Music

In a Leadbelly exclusive, head over to Newtown and join Stuart Coupe in conversation with popular music mogul Simon Napier-Bell (rock manager, author, composer, record producer and film maker).

As an artist manger, Simon has worked with The Yardbirds, Dusty Springfield, Ultravox, Marc Bolan and T-Rex, Japan, Asia, Candi Staton, Boney M, Sinéad O'Connor and most famously discovered George Michael and Wham.

Wham became the first Western band to ever tour China in the early 80s thanks to Simon's persistence. In Britain, he worked alongside Beatles' and Stones' managers Brian Epstein and Andrew Loog Oldham, taking notes and observing the workings of the music industry which he later applied to his artists - who all became household names. He witnessed the explosion of punk rock, advised Malcolm McLaren, and watched the birth of dance music and disco.

Simon also discovered Australia's very own John Paul Young in a Sydney bar - handing him the hit 'Love is in the Air' - originally intended for a female voice. Simon’s composition credits include co-writing the 60’s hit 'You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me' first performed by Dusty Springfield, and then by Elvis Presley. He is the author of four best-selling books on popular music and recently directed two film documentaries. Join us for a discussion focusing on Simon’s brilliant career and the history of popular music.

Location: Leadbelly - Newtown
Date: Monday 11th September 2017
Tickets: www.leadbelly.oztix.com.au