Roy Carr (1945 – 1 July 2018)
[ was an English ]music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
, covering pop, rock and jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
. He joined the '' New Musical Express (NME)'' in the late 1960s, and edited ''NME'', '' Vox'' and '' Melody Maker'' magazines.
Biography
Born in Blackpool, Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
, after his family moved there from London during the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
,[ Allan Jones, "Roy Carr: NME/Uncut Legend", '']Uncut
Uncut may refer to:
* ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship
* ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997
* '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...
'', #256, September 2018, p.112 he was the son of jazz musician and composer Tony Carr, a member of Joe Loss
Sir Joshua Alexander "Joe" Loss (22 June 1909 – 6 June 1990) was a British dance band leader and musician who founded his own eponymous orchestra.
Life
Loss was born in Spitalfields, London, the youngest of four children. His parents, Isr ...
's band and writer of "March of the Mods".[
Roy Carr started his music career as a member of Blackpool-based band The Executives, who also featured ]Glenn Cornick
Glenn Douglas Barnard Cornick (23 April 1947 – 28 August 2014) was an English bass guitarist, best known as the original bassist for the British rock band Jethro Tull from 1967 to 1970. ''Rolling Stone'' has called his playing with Tull as " ...
. The band supported many leading acts in the mid-1960s, including 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 ...
, the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
and The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
, and had several unsuccessful singles issued on the Columbia and CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
labels.[ Richie Unterberger, Biography, ''Allmusic.com'']
Retrieved 2 July 2018 Carr became friendly with many leading musicians, including 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 ...
; in 1969, when working with a local promoter in Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
, Carr reported on Lennon's appearance at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival.[
After first starting to write reviews for ''Jazz News'' and the ''NME'' in the early 1960s, he joined the ''NME'' staff in 1970. He contributed as reviewer, interviewer and columnist to the magazine's relaunch later in the decade under editors Alan Smith and Nick Logan.][ During the 1980s and 1990s Carr compiled the majority of free tape and CD compilations that were given away with music magazines such as ''NME'', ''Vox'' and ''Melody Maker'',][ Robin Murray, "Music Writer Roy Carr Has Died", ''ClashMusic.com'', 1 July 2018]
Retrieved 2 July 2018 including the influential ''C86
''C86'' is a cassette compilation released by the British music magazine '' NME'' in 1986, featuring new bands licensed from British independent record labels of the time. As a term, C86 quickly evolved into shorthand for a guitar-based music g ...
'' cassette compilation.[ Carr also worked as a broadcaster, record producer, and writer of album ]liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes.
Origin
Liner notes are desc ...
.[ His career as a music journalist and magazine editor continued until his official retirement in 2006, in later years contributing as a freelance writer to jazz magazines.][
His health deteriorated after the sudden death of his son in 2013.][ Carr died of a heart attack in hospital on 1 July 2018, aged 73.][ Jon Newey, "Roy Carr 1945 – 2018", ''Jazzwise Magazine'', 2 July 2018]
/ref>
Bibliography
Carr's books as author or co-author include:
*'' The Beatles: An Illustrated Record'' (1975), with Tony Tyler
James Edward Anthony Tyler (31 October 1943 in Bristol – 28 October 2006 in Hastings, East Sussex) was a British writer who authored several books and wrote for the ''NME'','' Macworld'', '' MacUser'', '' PC Pro'' and '' Computer Shopper''.
...
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
: An Illustrated Record'' (1976)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 ...
: An Illustrated Record'' (1981), with Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray (born Charles Maximillian Murray; 27 June 1951) is an English music journalist and broadcaster. He has worked on the ''New Musical Express'' and many other magazines and newspapers, and has been interviewed for a number of ...
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
: The Illustrated Record'' (1982), with Mick Farren
Michael Anthony Farren (3 September 1943 – 27 July 2013) was an English rock musician, singer, journalist, and author associated with counterculture and the UK underground.
Early life
Farren was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and aft ...
*''The Hip: Hipsters, Jazz and the Beat Generation'' (1987), with Brian Case and Fred Dellar
*''Jazz on CD'' (1995), with Tony Russell
*'' Beatles at the Movies'' (1996)
References
External links
Articles by Carr at Rock's Back Pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, Roy
1945 births
2018 deaths
English music journalists
English magazine editors
People from Blackpool