Dave Robinson, co-founder of Stiff Records and 1 of the music industry’s true legends, responsible for launching the careers of some of the biggest UK’s biggest names such as Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, Kirsty McColl, Madness and the Pogues, will appear at Quay Arts in Newport on Friday 12th May.
Dave will be at Quay Arts for his 1 man show, sharing stories and insights of his exciting career. You can also enjoy live music from the popular X-Directory in the café before the talk.
As a teenage music photographer in Dublin to the owner of the 1st ever Beat club in Ireland, Dave Robinson was intertwined with music from the beginning. He took pictures for Rave magazine at the Cavern with the Beatles, documented the Rolling Stones’ 1st tour of Ireland; He befriended and briefly managed Van Morrison. He was then dropped in the deep end on his 1st trip to America becoming Jimi Hendrix’s Road and Tour manager with Pink Floyd, The Nice and The Move.
Moving in with Jimi and Noel Reading to their London pad he continued to tour with The Experience across America and the world until just before Jimi’s untimely death. With a taste for the often-perilous circuit that was music touring, Dave would go on to be involved in a number of major tours including but not limited to The Animals, The Young Rascals and the Vanilla Fudge while partying and meeting characters along the way such as The Grateful Dead, Janice Joplin, The Who, Jim Morrison and the Doors.
Dave would take all this roadside education with him on his journey into proper artist management, something he witnessed being done very poorly for a lot of musicians. Creating a 35 strong list of pubs across London where his acts Brinsley Schwartz, Graham Parker, Nick Lowe, Dave Edmonds, Ian Dury and Elvis Costello could play.
Dave went to build a recording with Jake Riviera above his favourite pub The Hope and Anchor in Islington where he would record artists such as Elvis Costello and Mike and the Mechanics. All this experience would lead to Stiff Records and signings of legendary acts.
Dave has been at the helm or in the mix of the most exciting and important musical developments and he is still active in the music industry as a consultant for various labels and projects – from Van Morrison for EMI to the Gregory Isaacs for Universal.
You can book tickets at www.quayarts.org or call the Box Office on 01983 822490. Tickets cost £14 in advance or £16 at the door.
