Roy Carr (1945 – 1 July 2018) was an English

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, 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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

. He joined 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 ...

(NME)'' in the late 1960s, and edited ''NME'', '' Vox'' and ''

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 ...

'' magazines.

Biography

Born in

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, after his family moved there from London during 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 ...

, Allan Jones, "Roy Carr: NME/Uncut Legend", '' Uncut'', #256, September 2018, p.112 he was the son of jazz musician and composer Tony Carr, a member of

Joe Loss 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, Israel an ...

'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. The band supported many leading acts in the mid-1960s, including

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 ...

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

and

The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...

, and had several unsuccessful singles issued on the Columbia and CBS 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 activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

; in 1969, when working with a local promoter in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

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

. 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
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Bibliography

Carr's books as author or co-author include: *'' The Beatles: An Illustrated Record'' (1975), with Tony Tyler *''

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

: An Illustrated Record'' (1976) *''

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...

: Rumours n' Fax'' (1979), with Steve Clarke *''

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

: An Illustrated Record'' (1981), with

Charles Shaar Murray Charles Shaar Murray (born Charles Maximillian Murray; 27 June 1951) is an English Music journalism, music journalist and broadcaster. He has worked on the ''NME, New Musical Express'' (''NME'') and many other magazines and newspapers, and has ...

*''

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

: 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, who had a significant influence on the development of British proto ...

*''The Hip: Hipsters, Jazz and the Beat Generation'' (1987), with Brian Case and Fred Dellar *''Jazz on CD'' (1995), with Tony Russell *''

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 ...

at the Movies'' (1996) *''A Century of Jazz'' (1997) *''A Talk On the Wild Side'' (2010)

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