Richard Williams (journalist)
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Richard Williams (born 13 March 1947) is a British music and sports journalist. As a writer, then deputy editor, of the weekly music newspaper ''
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...
'' (''MM''), he became an influential commentator on the rise of new forms of
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 ...
at the end of the 1960s. Williams and ''MM'', as it was known, helped promote and contextualise the progressive in pop music. In particular, Williams wrote several key articles around 1970 that increased UK attention to the (then disintegrating) Velvet Underground. ''Melody Maker'' still covered
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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
and Williams wrote about the more progressive developments in this field also. The magazine's serious approach to rock music and culture, under the editorship of Ray Coleman, secured ''MM'' a huge circulation by the close of the 1960s and the start of the 1970s. It left ''
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 ...
'', a more pop-orientated weekly, in its wake as ''MM'' caught the mood of rock followers at a time when the music had transcended its
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
roots to become a powerful symbol of social and cultural change. Williams moved on to new challenges in the early 1970s. Beginning in May 1970 he contributed to ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' and continued to write for that paper until October 1989. He also wrote regularly for ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
''. He left journalism to join
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...
' A&R department in 1973, becoming department head. For two years, he signed and developed artists including
Pete Wingfield William Peter Wingfield (born 7 May 1948) is an English record producer, Keyboardist, keyboard player, songwriter, singer, and music journalism, music journalist. Career Whilst at Sussex University, Wingfield and three other students formed ...
, Stone Delight, Bryn Haworth and John Cale. The first presenter of the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
rock show ''
The Old Grey Whistle Test ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music series broadcast by the BBC. It was devised by producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough, and aired on BBC2 from ...
'' (launched in 1971) while still a member of the ''MM'' team, and shortly thereafter its producer, Williams later became editor of the new London listings guide '' Time Out'' and returned to ''MM'' as editor from 1978 to 1980.''Old Grey Whistle Test'' DVD Vol. 3; Bob Harris speaking before Track 3. After a period as features editor at ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'', he became editor of the '' Independent on Sunday''s Sunday Review. His music journalism has been gathered in the volume ''Long Distance Call: Writings on Music'' and biographies of
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
(''A Man Called Alias''),
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...
(''The Man in the Green Shirt''), and
Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...
(''Out of His Head'') are among his list of other publications. Williams remains an active journalist and is the former chief sports writer of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', covering a full array of sports. He has written several books on Formula One, including ''The Death of Ayrton Senna'', ''Racers'' (an analysis of the main participants of the 1996 F1 season), ''
Enzo Ferrari Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari (; ; 18 February 1898 – 14 August 1988) was an Italian racing driver and entrepreneur, the founder of Scuderia Ferrari in Grand Prix motor racing, and subsequently of the Ferrari automobile marque. Under h ...
: A Life'', and ''The Last Road Race'' (a study of the changing balance in Formula One between British and Italian teams, using the 1957 Pescara Grand Prix as the backdrop). Williams' comments about music and related film, photography and art topics are published in the form of his blog, ''The Blue Moment''.


References


External links


The Blue Moment
Richard Williams' music blog
''The Guardian''′s contact page for Richard Williams
*Simon Warner

''RockCritics'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Richard 1947 births British male journalists British sportswriters English biographers English music journalists Living people British male biographers Melody Maker writers The Guardian journalists The Sunday Times people The Times people Writers from Sheffield