David Nolan is a British

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon ...

and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, specialising in music and popular culture biographies, covering subjects from the Sex Pistols to

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of '' The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on ...

. He is a former lecturer at

Salford University , caption = Coat of ArmsUniversity of Salford , mottoeng = "Let us seek higher things" , established = 1850 - Pendleton Mechanics Institute 1896 – Royal Technical Institute, Salford 1967 – gained ...

.Landmarks of notes on city's musical map
''Manchester Evening News'', 30 September 2008 Based 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 t ...

, Nolan is known for investigating and proving/disproving myths in popular music. He tracked down the audience for the famous 1976 gig by the Sex Pistols at Manchester's Lesser

Free Trade Hall The Free Trade Hall on Peter Street, Manchester, England, was constructed in 1853–56 on St Peter's Fields, the site of the Peterloo Massacre. It is now a Radisson hotel. The hall was built to commemorate the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. T ...

,Sex Pistols Gig – The Truth
BBC, 27 June 2006 and discovered the reasons for the secrecy surrounding the family history of New Order frontman

Bernard Sumner Bernard Sumner (born 4 January 1956) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is a founding member of the bands Joy Division, New Order, and Electronic. Sumner was an early force in several areas, including the po ...

.Filling The Gaps – By Order
''

Manchester Evening News The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 20 ...

'', 13 September 2007 He also incurred the wrath of Morrissey by turning him into a cartoon character for the Granada Television documentary ''These Things Take Time'' in 2002, after the former

The Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to eme ...

singer refused to appear in the programme.Toons Hit Wrong Note With Morrissey
''Manchester Evening News'', 31 October 2002 In 2008, he produced the Salford Music Map for

Salford City Council Salford City Council is the local authority of the City of Salford in Greater Manchester, England. It is a metropolitan borough council, one of ten in Greater Manchester and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, and provides the maj ...

, showing many of the city's music landmarks and artists, including

, Ewan MacColl and Tim Burgess of the Charlatans. His biography of

Tony Wilson Anthony Howard Wilson (20 February 1950 – 10 August 2007) was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager, impresario and a journalist for Granada Television, the BBC and Channel 4. As a co-founder o ...

was published in 2009. In it he revealed details of the late music entrepreneur's early years, his careers in music and television, his personal relationships as well his battle with the NHS for the cancer drug Sutent. The book was written with the co-operation of Wilson's partner. After writing books on

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...

and

Emeli Sandé Adele Emily Sandé, ( ; born 10 March 1987), known professionally as Emeli Sandé, is a Scottish singer and songwriter. Born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, and raised in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by an English mother and a Zambian father ...

, his biography of

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

singer

Jake Bugg Jake Bugg (born Jake Edwin Charles Kennedy on 28 February 1994) is an English singer-songwriter. His self-titled debut album, '' Jake Bugg'', some of which was co-written with songwriter Iain Archer, was released in October 2012 and reached num ...

was published in 2014. It was reviewed by Bugg's father for the

Nottingham Post The ''Nottingham Post'' (formerly the ''Nottingham Evening Post'') is an English tabloid newspaper which serves Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and parts of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. The ''Post'' is published Monday to Saturday ...

, who said it contained, "Information I didn't know... Reading it was quite emotional for me at times." Nolan's first non-entertainment book to date was ''Tell The Truth And Shame The Devil'' in 2015, his account of the trial and imprisonment of Alan Morris - a teacher at his former school

St Ambrose College St Ambrose College is a Christian Brothers' Roman Catholic boys' grammar school in Hale Barns, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It was founded in 1946 by Dr Joseph Robertson. In 2012 the school became an academy, and was completely re-b ...

- for historic abuse crimes. The book was the basis for the

BBC Radio Four BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...

documentary 'The Abuse Trial' broadcast in 2016. The programme won Gold at the New York International Festival and also won a Rose d'Or. In 2018 his first novel Black Moss was published, a crime fiction story set during the Strangeways prison riot in

in 1990. It was followed in 2020 by The Mermaid's Pool and in 2022 by The Ballad of Hanging Lees - all three books are classed as ‘Manc Noir’ and named after bodies of water in and around Manchester. ;Books *''I Swear I Was There: The Gig That Changed the World'' (Milo Books 2001/Independent Music Press 2006) *''

: Confusion –

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after atte ...

Electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

and New Order Versus The World'' (IMP 2007) *'' Damon Albarn – Blur, Gorillaz and other Fables'' (IMP 2007) *''You're Entitled To An Opinion – The High Times and Many Lives of

Factory Records Factory Records was a Manchester-based British independent record label founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus. The label featured several important acts on its roster, including Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, the Duru ...

and

the Haçienda The Haçienda was a nightclub and music venue in Manchester, North West England, which became famous during the Manchester years of the 1980s and early 1990s. It was run by the record label Factory Records. The club opened in 1982, eventually ...

'' (John Blake Publishing 2009) *''

– The Man Who Changed the World '' (John Blake Publishing 2010)How Simon Cowell changed the world
, ''The Natter'', Manchester. Retrieved 31 January 2012. *''

Emma Watson Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born 15 April 1990) is an English actress and activist. Known for her roles in both blockbusters and independent films, as well as for her women's rights work, she has received a selection of accolades, includi ...

– The Biography '' (John Blake Publishing 2011) *''

– A+ '' (John Blake Publishing 2012) *''

- The Biography'' (John Blake Publishing 2013) *''

- The Biography'' (John Blake Publishing 2014) *''Tell The Truth and Shame the Devil'' (John Blake Publishing 2015) *''I Swear I Was There - Sex Pistols,

and the Gig That Changed The World'' (John Blake Publishing 2016) *''

The 1975 The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in 2002 in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Now based in Manchester, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew "Matty" Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer ...

- Love, Sex & Chocolate '' (John Blake Publishing 2017) *'' George Michael - Freedom '' (Carlton Books 2017) *''Black Moss '' (Fahrenheit Press 2018) *''The Mermaid’s Pool '' (Fahrenheit Press 2020) *''The Ballad of Hanging Lees '' (Fahrenheit Press 2022) ;Television music documentaries *''Wall of Fame'' (1998) (

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

/ Oasis/

) *''I Swear I Was There'' (2001) ( Sex Pistols) *''These Things Take Time: The Story of

the Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to eme ...

'' (2002) *''Meet the Bunnymen'' ( Echo & the Bunnymen – 2001) *''

Truly, Madly, Deeply Vale Truly, Madly, Deeply Vale is a 2004 television documentary produced by David Nolan for Granada Television, about the history of the Deeply Vale Festivals which ran from 1976 to 1979 in the North West of England. The programme makers tracked dow ...

'' (free

rock festival A rock festival is an open-air rock concert featuring many different performers, typically spread over two or three days and having a campsite and other amenities and forms of entertainment provided at the venue. Some festivals are singular even ...

movement of the 1970s – 2004)Rock 'n' Roll Rochdale
''Manchester Evening News'', 19 November 2004

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nolan, David English biographers English television producers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Academics of the University of Salford People educated at St. Ambrose College