Colin Richardson interview - Colosseummanager who booked bands for Lanchester Poly Arts fests.

COLIN RICHARDSON

Interviewed by Trev Teasdel

Colin Richardson - Jazz bassist - Night Manager of The Marquee Club, Manager of Colosseum and The New Jazz Orchestra - BRON Music agent, Booking Agent for Coventry's Lanchester Poly Arts Festivals, International Manager of Charisma Records and Music Journalist and more!

What’s in a Name?

We all know the household names, the TV and recording stars, but the people who make all these things possible, who slog long hours behind the scenes to bring bands and artists to the fore often go unacknowledged. And yet they have some great stories, fascinating insights. Colin Richardson is one of ‘those’! He’s been a Jazz musician, a band leader, a venue organiser who worked with and encouraged the early Manfred Mann. He was night manager for the Marquee club, Rod Stewart, Long John Baldry, and Elton John forged their craft on stage on his watch. He was a booking agent for the BRON Music Agency, bringing some of the best future legends to Coventry Lanchester Polytechnic Arts Festival in the early 70’s, scooped the first ever live performance of Monty Python’s Flying Circus for Coventry Belgrade Theatre, managed the colossal Jon Hiseman’s Colosseum and The New Jazz Orchestra, has stories of Chris Farlowe, John Mayall, Pete Brown, Peter Green, Graham Bond, Jack Bruce and more. Edited Jon Hiseman’s biography Playing the Band. Was the international manager for Charisma Records, became a music journalist, interviewed the likes of Paul McCartney, Harry Nilsson, Genesis and more.

What follows is an extensive interview with Colin Richardson, which I did via a series of emails and phone calls in 2007 for Hobo—Coventry’s Music and Arts magazine and Website.

Enjoy -