Peter Doggett (born 30 June 1957) is an English
music journalist, author and magazine editor. He began his career in music journalism in 1980,
when he joined the London-based magazine ''
Record Collector''. He subsequently served as the editor there from 1982 to 1999,
after which he continued in the role of managing editor. He has also contributed regularly to magazines such as ''
Mojo'', ''
Q'' and ''
GQ''.
Doggett has written extensively about the music and legacy of
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
. In the 2001 edition of
Barry Miles' ''The Beatles Diary'', he supplied commentary on each of the band's official releases (later compiled in his and Patrick Humphries' 2010 book ''The Beatles: The Music and the Myth''). In 2003, he was part of a team of specialist writers and critics – along with
Mark Lewisohn
Mark Lewisohn (born 16 June 1958) is an English historian and biographer. Since the 1980s, he has written many reference books about the Beatles and has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple Corps. ,
Ian MacDonald,
John Harris,
David Fricke, Miles and others – who authored the three-part ''Mojo: Special Limited Edition'' series on the Beatles.
In 2009, his book ''
You Never Give Me Your Money: The Battle for the Soul of The Beatles'' was published in the UK by
The Bodley Head.
The ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' described it as "remarkable" and included the work in its list of the ten best books of the year.
According to Beatles historian Erin Torkelson Weber, ''You Never Give Me Your Money'' is "one of the most influential books in all Beatles
historiography
Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...
".
Among Doggett's other titles, ''Are You Ready for the Country'' (2000) documents the advent of the
country rock
Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...
genre. His book on rock music's role in
1960s countercultural ideology, ''There's a Riot Going On'', was published by
Canongate in 2007 and was voted "Best Book of the Year" by ''Mojo''s readers.
His more recent books include ''The Man Who Sold the World: David Bowie and the 1970s'' (2011) and ''Electric Shock: From the Gramophone to the iPhone: 125 Years of Pop Music'' (2015). Doggett's book on
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
's later years at the
Dakota building in New York, titled ''Prisoner of Love: Inside the Dakota with John Lennon'', was due to be published in April 2021 by independent publisher Jawbone Press. To the confusion of the Beatles and Lennon fan community, the book was cancelled shortly before its publication date.
Doggett also works as a consultant for auctioneers of music memorabilia, specialising in the authentication of manuscripts and recordings. He has written CD
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 ...
and otherwise assisted in reissue campaigns of works by
the Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...
,
the Hollies and
Tom Jones.
In the
2010 UK General Election, he stood as the
Green Party's candidate for the seat of
Fareham in Hampshire, the same town in which he grew up.
He lives in London with his partner Rachel Baylis, an artist.
The couple have two daughters, Catrin and Becca Mascall.
Published works
* ''Lou Reed: Growing Up in Public'' (Omnibus Press, 1995)
* ''Classic Rock Albums: Abbey Road / Let It Be: The Beatles'' (Schirmer, 1998)
* ''Are You Ready for the Country: Elvis, Dylan, Parsons and the Roots of Country Rock'' (Penguin, 2000)
* (with Sarah Hodgson) ''Christie's Rock & Pop Memorabilia'' (Billboard Books, 2003)
* ''The Art and Music of John Lennon'' (Omnibus Press, 2005)
* ''There's a Riot Going On: Revolutionaries, Rock Stars, and the Rise and Fall of '60s Counter-Culture'' (Canongate, 2007)
* ''
You Never Give Me Your Money: The Battle for the Soul of The Beatles'' (The Bodley Head, 2009)
* (with Patrick Humphries) ''The Beatles: The Music and the Myth'' (Omnibus Press, 2010)
* ''The Man Who Sold the World: David Bowie and the 1970s'' (The Bodley Head, 2011)
* (as Rufus Lodge) ''F**k: An Irreverent History of the F-Word'' (The Friday Project, 2013)
* ''Electric Shock: From the Gramophone to the iPhone: 125 Years of Pop Music'' (The Bodley Head, 2015)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doggett, Peter
Living people
English music journalists
English magazine editors
Place of birth missing (living people)
1957 births
Beatles historians
British music historians