Frederick Dellar (29 May 1931 – 15 May 2021) was an English music writer and journalist, regarded in the popular music scene as "the king of trivia".

Life and career

Fred Dellar was born in

Willesden Willesden () is an area of north-west London, situated 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933; it has formed ...

, London, and lived above a

fish and chip shop A fish and chip shop, sometimes referred to as a chip shop or chippy, is a restaurant that specialises in selling fish and chips. Usually, fish and chip shops provide takeaway service, although some have seating facilities. Fish and chip shop ...

which was bombed in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He undertook

National Service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...

in 1950, and was posted to the RAF base at

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

, where he started a

jazz club A jazz club is a venue where the primary entertainment is the performance of live jazz music, although some jazz clubs primarily focus on the study and/or promotion of jazz-music. Jazz clubs are usually a type of nightclub or bar, which is licens ...

. After returning to London, he worked in factories and warehouses while also producing jazz

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleas ...

s. From 1955, he began contributing reviews to magazines including ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

'', and

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 cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

for records. He became the secretary of the

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

Appreciation Society in the UK, edited a

, ''Perfectly Frank'', attended a wide range of jazz and other gigs, and accumulated a collection of magazines and files of information that proved invaluable in later years."Fred Dellar 1931-2021", ''Mojo'', No.333, August 2021, p.113 He married in 1958, and in 1964 started working for the London Book Centre distribution company, while writing reviews in his spare time. In 1971, after being made redundant from a warehouse job in London, he and his wife moved to

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

. He successfully applied for a job at the ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a " rock inkie", the ''NME'' would become a maga ...

'', where he served as deputy news editor, compiled

music chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, ofte ...

s, wrote reviews and undertook interviews. He also developed his "Fred Fact" column, answering innumerable questions from readers before the coming of the internet. In 1981 he wrote ''The NME Guide to Rock Cinema'', followed by ''The Illustrated History of Country Music''. A 1989 report by him on

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 (band), New Order, A Certain Ra ...

was given its own catalogue number - FAC227 - by label boss

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

. After leaving the ''NME'' in 1996 he contributed to a wide range of music magazines, including ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'', '' Vox'' and ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...

''. He also wrote books about Sinatra, jazz,

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

, and

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

. Patrick Humphries, "A tribute to NME legend Fred Dellar, who had more knowledge than we carry in our smartphones", ''NME'', 19 May 2021
Retrieved 22 June 2021
Retrieved 22 June 2021 He contributed

crossword A crossword (or crossword puzzle) is a word game consisting of a grid of black and white squares, into which solvers enter words or phrases ("entries") crossing each other horizontally ("across") and vertically ("down") according to a set of cl ...

s to a number of magazines, including ''

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

''Liz Beardsworth, "In Memoriam: Fred Dellar", ''Empire'', July 2021, p.121 and ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...

''. Dellar contributed for 25 years to the latter magazine, where he was known for features like the "Time Machine" and "Ask Fred" pages.Spencer Leigh, "Fred Dellar obituary", ''The Guardian'', 12 July 2021
Retrieved 12 July 2021 Dellar died on 15 May 2021, aged 89. He was predeceased by his wife Pam a year earlier, and survived by his son Glenn.

Publications

* ''The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Country Music'' (1977) * ''NME Guide to Rock Cinema'' (1981) * ''Where Did You Go To, My Lovely?: The Lost Sounds and Stars of the Sixties'' (1983) * ''Rock and Pop Crosswords'' (1983) * ''The Essential Guide to Rock Records'' (with Barry Lazell, 1983) * ''The Country Music Book of Lists'' (1984) * ''The Hip: Hipsters, Jazz and the Beat Generation'' (with

Roy Carr Roy Carr (1945 – 1 July 2018) was an English music journalist, covering pop, rock and jazz. He joined the ''New Musical Express (NME)'' in the late 1960s, and edited ''NME'', '' Vox'' and ''Melody Maker'' magazines. Biography Born in Black ...

and Brian Case, 1987) * ''Sinatra: His Life and Times'' (1995) * ''Excess All Areas. A Who's Who of Rock Depravity'' (with Gary Boiler, 1995) * ''Frank Sinatra: Night and Day - The Man and the Music'' (1997) * ''The Mojo Inquisition: Rock 'n' Roll Quiz and Crossword Book'' (2001)

References

External links

Fred Dellar profile
at ''Rock's Back Pages'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Dellar, Fred 1931 births 2021 deaths British music journalists 20th-century British male writers 21st-century British male writers Journalists from London People from Willesden English music critics