Peter Grant & Queen

[MHD]

Just read part of an interview with Paul Rodgers, were he spoke of a meeting at Swan Song offices between Grant and Queen, when Queen were auditioning (strange word to use but that's what it said in the article) prospective managers ( I would presume after the Norman Sheffield episode). Rodgers doesn't elaborate any further, which has left me wondering how serious this meeting was. Could there of been a real chance that Grant could've been their manager?

[SteveAJones]

Could there of been a real chance that Grant could've been their manager?

IMHO, the possibility would have been remote at best given his existing commitments; it is far more likely Queen were simply seeking his advice thru consultation.

It is a little known fact that Col Tom Parker, whom managed Elvis Presley, contacted Peter to inquire on his receptiveness to handling a prospective UK tour for Elvis. Col Parker never arranged/managed any overseas tours himself because (unknown at the time, even to Elvis) Parker had originally immigrated illegally to the United States and assumed a new name. Applying for a visa/traveling beyond the United States would have been put Parker's status at risk of discovery by immigration officials.

[SteveAJones]

Goldmine - Sept 14 2007

Pretty Things talk Peter Grant, Queen

Peter Grant, former manager of Led Zeppelin, Bad Company and the Yardbirds, had a reputation as a formidable negotiator. Actually, that might be the understatement of the year.

The man was a pit bull, according to rock lore. But, there was a reason for his domineering ways.

In a recent interview with Goldmine, Phil May, lead singer and harmonica player for the British Invasion, R&B ne'r-do-wells The Pretty Things, was reminiscing about the time his band was being wooed by Led Zeppelin's new label, Swan Song, when his thoughts turned to Grant. Eventually, the Pretties would be the label's first signing.

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant had approached May about a possible record deal. Swan Song — launched in 1974 — was still just an idea, but it was gaining traction.

"They actually said to me they'd been approached by Atlantic to put this label together, and they were very suspicious of that," says May. "They said, 'We don't want to do an Apple, where they're using our name to just make another arm of Atlantic,' you know?"

Zeppelin wanted full artistic control. Page and Plant were adamant that they be able to sign artists they wanted for the label, according to May.

At the time, the Pretties had a one-album deal with Warner's to complete, but once that obligation was met, they were free agents.

"I have a lot of respect for Jimmy and Robert, and Jimmy played on our second album," says May. "I mean, we go back a long way. And bit by bit, they'd kind of bump into me, and [said], 'It's looking more likely,' and 'Yeah, I think we got control.'"

May had one stipulation: he wanted Grant, who was heading up the label, to manage the Pretties.

"I knew nobody could take him on," says May, "and I thought, 'How are we going to negotiate a deal with Peter with some young kid who doesn't know his elbow from his ass and not get taken to the cleaners,' not that Peter would take us to the cleaners. But I just felt, "F**k, if we're going to be in this company, and Peter, very reluctantly [agreed}."

At first, Grant, according to May, responded, "Oh f**k, I don't need that. I've got Led Zeppelin." But, he relented, and, as May recounts, sort of managed all the bands that signed to Swan Song.

May said that people hated Grant " ... because he would kill for his artists," because he'd seen artists "get shafted" in dealings before coming to power in the music industry. "It kind of completely colored Peter," says May.

Having Grant as manager was a comforting feeling for the Pretties. May remembers one time, when the band arrived for a show in San Francisco, Bill Graham was backstage making sure everything was in order.

"We got there, like we do, about three or four (p.m.), ... and Bill was backstage and in the dressing room, and he's saying, 'Are the flowers okay? What about the food? Is the food okay?'" says May. "And he's sort of fussing around, and I said, 'Bill, you're not normally here when bands show up, are you? I mean, you have a staff, haven't you?' Well, he said, "I just know that bloody Peter Grant ... if I find ... ' and then he says to me [that Peter said], "Whatever you find, you look after my boys when they get there,' and so he was down there early. And you know, it was great, because that's the kind of person Peter was. I mean, [bill] knew his relationship with Peter was ... you know, we weren't Led Zeppelin, but we were one of Peter's artists, and [Graham] said, 'I don't want you telling Peter on the phone that I've let anything sip in any way.' But I said, 'Don't worry, Bill.'"

That night, interestingly enough, the opening band was one who would eventually take the arena-rock world by storm. As May recalls, though, they weren't quite ready for prime time.

"The funny thing was, who was opening up for us — which absolutely bowled us over, because I'd never seen a support band with so much pyrotechnics and shenanigans — was Queen," says May. "They were really bad, but they had all this stuff going on, and it's like, you know, when you go watch support bands, and sometimes they're very good and sometimes they're not so good, but with them we went, 'F**king hell, they're a support band, and they've got all this stuff and lights and explosions.' It was amazing, and about six months afterward, it all happened for them."

[SteveAJones]

Some anecdotes relate Peter offered to manage Queen with the understanding they would sign to Swan Song, but since Queen wanted to sign to a major label they declined.

[SteveAJones]

09-14-2008 - Sunday Sun - A union of rock royalty

FOR Paul Rodgers, singing in 1970s super-group Free just wasn't enough.

After the band's demise in 1973, three years after their biggest hit All Right Now, the Middlesbrough-born vocalist went on to form another chart-topping band, Bad Company.

The band released a string of international hit albums, while singles such as Can't Get Enough and Feel Like Making Love — a US chart-topper — can still be heard on the radio to this day.

The rest of the 1980s saw Rodgers kick-start a successful solo career and team up with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page in The Firm.

He might have earned a break from music by the time the 1990s rolled around, but he got involved in another band, The Law, and jammed with the world's best-known rock musicians for one-off concerts and musical tributes.

Now he's lending his world-famous voice to another band, touring the world and, tomorrow, releasing an album of new material, The Cosmos Rocks, under the name Queen plus Paul Rodgers.

During their illustrious career, Queen were one of the biggest bands in the world, largely thanks to larger-than-life frontman Freddie Mercury.

Paul, however, is known for his bluesy vocals and — during his time with Free and Bad Company especially — famous for a no-frills approach to music and performing.

Paul singing with Queen might seem an unlikely union but, as he's keen to point out, it works.

"There was never really a long-term plan with this whole thing," said Paul, in his US-tinged Middlesbrough accent. "We did a TV show together. I sang with Brian May and Roger Taylor. We did a couple of Queen songs, and then did one of my songs. It started after that, when Brian asked me if I'd like to sing with them on a couple of European shows, as Queen plus Paul Rodgers, just for a bit of fun.

"A couple of shows turned into a full-blown European tour, which then developed into a worldwide tour. It's taken on its own momentum."

This happened in late 2004. Since then, the band and Paul have toured the world and released DVDs of their concerts, all the while readying themselves for perhaps the biggest challenge . . . recording new music.

The Cosmos Rocks sees a slight change in direction from the Queen we all know and love.

Paul's rootsy influence, as well as his unmistakeable voice, is all over the album, while May and Taylor provide harder, rockier backing than anything we heard on Queen's last few albums.

Current single C-lebrity mocks today's fame-hungry culture, while Voodoo and Warboys in particular feature Paul's finest vocals of recent years.

"Voodoo was a song I had already when I came into the studio," explained Paul, who looks much younger than his 58 years.

"We really just jammed on it and then recorded the second or third take. It ended up being quite a sparse song with not much instrumentation on it, and, dare I say it, very bluesy, very loose. We didn't know what we were going to do or sound like, so we were just playing to see what came up. Some of the songs on the album are different; some are very natural and organic, like Voodoo, but there are others that are beautifully produced, too."

Of course, as impressive as The Cosmos Rocks is, it's difficult to comprehend Queen without Freddie Mercury, who passed away of an Aids-related illness in 1991.

It was Mercury's showmanship that made Queen what they were, together with his operatic voice and songwriting. No one could replace him but, as the affable Paul points out, that's not the point of the new music.

"In my mind, this is two forces joining together," explained Paul. "No one is trying to take Freddie's place, no one ever could. I accept that.

"The most important thing for me is the music, it always has been."

Strangely for artists so big during the same era, before Paul and Brian's meeting a number of years ago, Paul had only met the other members of Queen once before.

Paul explained: "I saw them briefly on a stairway once, when they were looking for a manager. They were talking to Peter Grant, who managed me and Led Zeppelin at the time.

"They were coming out of his office, and we bumped into one another."

----------------------------------------------

Minneapolis Star-Tribune

The New King of Queen: Paul Rodgers is comfortable on Queen's throne, but knows he can't take the place of Freddie Mercury.

by John Bream

*(excerpt)*

Rodgers didn't really know Mercury, although he met him once when Queen was "auditioning" Rodgers' manager, the legendary Peter Grant. "We said, 'Hello, how's it going, etc?' They informed me that they were big fans of Free."

-----------------------------------------------

Chicago Sun-Times

Queen (Wanna)bes

March 17, 2006

by Jim DeRogatis

(*excerpt* - interview with Brian May)

Q. Brian, I think American fans of a certain age assume that all English rock stars know each other, and they probably gather once a year at some fancy club in London. How did you first meet Paul Rodgers?

A. Ooh, that's going back. I know we said hi when we went to [Led Zeppelin and Bad Company manager] Peter Grant's office to talk about management, and Paul was just leaving and that was it. But Paul was a hero of ours -- we wouldn't have said that much more to him really. He is the same age as us, but Free was out there at such a young age conquering the world, it's incredible. [Guitarist] Paul Kossoff is a great hero to me and still is.

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This from Schools-Wikipedia:

In 1975, the band left for a world tour with each member in Zandra Rhodes-created costumes and banks of lights and effects. They toured the US, headlining for the first time, and played in Canada for the first time in April. Also at this time, the band's manager Jim Beach negotiated the band out of their Trident contract. They considered options, one of whom was Led Zeppelin's manager, Peter Grant. Grant wanted them to sign with Led Zeppelin's own production company, Swan Song Records.

This was unacceptable to Queen, so instead they contacted Elton John's manager, John Reid, who accepted the position.

[badgeholder]

I don't get how Queen could be opening for the Pretty Things (on Swan Song). They were already huge headliners by that time.

[MHD]

Thanks for all the info. Interesting.

[reids]

Yes. Queen signed with Trident for recording (between 71-73) and worked with some of the same people Bowie did (recording on the others off-time, which meant overnights and when others cancelled). They were managed by John Reid (who Freddie wrote about in "Death on Two Legs" (from A Day At The Races" album).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Reid_(music)

They originally signed with Trident studios to make Queen I and then almost signed with Chrysalis records (which would have made them very rich but later decided to sign with EMI (with John Reid as manager, who left them after 3 albums recorded with little or nothing). They split from Reid and got new management with EMI and signed with Elektra in the US. Now they are signed with Hollywood Records (since 1991) in the US , which is owned by Universal Music Group.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_band

R

[reids]

...

R

[reids]

duplicate post (my apology)

R

[MHD]

Yes. Queen signed with Trident for recording (between 71-73) and worked with some of the same people Bowie did (recording on the others off-time, which meant overnights and when others cancelled). They were managed by John Reid (who Freddie wrote about in "Death on Two Legs" (from A Day At The Races" album).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Reid_(music)

They originally signed with Trident studios to make Queen I and then almost signed with Chrysalis records (which would have made them very rich but later decided to sign with EMI (with John Reid as manager, who left them after 3 albums recorded with little or nothing). They split from Reid and got new management with EMI and signed with Elektra in the US. Now they are signed with Hollywood Records (since 1991) in the US , which is owned by Universal Music Group.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_band

R

Reid, I believe John Reid managed Queen from '75-'78. Their earlier management was Trident, in particular Norman Sheffield. He is the one who is the subject of Death on Two Legs (from A Night At The Opera)

[reids]

Yes. You are correct. I started my response and skipped around a bit.

R

[bga]

Reid, I believe John Reid managed Queen from '75-'78. Their earlier management was Trident, in particular Norman Sheffield. He is the one who is the subject of Death on Two Legs (from A Night At The Opera)

So that's who that song was all about. Queen's ANATO is one of the first albums I owned as a teen.

It's always a pleasure to read about info I didn't know before. Thanks Miss Honeydripper, Reids and of course Steve.