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The Tastemaker (Hardback)
From The Beatles and David Bowie to Elton John, The Rolling Stones and Tom Jones, Tony King has been a confidante and creative muse for some of the world’s greatest artists. Now, for the first time, he tells his story.
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Summary
The Tastemaker charts the singular life of a man who has been at the beating heart of music’s most iconic moments for over sixty years and features stories of his time working with everyone from the Beatles to the Ronettes and Elton John to the Rolling Stones.
Leaving school at the age of sixteen to start his career in the music industry at Decca Records, Tony King would soon find himself becoming a close friend and confidante to some of the world’s biggest artists – 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 an influential figure in London and New York’s gay scenes. Despite his heady life in showbusiness, however, he would soon learn that a glittering career couldn’t shield him from heartbreak – witness to the AIDS crisis and the devastating consequences, his personal life was intermittently marked by tumult and turmoil. This included spending time with with his friend Freddie Mercury in the Queen frontman’s final days.
Suffused with Tony King’s disarming warmth and unparalleled charisma – and at times profoundly moving – The Tastemaker paints an intimate portrait of a music legend and captures the unpredictable world he stamped his indelible mark upon.
Critic Reviews
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.
Critic 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.
Critic Reviews
This is a brilliant book by a brilliant man. A magician with perfect taste. Thank God I met him. He is gold dust!
Critic Reviews
Astounding. The Tastemaker takes us back to a time when gods walked among us. It was always about the music, and Tony King's memoir takes you there.
Critic Reviews
The inside story of the some of the greatest musicians of all time, told by the man who knew them best. This book is essential reading and is sure to become a classic.
Critic Reviews
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.
TonyKing
Tony King started his career in the music industry at Decca Records in 1958 before going on to become the youngest promotion man of the time. After setting up Immediate Records with Andrew Loog Oldham, he was approached by Sir George Martin’s independent production company to promote his artists and others in the company, including the Beatles and Cilla Black.…
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Listen to the accompanying playlist to Tony King's book, The Tastemaker, featuring hits from throughout his incredible career.
From The Beatles and David Bowie to Elton John, The Rolling Stones and Tom Jones, Tony King has been a …