Tony Secunda
| Tony Secunda | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Anthony Michael Secunda |
| Born |
24 August 1940 Epsom, Surrey, England |
| Died | 12 February 1995 (aged 54) Tiburon, California, United States |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Manager, music publisher |
| Years active | Early 1960s–1995 |
| Labels | Various |
| Associated acts | The Moody Blues, Procol Harum, T. Rex, Steve Peregrin Took, Motörhead, Steeleye Span, Marianne Faithfull, The Pretenders |
Anthony Michael "Tony" Secunda (24 August 1940 - 12 February 1995) was an English manager of rock groups in the 1960s and 1970s, including The Moody Blues,Procol Harum,The Move, and T. Rex,Motörhead,Steeleye Span,Marianne Faithfull and the Pretenders.
He was born in Epsom, Surrey, England. According to Carl Wayne, the Move's vocalist, Secunda's business acumen and flair for publicity were a major factor in the group's success. "He dreamed up all the ideas, the stunts and the clothing – sending Blackberry pies with bottles of champagne for "Blackberry Way", doing a photo session at the fire station in Birmingham for "Fire Brigade" – and of course the Harold Wilson affair!"
The latter referred to Secunda's most controversial stunt, in which a cartoon postcard promoting the group's 1967 single, "Flowers in the Rain", featured a libellous drawing of Wilson, then Prime Minister. The group and management were sued, lost the case, and as part of the settlement had to relinquish all royalties in respect of the record to a charity of Wilson's choice - a ruling which they tried unsuccessfully to overturn after Wilson's death in 1995. The Move were unnerved by the experience, and fired Secunda as their manager shortly afterwards.
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