managed to film the current country music disc jockey Willie Morgan and hear tales of summer holiday jobs in record shops whilst under age in the Sixties. Hi-jinks with the artists at a variety of record companies in the Seventies and the role of an ever changing radio service for us all…

  • Vince Connolly working with the stars and musicians

    Vince Connolly working with the stars and musicians

    Vince Connolly was last week’s guest in front of the camera, spilling the beans on life as a Liverpool son who grew up there in the Beatle years. He eventually made his way down south to become a promotion man on radio and TV for the major record companies in London where of course he…

  • Vic Flick starts his extraordinary recording career

    Vic Flick starts his extraordinary recording career

    One from the archive that is proving eternally popular, session guitarist Vic Flick explains how he started off in the world of endless sessions

  • Mastering for beginners

    Mastering for beginners

      It is not just as simple as recording a batch of genius songs in various places around the world and expecting the public to appreciate your creative wonderfulness. One of the things you have to do is make them sound cohesive, make them sound like an ‘album’ that flows from song to song with…