Peter Grant (producer)

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Peter Grant (around 1970)

Peter Grant (born April 5, 1935 in London , † November 21, 1995 ) was a manager in the rock business. He worked for The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin , among others .

Life

Grant was born in south London. He attended elementary school until he was 13 and worked as a factory worker in Croydon , and later a stage worker at the theater there . Briefly worked as head of entertainment at a hotel in Jersey , he then became a bouncer at London's famous 2i's Coffee Bar , where many later celebrities of the British music industry such as B. Cliff Richard , Adam Faith and Tommy Steele made their debut. Grant was hired by professional wrestler Paul Lincoln for a wrestling television show. This later resulted in engagements as a stuntman and double.

Between 1958 and 1963 Grant appeared in a number of films and television shows. He invested the money from these performances in his own company.

In 1963, Grant was hired by Don Arden as tour manager for artists such as Bo Diddley , The Everly Brothers , Little Richard , Brian Hyland , Chuck Berry , Eddie Cochran , Gene Vincent and The Animals .

From 1964 he managed his own events or groups such as The Nashville Teens , The Flintstones, The She Trinity , The New Vaudeville Band and the early years of Jeff Beck and Terry Reid . With his friend Mickie Most he founded the record label RAK Records , which became very successful in the 1970s .

In 1966 he was offered the management of the Yardbirds and later that of Led Zeppelin. He also managed Bad Company and Maggie Bell . With Peter Grant, Led Zeppelin became one of the most successful rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Peter Grant was known to be very committed to the interests of his artists. B. always to prevent unauthorized recordings of concerts ("bootlegs") and unauthorized T-shirt sales. In addition, Grant rarely allowed Led Zeppelin to appear on television because of the inadequate sound quality for him. Peter Grant can be seen in a few scenes in the Led Zeppelin music film " The Song Remains the Same ".

After Led Zeppelin's death in 1980 following the death of their drummer John Bonham , Grant retired from the music business.

On July 26, 1995, Peter Grant was present in the audience of the sold-out London Wembley Arena to see his Led Zeppelin musicians live one last time at the end of the long-awaited and extremely successful reunion tour of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. Partly newly arranged, Page and Plant played their old hits that evening together with their band, an Egyptian ensemble and the London Symphony Orchestra. B. Thank You, No Quarter, The Battle of Evermore, Gallows Pole, Since I've Been Loving You, The Song Remains the Same, Going to California, Friends, Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog and Kashmir.

On November 21, 1995, Grant died of a heart attack on the way home. He was buried on December 4, 1995 in St. Peter and Paul Cemetery in Hellingly .

Filmography

literature

  • Chris Welsh: Peter Grant: The Man Who Led Zeppelin. Omnibus Press, London 2002, ISBN 0-7119-9195-2 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Grant, Peter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British rock and roll manager
DATE OF BIRTH April 5, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH November 21, 1995