William Harry (born 17 September 1938) is the creator of ''
Mersey Beat'', a newspaper of the early 1960s which focused on the
Liverpool music scene
Liverpool has a lengthy tradition of music both classical and pop. It is well known for the Beatles (who recorded 17 UK and 20 US number-one singles). Its pop and rock music scene has also been important in the development of a number of ot ...
. Harry had previously started various magazines and newspapers, such as ''Biped'' and ''Premier'', while at Liverpool's Junior School of Art. He later attended the
Liverpool College of Art, where his fellow students included
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
and
Stuart Sutcliffe, who both later performed with
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
. He published a magazine, ''Jazz'', in 1958, and worked as an assistant editor on the
University of Liverpool
, mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning
, established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
's charity magazine, ''Pantosphinx''.
Harry met his wife-to-be, Virginia Sowry, at the Jacaranda club—managed by
Allan Williams, the first manager of the Beatles—and she later agreed to help him start a music newspaper. After borrowing £50, Harry released the first issue of ''Mersey Beat'' on 6 July 1961, with the first 5,000 copies selling out within a short time. The newspaper was published every two weeks, covering the music scenes in Liverpool,
Wirral,
Birkenhead
Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liv ...
,
New Brighton,
Crosby and
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.
Southport lies on the Iris ...
, as well as
Warrington
Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
,
Widnes
Widnes ( ) is an industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 census had a population of 61,464.
Historically in Lancashire, it is on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form th ...
and
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...
. He edited the paper in a small attic office above a wine merchant's shop at 81a Renshaw Street, Liverpool.
Harry arranged for the future Beatles' manager,
Brian Epstein
Brian Samuel Epstein (; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was a British music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967.
Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put him i ...
, to see them perform a lunchtime concert at
the Cavern Club on 9 November 1961. Epstein subsequently asked Harry to create a national music paper, the ''Music Echo''. After disagreements with Epstein about editorial control, he decided to become a
public relations
Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. ...
agent, and went on to work for artists such as
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...
,
Jethro Tull,
Procol Harum,
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
,
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...
and
the Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...
.
Early years
Harry was born in
Smithdown Road Hospital (now demolished), in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
, Lancashire, on 17 September 1938. He came from a poor Liverpudlian background and was brought up in a rough neighbourhood near Liverpool's dockyards. His father (John Jelicoe Harry), was killed during the
war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
on the SS Kyleglen British Steam Merchant ship, which was torpedoed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean by a German U-boat. None of the crew survived, and Harry's father died on 14 December 1940, aged 25.
Harry attended the Catholic St. Vincent's Institute, but had to get used to the priests dispensing corporal punishment on a regular basis. Because of his small stature, Harry was beaten by his classmates, being once kicked in the appendix and "left for dead". His mother had no option but to transfer him elsewhere.
Harry became interested in science fiction and read comics by candlelight (as the house had no electricity), eventually joining the Liverpool Science Fiction Society. At the age of 13, he produced his own
science fiction fanzine
A science-fiction fanzine is an amateur or semi-professional magazine published by members of science-fiction fandom, from the 1930s to the present day. They were one of the earliest forms of fanzine, within one of which the term "''fanzine''" wa ...
, ''Biped'',
using a
Gestetner
The Gestetner is a type of duplicating machine named after its inventor, David Gestetner (18541939). During the 20th century, the term ''Gestetner'' was used as a verb—as in ''Gestetnering''. The Gestetner company established its base in Londo ...
machine to print 60 copies. His pen friend at the time was
Michael Moorcock
Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has worke ...
;
the writer of science fiction and fantasy novels. After winning a scholarship to the Junior School of Art in Gambier Terrace, Liverpool, Harry started his first school newspaper, ''Premier''.
Liverpool College of Art
![Liverpoolartcollege2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Liverpoolartcollege2.jpg)
At the age of 16, Harry obtained a place at Liverpool's College of Art at 68 Hope Street. After studying
typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ( leading), an ...
and page layouts,
he borrowed the college's duplicating machine and published a newspaper called ''Jazz'' in 1958, which reported concerts at the Liverpool Jazz Society club, the Temple Jazz Club and the Cavern Club.
He also worked as assistant editor on University of Liverpool's charity magazine, ''Pantosphinx'', and on a music newsletter for Frank Hessy's musical instruments store called ''Frank Comments''.
The title was suggested by the owner, Frank Hesselberg, as a play on his own comments, but was abandoned after a few issues.
Harry received a
National Diploma in design while at the Liverpool Art College and became the first student in the new Graphic Design course, eventually winning a Senior City Art Scholarship.
Harry maintained that students at art college should be
bohemian
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
*Anything of or relating to Bohemia
Beer
* National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst
* Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
in their thoughts and actions and not like the "dilettantes and dabblers", whom Harry disapproved of for wearing
duffle coats and
turtle neck sweaters. One of the college's artists and teachers, Arthur Ballard, later stated that Harry and Sutcliffe both overshadowed Lennon at college, explaining that they were both "extremely well educated, and very eager for information". Harry organised a students' film society, where he showed ''
Orphee'', by
Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...
and
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...
, and
Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and ...
's, ''
L'Age d'Or
''L'Age d'Or'' (french: L'Âge d'Or, ), commonly translated as ''The Golden Age'' or ''Age of Gold'', is a 1930 French surrealist satirical comedy film directed by Luis Buñuel about the insanities of modern life, the hypocrisy of the sexual mo ...
''.
Meeting Lennon had been a shock for Harry, as Lennon often dressed like a
Teddy boy, and was a disruptive influence at the college. Despite his misgivings about Lennon, Harry introduced him to Sutcliffe, who was a small, softly-spoken and shy student, who had painted a portrait of Harry. The three often spent time together at the
Ye Cracke pub in Rice Street, or on the top floor of the Jacaranda club (run by Williams, who later managed the Beatles).
Harry met his then 16-year-old future wife-to-be, Virginia Sowry, at the club.
Harry, Lennon, Sutcliffe and Rod Murray saw the poet
Royston Ellis at Liverpool University in June 1960. Having been disappointed with Ellis' performance, Harry proposed the idea that they should call the assembled quartet of friends
the Dissenters
The Quarrymen (also written as "the Quarry Men") are a British skiffle/ rock and roll group, formed by John Lennon in Liverpool in 1956, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Originally consisting of Lennon and several schoolfriends, the Q ...
, and make Liverpool famous: Sutcliffe and Murray with their paintings, Harry's writing and Lennon's music.
Music and journalism
A fellow student, John Ashcroft, introduced Harry to rock 'n' roll records, and the members of
Rory Storm & the Hurricanes and Cass & the Cassanovas. Harry carried notebooks with him, collecting information about the local groups, once writing to the ''
Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
'': "Liverpool is like
at the turn of the century, but with rock 'n' roll instead of jazz". He also wrote to the ''
Liverpool Echo
The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St Paul's Square, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Sunday, and is Liverp ...
'' about the emerging Liverpool music scene, but neither paper was interested in stories about music that was popular with teenagers.
The classified ads in the ''Liverpool Echo'' for local groups were always under the heading of ''Jazz'',
but the paper refused to change this policy, despite pleas from the promoters and groups who actually paid for them.
Harry planned to produce a jazz newspaper called ''Storyville/52nd Street'' and contacted Sam Leach, the owner of a club called Storyville. Leach promised to fund the newspaper, but failed to turn up for three meetings with Harry, leaving him no other option but to find another investor.
Harry thought starting a fortnightly newspaper covering Liverpool's rock 'n' roll music scene would be more successful, and would differ from national music newspapers such as the ''
New Musical Express
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' and the ''
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'', which only wrote articles about current chart hits and artists.
''Mersey Beat''
Photographer Dick Matthews, a friend from the Jacaranda,
heard about Harry's problems with Leach and introduced Harry to a local civil servant, Jim Anderson, who lent Harry £50. This enabled Harry to found ''Mersey Beat'' in 1961.
Harry decided to publish the newspaper every two weeks, covering the music scene in Liverpool, Wirral, Birkenhead, New Brighton, Crosby and Southport, as well as Warrington, Widnes and Runcorn. He thought up the name ''Mersey Beat'' by thinking about a policeman's 'beat' (the area of duty), which had nothing to do with a musical beat.
Virginia gave up her accountancy/
comptometer
The Comptometer was the first commercially successful key-driven mechanical calculator, patented in the United States by Dorr Felt in 1887.
A key-driven calculator is extremely fast because each key adds or subtracts its value to the accumulato ...
operator job at Woolworth's
and worked full-time for £2.10/- a week (also contributing a ''Mersey Roundabout'' article), while Harry lived on his Senior City Art Scholarship funding. Matthews photographed groups, while Anderson found a small attic office for £5 a week above David Land's wine merchant's shop at 81a Renshaw Street, Liverpool.
Anderson and Matthews helped with the move to the new office, with Anderson providing a desk, chair and an Olivetti typewriter.
![Renshaw Street, Liverpool - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Renshaw_Street%2C_Liverpool_-_geograph.org.uk_-_978005.jpg)
Harry asked printer James E. James (who had printed ''Frank Comments''), if he could borrow the
printing blocks he used for photos, as they were too expensive for the fledgling company at the time.
Harry also borrowed blocks from the ''Widnes Weekly News'', ''Pantosphinx'' and local cinemas, but contributed to charities by printing free charity advertisements at the side of the front cover page. After taking Virginia home to
Bowring Park in the evening, Harry would often return to the office and work throughout the night, pausing only to go to the
Pier Head to buy a cup of tea and a hot pie at four in the morning.
Virginia's parents helped the paper during this time, as they paid for classified ads, and arranged for Harry and his future wife's first photographs together.
The first issue
Splitting the price of the newspaper (
three pence), with retailers, Harry arranged for three major wholesalers,
W.H. Smith, Blackburn's and Conlan's, to sell ''Mersey Beat''. Harry personally delivered copies to more than 20 newsagents as well as to local venues and musical instrument and record stores, such as Cramer & Lea, Rushworth & Draper and Cranes.
The paper released its first edition on 6 July 1961, selling out all 5,000 copies.
The paper's circulation increased rapidly as Harry started featuring stories about groups in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
, Birmingham,
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...
and
Newcastle, with circulation growing to 75,000.
As the newspaper's sales rose, it became known as the "Teenagers Bible". Local groups were soon being called "beat groups", and venues started advertising concerts as "Beat Sessions".
With circulation rising, the paper's offices were moved downstairs to a larger two-roomed office. The Cavern Club's doorman, Pat (Paddy) Delaney, was employed to deliver copies, a secretary, Pat Finn, was hired, as well as Raymond Caine to promote advertising space,
Harry later said: "The newspapers, television, theatres and radio were all run by people of a different generation who had no idea of what youngsters wanted. For decades they had manipulated and controlled them. Suddenly, there was an awareness of being young, and young people wanted their own styles and their own music, just at the time they were beginning to earn money, which gave them the spending power. ''Mersey Beat'' was their voice, it was a paper for them, crammed with photos and information about their own groups, which is why it also began to appeal to youngsters throughout Britain as its coverage extended to other areas."
Because of the employment situation in Liverpool at the time, The ''
Daily Worker
The ''Daily Worker'' was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, attempts were m ...
'' newspaper denounced the enthusiasm of younger people in Liverpool by saying "The Mersey Sound is the sound of 30,000 people on the
dole."
Liverpool groups
Between 1958 and 1964, the Merseyside area had about 500 different groups, which were constantly forming and breaking up, with an average of about 350 groups playing concerts on a regular basis.
In 1961, Harry and the Cavern Club's DJ,
Bob Wooler, compiled a list of groups that they had personally heard of, which had almost 300 names.
In 1962, ''Mersey Beat'' held a poll to find out who was the most popular Merseyside group. When the votes were counted, Rory Storm & the Hurricanes were in first place, but after looking through the postal votes again, Harry noticed that forty votes were all written in green ink, in the same handwriting, and from the same area of Liverpool, so the dubious votes were declared void. This was suspected to have been Storm himself, but Harry had no idea that the Beatles and other groups had done exactly the same thing.
The results were announced on 4 January 1962, with the Beatles in first place. The results were printed in issue 13 of ''Mersey Beat'' on 4 January 1962, with the now famous front page announcing, "Beatles Top Poll!"
Such was the popularity of the poll, Rushworth's music store manager, Bob Hobbs, presented Lennon and
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
with new guitars.
At the time, many groups in Liverpool complained to Harry that his newspaper should be called ''Mersey Beatles'', as he featured them so often.
Harry asked a local singer,
Priscilla White, to contribute a fashion column after writing an article called "Swinging Cilla", in which he wrote, "Cilla Black is a Liverpool girl who is starting out on the road to fame." Harry's mistake came about because he could not remember her surname (which he knew was a colour), but White decided to keep it as a stage name.
Two years later Harry arranged for her to sing for Epstein at the Blue Angel club, leading to a management contract.
In late 1962, Harry wrote an article called "Take a look up North", asking for
A&R men from London to travel up to Liverpool and see what was really happening with the music scene, but not one record company sent an A&R representative to Liverpool. Journalist
Nancy Spain
Nancy Brooker Spain (13 September 1917 – 21 March 1964) was a prominent English broadcaster and journalist. She was a columnist for the ''Daily Express'', ''She'' magazine, and the ''News of the World'' in the 1950s and 1960s. She also appeare ...
once wrote an article for the ''
News of the World
The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one ...
'' newspaper, stating that "Bill and Virginia Harry were Mr. & Mrs. Mersey Beat", and when
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
visited Liverpool to appear at the Odeon, he specifically asked for Harry to act as his guide to the city.
The Beatles and Brian Epstein
Harry often heard Lennon, McCartney and Harrison rehearsing or playing in the Art College canteen in the basement, but after Sutcliffe joined
the Quarrymen, Harry complained that Sutcliffe should be concentrating on art and not music, as he thought he was a competent, but not brilliant bassist. As Harry and Sutcliffe were members of the Liverpool College of Art's Student Union committee, they put forward the idea that the college should buy its own P.A. system for college dances, which the Quarrymen often played at, but the equipment would later be appropriated by the group and taken to
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
. As late as 7 March 1962, the Students' Union sent Pete Mackey to ask Lennon to either return the equipment or pay for it, but Lennon told him it had been sold in Hamburg. Harry asked Lennon to write a short biography of the Beatles for the first issue of ''Mersey Beat'', which Harry titled, "Being a Short Diversion on the Dubious Origins of Beatles, Translated From the
icJohn Lennon":
Lennon was very grateful that Harry printed his 'Dubious Origins' piece without editing it and later gave Harry a large collection of drawings, poems and stories (approximately 250), telling Harry he was free to publish whatever he liked (under the pseudonym of "Beatcomber", which was appropriated from a ''
Daily Express
The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet ...
'' column, ''Beachcomber'').
Harry convinced Epstein to sell 12 copies of the first ''Mersey Beat'' newspaper at his North End Music Stores (NEMS), which sold out in one day, resulting in Epstein having to order more copies. After ordering and selling 144 copies of the second issue, Epstein invited Harry to his office for a glass of sherry, proposing the idea that he (Epstein), should write a record review column.
It was published in the third issue on 3 August 1961, entitled "Stop the World—And Listen To Everything in It: Brian Epstein of NEMS".
Epstein saw numerous posters around Liverpool advertising concerts by the Beatles as well as in the second issue of ''Mersey Beat'', which had "Beatles sign Recording Contract!" on the front cover, as the Beatles had recorded the "
My Bonnie
My or MY may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station
* Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe
* ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak
* ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon
Business
* Marke ...
" single with
Tony Sheridan in Germany.
Some months after its release, Epstein supposedly (as stated in his biography), asked his assistant
Alistair Taylor about the single, because a customer, one Raymond Jones, had asked Epstein for the single on 28 October 1961, which made Epstein curious about the group. Harry and McCartney repudiated this story, as Harry had been talking to Epstein about the Beatles for a long time (being the group he promoted the most in ''Mersey Beat''), and by McCartney saying, "Brian
psteinknew perfectly well who the Beatles were, they were on the front page of the second issue of ''Mersey Beat''."
The Beatles were due to perform a lunchtime concert at the Cavern Club on 9 November 1961, not far from Epstein's NEMS store.
Epstein asked Harry to arrange for him and Taylor to watch the Beatles perform without queuing at the door. Harry phoned the owner, Ray McFall, who said he would inform the doorman on the day, Delaney, to let Epstein in.
Epstein and Taylor bypassed the line of fans at the door and heard a welcome message announced over the club's
public-address system by Wooler: "We have someone rather famous in the audience today, Mr. Brian Epstein, the owner of NEMS ..."
[The Beatles ''Anthology'' DVD (2003) (Episode 1 – 0:57:74) Harrison talking about Bob Wooler's announcement.]
Lennon had once given Harry a collection of photos taken in Hamburg, showing Lennon standing on the
Reeperbahn reading a newspaper and wearing nothing but his underpants, performing on stage with a toilet seat around his neck, and one of McCartney sitting on a toilet. After Epstein became the Beatles' manager, Lennon rushed into Harry's office and asked for them back, saying, "Brian
psteininsists I've got to get them back—the pictures, everything you've got. I must take it all with me now." When Epstein finally secured a recording contract with
EMI, he sent Harry a telegram from London to the ''Mersey Beat'' office to announce the news.
The last issues and London
On 13 September 1964, Epstein approached Harry to create a national music paper, so Harry coined the name ''Music Echo'',
and gradually merged ''Mersey Beat'' into it.
Epstein had promised Harry full editorial control, but then hired a female press officer in London to write a fashion column and a
D.J.
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...
to write a gossip column, without informing Harry of his intentions,
leaving Harry with no other option but to resign.
The paper subsequently ran into financial problems, and Epstein had to merge it with another paper, becoming the ''Disc & Music Echo''. When Harry and his wife moved to London in 1966,
he was already contributing a column for the magazine ''Weekend'' and also for the teen magazines ''Marilyn'' and ''Valentine''. He then became the feature writer, news editor and columnist for ''
Record Mirror
''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the '' NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in '' ...
'' (using various pseudonyms such as 'Brenda Tarry' and 'David Berglas'), and wrote features for ''Music Now'' (under the name of Nick Blaine) for ''
Record Retailer
''Record Retailer'' was the only music trade newspaper for the UK record industry. It was founded in August 1959 as a monthly newspaper covering both labels and dealers. Its founding editor was Roy Parker (who died on 27 December 1964). The titl ...
''.
PR and present
Harry and his wife moved to London in 1966 where he was engaged as a
public relations (PR) officer for
the Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...
and
the Hollies
The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band ...
. During the next 18 years he was the PR to many artists, including Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Procol Harum, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, the Beach Boys,
Clouds
In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid drop (liquid), droplets, ice crystals, frozen crystals, or other particulates, particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. ...
,
Ten Years After
Ten Years After are a British rock group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Between 1968 and 1973, the band had eight consecutive Top 40 albums on the UK Albums Chart. In addition, they had twelve albums enter the US ''Billboar ...
,
Free,
Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople were an English rock band formed in Herefordshire. Originally known as the Doc Thomas Group, the group changed their name after signing with Island Records in 1969. The band released albums throughout the early 1970s but fai ...
,
the Pretty Things
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
,
Christine Perfect
Christine Anne McVie (; née Perfect; 12 July 1943 – 30 November 2022) was an English musician and songwriter. She was best known as keyboardist and one of the vocalists of the band Fleetwood Mac.
McVie was a member of several bands, nota ...
,
Supertramp
Supertramp were an English rock band that formed in London in 1969. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards, and guitars) and Rick Davies (vocals and keyboards), they are distinguished for blending p ...
,
Hot Chocolate,
Arrows,
Suzi Quatro and
Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde (born Kim Smith, 18 November 1960) is an English pop singer, DJ and television presenter. She first saw success in 1981 with her debut single " Kids in America", which peaked at No. 2 in the UK. In 1983, she received the Brit Awar ...
.
During this time, Harry started a monthly magazine called ''Tracks'',
which reported the latest album releases, and another magazine, ''Idols: 20th Century Legends'',
which ran for 37 issues, from 1988 to 1991.
Harry also compiled a 34-track compilation, ''Mersey Beat'', for Parlophone records, which was released on 31 October 1983.
Harry was presented with a gold award for a "Lifetime Achievement in Music" by the
British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) in 1994,
has taken part in over 350 international television/radio shows, and was hired by
Rediffusion
Rediffusion was a business that distributed radio and TV signals through wired relay networks. The business gave rise to a number of other companies, including Associated-Rediffusion, later known as Rediffusion London, the first ITV ( commer ...
to be programme assistant for the documentary ''Beat City''. He was a programme assistant for the
BBC's ''Everyman'' documentary about Lennon, ''A Day in the Life'', and for ''The Story of Mersey Beat''. The
British Council
The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...
asked him to represent them in Hong Kong, promoting the Beatles.
''Mersey Beat'' returned to publication in August 2009 with a 24-page special issue to celebrate the "Liverpool International Beatle Week". He was an associate producer of the film ''The City That Rocked the World''.
Harry and Virginia have a son, Sean Harry, who is an adult movie actor,
director, and producer.
Books written or co-written by Bill Harry
Harry once commented on his numerous books:
"The hundreds of interviews I have conducted over the past 40 years have been utilised. I have always been a hoarder of clippings in addition to collecting magazines, fanzines, newspapers and books. I'll never tire of it."
* ''Arrows : The Official Story'', Everest Books (1976)
* ''Mersey Beat: The Beginnings of the Beatles'', Omnibus Press (1978)
* ''The Beatles Who's Who'', Littlehampton Book Services Ltd. (1982)
* ''Beatle-mania: The History of the Beatles on Film'', Virgin Books (1984)
* ''Paperback Writers'', Virgin Books (1984)
* ''The Book of Lennon'', John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd (1984)
* ''Paperback writers'' Avon (1985)
* ''Beatles: Beatlemania the History of the Beatles on Film'' Avon (1985)
* ''Ask Me Why'', Littlehampton Book Services Ltd. (1985)
* ''Beatles For Sale'', Virgin Books (1985)
* ''The Book of Beatle Lists'', Javelin Books (1985)
* ''The McCartney File'', Virgin Books (1986)
* ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'', Atalanta Press (1987)
* ''The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia'', Hyperion Books (1994)
* ''Jan Olofsson: My '60s'', (Harry & Olofsson) Taschen GmbH (1994)
* ''The Encyclopedia of Beatles' People'', Cassell Illustrated (1997)
* ''The Best Years of the Beatles'' (Harry &
Pete Best
Randolph Peter Best (né Scanland; born 24 November 1941) is an English musician known as the drummer of the English rock band the Beatles who was dismissed immediately prior to the band achieving worldwide fame. Fired from the group in 1962 ...
) Headline Book Publishing (1997)
* ''Whatever Happened To ... : The Ultimate Pop and Rock Where Are They Now'' (Harry &
Alan Clayson
Alan Clayson (born 3 May 1951, Dover, Kent) is an English singer-songwriter, author and music journalist. He gained popularity in the late 1970s as leader of the band Clayson and the Argonauts. In addition to contributing to publications such as ...
) Cassell Illustrated (1999)
* ''The Beatles Encyclopedia: Revised and Updated'', Virgin Books (2000)
* ''The John Lennon Encyclopedia'', Virgin Books (2001)
* ''The Paul McCartney Encyclopedia'', Virgin Books (2002)
* ''The George Harrison Encyclopedia'', Virgin Books (2003)
* ''The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia'', Virgin Books (2004)
* ''The British Invasion: How the Beatles and Other UK Bands Conquered America'', Chrome Dreams (2004)
* ''Bigger Than the Beatles'', Trinity Mirror (2009)
* ''Lennon's Liverpool'', Trinity Mirror (2010)
* ''The Sixties'' (Harry & Robert Orbach) Endeavour London Ltd. (2011)
* ''Love Me Do''; Miniver Press. (2012) ASIN: B00993EROI
Notes
References
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External links
Radio interview with Anna Frawley Merseybeat.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harry, Bill
British male journalists
Living people
Publishers from Liverpool
Alumni of Liverpool College of Art
1938 births