Jeff Kent (author)
| Jeff Kent | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | Jeffrey John William Kent 28 July 1951 Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent |
| Occupation | Academic, author, musician, campaigner and publisher |
| Nationality | English |
| Citizenship | Citizen of Mercia |
| Education | Degree in International Relations, 1973 |
| Alma mater | University of London, 1970–1973 |
| Subject | Port Vale F.C., Rock music, Eric Burdon, double sunsets, regionalist and Green politics, the environment and education |
| Notable works |
The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale The Last Poet: The Story Of Eric Burdon The Mysterious Double Sunset The Rise And Fall Of Rock Principles Of Open Learning Only One World (CD) |
| Relatives | Harry Poole (cousin) |
Jeffrey John William (Jeff) Kent (born 28 July 1951) is an English academic and musician, as well as most notably an author and historian.
Kent was born on 28 July 1951 in Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, England, and was educated at Hanley High School in Stoke-on-Trent. He gained an honours degree in International Relations from the University of London in 1973 and a postgraduate Certificate of Education from Crewe College of Higher Education in 1974.
Kent taught History and Geography at Maryhill Comprehensive School, in Kidsgrove, from 1974 to 1975 and at Leek College from 1976 to 1980. In 1980, he became a full-time lecturer in General Studies at Stoke-on-Trent Technical College, but halved his post in 1986 to enable him to spend more time on his creative work. In 1982, he established and co-ordinated the first Flexi-Study (Open Learning) course in Staffordshire and went on to tutor in History, Geography, Ecology and Sociology. In 1991, he began lecturing in English at Stoke on Trent College and later lectured there in History, Geography and International Perspectives. From 1994 to 2010, he lectured in Writing & Publishing and Creative Writing and from 2006 to 2010 served as the college's UCU branch secretary.
Kent became a freelance author in 1972 and wrote record reviews for Hard Graft magazine. In 1983, he published his first book, The Rise And Fall of Rock, a 484-page critical rock music history, which had taken him eight years to complete. It covered over 1,800 artists and 3,000 records as well as outlining the battle between the creative and business interests in the music industry. By then, he had also written an even bigger tome, a 634-page book of pop music lists, The British Charts, which was never published. In 1987, he published Principles of Open Learning, an examination of a radical, flexible and student-centred method of education. He then wrote the preface to and an essay on The Case for Open Learning for Routes to Change: A Collection of Essays for Green Education, which was published the following year. In 1989, he published a biography of Eric Burdon, the lead singer of The Animals, entitled The Last Poet: The Story Of Eric Burdon. Kent's book used detailed material from extensive interviews with Burdon and remains the only such biography of the famous vocalist.
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