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In the fifties and sixties, in the period leading up to the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality and the founding of the Gay Liberation movement, a group of gay men behind the scenes of rock'n'roll was changing pop, politics and society for good.Through a mix of new interviews and contemporary reports, Darryl W. Bullock shines a light on the lives of the so-called 'Velvet Mafia', including impresario Larry Parnes, Beatles manager Brian Epstein, songwriter Lionel Bart, record producer Joe Meek, and Bee Gees and Cream manager Robert Stigwood.
The Velvet Mafia explores how the LGBT professionals at the heart of the music industry were working together and supporting each other at a time when being homosexual could mean the end of your career - or much worse.
About the author
Darryl W. Bullock is a writer, publisher, and editor specialising in music and the arts. He has written for publications including
The Guardian,
Pitchfork, the
Quietus,
Songwriting Magazine,
The Bath Chronicle,
Venue,
Folio,
The Spark,
B24-7,
3Sixty,
The Bath Magazine, the
Bristol Evening Post, and
The Western Daily Press. He is also the publisher of
The Green Guide to Bristol and Bath. Darryl is the author of
The World's Worst Records (Volumes 1 and 2),
Florence Foster Jenkins: the Life of the World's Worst Opera Singer (Duckworth-Overlook, 2016), and
David Bowie Made Me Gay.
Summary
Winner of the prestigious Penderyn Music Book Prize 2022Compelling and enlightening, The Velvet Mafia explores how the LGBT professionals at the heart of the music industry were working together and supporting each other at a time when being homosexual could mean the end of your career - or much worse.
