Overview

The Tastemaker charts the singular life of a man who has been at the beatingheart of music's most iconic moments for over sixty years. Leaving school and starting his career at Decca Records in 1958 at the age ofsixteen, Tony King would soon find himself becoming close friends with EltonJohn, rekindling John Lennon and Yoko Ono's relationship, mediating aquarrelsome Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and spending time with FreddieMercury in his final days - a far cry from his childhood days in Eastbourne. Living in an era of seismic social, technological and cultural transformation,King experienced these defining moments as a stalwart in London and NewYork's gay scenes. Alongside his heady life in showbusiness, he was witnessto the AIDS crisis and its devastating consequences: the death of family, thedeath of friends and the stultifying weight of responsibility in being calledupon to hold things together. At once profound and suffused with Tony King's disarming warmth and unparalleledcharisma, The Tastemaker paints an intimate portrait of a musiclegend and captures the unpredictable world he stamped his indelible markupon.

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9780571371938

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Reviews

""An embarrassment of riches from 60 years as a rock'n'roll fixer . . . It's clear from this book why these stars wanted King around: he's witty, animated, his gossip lacks malice and his love of music is enduring."" ― Sunday Times ""As The Tastemaker"" so powerfully demonstrates, King left an indelible imprint upon a slew of rock music's greatest stars. In turn, their trust in his marketing instincts made for extraordinary collaborations that unleashed their hits upon the world in fine style."" ― Salon ""King is an unflinchingly generous witness . . . The Tastemaker is a slight piece of work on the surface, but as witness to extreme times, King is more powerful than he looks."" ― Uncut ""King might be rock history's best-kept secret: a Zelig-like figure whose career in the music industry connects the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to Elton John, Freddie Mercury and the late 1970s zenith of disco."" ― The Guardian

"""An embarrassment of riches from 60 years as a rock'n'roll fixer . . . It's clear from this book why these stars wanted King around: he's witty, animated, his gossip lacks malice and his love of music is enduring."" ― Sunday Times ""As The Tastemaker"" so powerfully demonstrates, King left an indelible imprint upon a slew of rock music's greatest stars. In turn, their trust in his marketing instincts made for extraordinary collaborations that unleashed their hits upon the world in fine style."" ― Salon ""King is an unflinchingly generous witness . . . The Tastemaker is a slight piece of work on the surface, but as witness to extreme times, King is more powerful than he looks."" ― Uncut ""King might be rock history's best-kept secret: a Zelig-like figure whose career in the music industry connects the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to Elton John, Freddie Mercury and the late 1970s zenith of disco."" ― The Guardian"

Author Information

Tony King started his career in the music business at DeccaRecords in 1958 before going on to become the youngestpromotion man of the time. After setting up ImmediateRecords with Andrew Loog Oldham, he was approached bySir George Martin's independent production company to dopromotion for his artists and others in the company, including The Beatles and Cilla Black. In 1970 he joined AppleRecords as general manager, continuing to work with theBeatles before becoming executive vice-president of EltonJohn's label, Rocket. He worked with Mick Jagger and theRolling Stones for almost three decades.

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