Tony Fletcher

Tony Fletcher (born 27 April 1964) is a music journalist best known for his biographies of drummer Keith Moon and the band R.E.M..

Born in Yorkshire, England, Fletcher was inspired by the London punk rock movement and started a fanzine as a thirteen-year-old schoolboy which he named Jamming!. Founded in 1977 the magazine began as a school-printed fanzine and in 1978, with the fifth issue, featuring interviews with Paul Weller, Adam Ant and John Peel, adopted professional printing and wider distribution. From 1979-84, it was printed and partly distributed by Better Badges. Between 1978-83, Jamming! featured interviews with a range of artists that included Pete Townshend, Aztec Camera, Dexys Midnight Runners, The Damned, Delta 5, The Jam, Bill Nelson, Scritti Politti, Crass, the Au Pairs, Girls At Our Best, Tom Robinson, Alternative TV, The Homosexuals, The Selecter, The Beat, Dead Kennedys and more. In September 1983, Jamming! went bi-monthly, and later monthly. Artists featured in this later phase included The Smiths, U2, Billy Bragg, Julian Cope, Lloyd Cole, the Cocteau Twins, Echo and the Bunnymen, R.E.M., The Specials, Everything But The Girl, Madness and more. In January 1986, after 36 issues, the magazine shut down.