Guy Stevens
| Guy Stevens | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Guy Stevens |
| Born |
13 April 1943 East Dulwich, London |
| Died | 28 August 1981 (aged 38) South London |
| Occupation(s) | Producer, manager, DJ |
| Years active | 1963–1981 |
| Associated acts |
Hapshash and the Coloured Coat Spooky Tooth Procol Harum Mott the Hoople Free The Clash |
Guy Stevens (13 April 1943 – 28 August 1981) was a British music industry figure whose roles included DJ, record producer, and band manager. He was influential in promoting R&B music in Britain in the 1960s, gave the rock bands Procol Harum and Mott the Hoople their distinctive names, and co-produced The Clash's album London Calling.
Stevens was born in East Dulwich, London. His father died when he was six, and at the age of 11 he was enrolled at Woolverstone Hall boarding school near Ipswich. After being expelled for rebelliousness, he started work with his brother in the insurance industry, at the same time starting a record collection of blues and R&B records, imported from the U.S.. He married in 1962 and had a son the following year.
In 1963, he began running a weekly "R&B Disc Night" at the Scene Club in Soho, run by Ronan O'Rahilly, at which Stevens played often obscure Stax, Chess and Motown records, attracting a growing number of mod clubgoers and musicians, including members of The Who, The Small Faces, The Yardbirds, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. Stevens soon began compiling and annotating reissues and compilations of American records, particularly for EMI. He also started writing for the Record Mirror, and wrote the first UK press profiles of such musicians as Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf.
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