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Tony Calder (27 June 1943 – 2 January 2018) was an English record manager, impresario, talent-spotter, promoter and public relations agent. He was Andrew Loog Oldham's business partner from 1963 to December 1969.

During a career spanning over 50 years he was instrumental in promoting a number of successful songs in the UK Singles Chart, including the Rolling Stones "Little Red Rooster" and "Paint It, Black", the Small Faces "Itchycoo Park", Amen Corner's "(If Paradise Is) Half as Nice", Eddy Grant's "I Don't Wanna Dance" and Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers single "Swing the Mood".

1960s

Calder was born in Surbiton, Surrey to Scottish parents. His grounding in the music industry began in the early 1960s at Decca Records under the direction of Edward Lewis. By day he worked in the sales and marketing department. which gave him a significant insight into the music industry and led him to meeting Brian Epstein, The Beatles, Andrew Loog Oldham and Seymour Stein (who introduced Calder to his all-time record hero George Goldner).

In 1962, Calder was hired by Brian Epstein to promote The Beatles single "Love Me Do", which he did successfully by sending free copies to the top fifty Mecca Ballrooms and also the opposition Top Rank ballrooms, in order to persuade the local independent record shops to order the record. The following year pop impresario Andrew Oldham and Calder merged their clientele to set up the UK's first independent PR-pop company, 'IMAGE.', and handled the day-to-day management of the Rolling Stones, and later the promotion of the Beach Boys via their publishing contract.

In early 1965, Calder did his first and last record production, taking over from Oldham producing Marianne Faithfull, producing her biggest hits "Come and Stay With Me", which reached Number 4 in the UK Singles Chart and "This Little Bird", which reached Number 6 in 1965. In 1965, Calder and Oldham formed Immediate Records, the first major independent label in the UK, eventually responsible for acts such as The Small Faces, Fleetwood Mac, Rod Stewart, The McCoys, Chris Farlowe, Amen Corner, P.P. Arnold and The Nice. He also worked with Vashti Bunyan for the label, although it was not until the 2000s that she became a cult hero. At the end of 1969, Calder left Immediate Records.

1970s

In 1971, Calder signed the new band Bay City Rollers with his booking agent business partner David Apps, but quickly relinquished the contract to Dick Leahy, head of Bell Records.

In 1975, Calder was appointed CEO of NEMS Records, where he signed Black Sabbath, Pluto and Marianne Faithfull. However he left this position soon after, and spent the following year setting old friend and fashion designer Ossie Clark back in business; licensing his designs and his name to forge a revival of Clark's image. In 1978, he turned his attention to managing Eddy Grant, whose international record career took off, and he subsequently helped with the formation and development of Grant's Ice Record label.

1980s and after

In 1982, Calder hired Bob Newby, a Music Publishing veteran to manage the back office of Calder's businesses to allow him to mastermind Eddie Grant's successful 1982 Comeback Tour return including chart-topping 'I don't wanna dance' and 'Electric Avenue'. It was Bob Newby who originally introduced Calder to Grant who was a long-time personal friend of Grant. The relationship endend once the Tour completed. Calder formed the Big Wave Group in 1988, in partnership with Bill Kimber, and had worldwide success with Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers, who had three consecutive number 1 singles in the UK and throughout Europe and the Number 1 single in the US with "Swing the Mood".

In 1996, Calder co-wrote a biography of ABBA entitled Abba : The Name of the Game, with Andrew Oldham and Colin Irwin.

In November 2002 Calder formed the licensing company Plan B Audio Ltd which represented a catalogue of world-wide master recordings. In December 2007, Calder was re-hired by Eddy Grant as business manager after Calder negotiated on a new production deal for Grant's Ice label with Mercury Records.

Personal life

His first marriage to Jennifer, one of the secretaries at Immediate, ended in divorce. In 1980 he married model Karen Richardson but they divorced after 10 years. Tony Calder died of complications from pneumonia on 2 January 2018, aged 74, at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital. He was survived by both children of his second marriage, daughter Georgie, son Anthony and also his stepdaughter, Harriet.

References

1. Larkin, Colin (3 January 1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music. Virgin Books. ISBN 9780753501498.
2. ^ "Beatles promoter Tony Calder dies aged 74". The Guardian. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
3. Savage, Mark (4 January 2018). "Tributes to Beatles promoter Tony Calder". Bbc.co.uk.
4. ^ Loog Oldham, Andrew (2000). Stoned. Secker & Warburg. ISBN 0-09-928467-7.
5. Taylor, Derek (2008). The Beatles London. Portico. ISBN 978-1-906032-26-5.
6. "Andrew Loog Oldham". NME. 28 December 2011. Archived from the original on 28 December 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
7. "Bay City Rollers". Nme.com. Archived from the original on 23 February 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
8. Coy, Wayne (2005). Bay City Babylon. Hats off Books. ISBN 1-58736-463-8.
9. Andrew Oldham; Tony Calder; Colin Irwin (8 March 1996). ABBA : The Name of the Game. Sidgwick & Jackson. ISBN 978-0330346887.
10. "Tony Calder". Thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
11. Lang, Jamie (3 January 2018). "Tony Calder, Music Promoter Who Worked With Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dies (Report)". Variety.com.
12. "Beatles promoter Tony Calder dies aged 74". The Guardian. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2021.

Bibliography

• Larkin C Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music (Muze UK Ltd, 1997) ISBN 0-7535-0149-X p. 90

• 1943 births
• 2018 deaths
• People from Surbiton
• English music managers
• Deaths from pneumonia in England
• 20th-century English businesspeople
• English people of Scottish descent