Jonathan King

For other people named Jonathan King, see Jonathan King (disambiguation).

Jonathan King
photograph
King in 2007
Born
Kenneth George King

(1944-12-06) 6 December 1944 (age 79)[1]
Marylebone, London, England
EducationCharterhouse School
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge
Occupations
  • Record producer
  • singer-songwriter
  • music entrepreneur
  • TV presenter
Years active1965–2001
Known forPop music, discovery of Genesis, early 10cc and Bay City Rollers hits, sex offences
Notable work"Everyone's Gone to the Moon" (1965) and other singles
TelevisionEntertainment USA (BBC)
AwardsMusic Industry Trusts Award, 1997[2]
WebsiteKingofhits.com

Jonathan King (born Kenneth George King; 6 December 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He first came to prominence in 1965 when "Everyone's Gone to the Moon", a song that he wrote and sang while still an undergraduate, achieved chart success.[3] King's career in the music industry was effectively ended in 2001, when he was convicted of sexually abusing five teenage boys.

King discovered and named the rock band Genesis in 1967, producing their first album From Genesis to Revelation. He founded his own label UK Records in 1972. He released and produced songs for 10cc and the Bay City Rollers. In the 1970s King became known for hits that he performed and/or produced under different names, including "Johnny Reggae", "Loop di Love", "Sugar, Sugar", "Hooked on a Feeling", "Una Paloma Blanca" and "It Only Takes a Minute"; between September 1971 and 1972 he produced 6 top 30 singles in the UK.[4][failed verification]

In the 1980s King appeared on radio and television in the UK, including on the BBC's Top of the Pops and Entertainment USA. In 1990-91 he produced the Brit Awards and in 1997 he selected and produced the winning British entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, "Love Shine a Light" by Katrina and the Waves.[5]

In September 2001, King was convicted of child sexual abuse and sentenced to seven years in prison for having sexually assaulted five boys, aged 14 and 15, in the 1980s.[6] In November 2001, he was acquitted of 22 similar charges.[7] He was released on parole in March 2005.[8] A further trial for sexual offences against teenage boys resulted in several not guilty verdicts and the trial being abandoned in June 2018.[9][10]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference walker was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference MITAward was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Eder was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "King Forms U.K. Records," Billboard, 9 September 1972, 32.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC24Nov2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Jonathan King jailed for child sex abuse". The Guardian. London. 21 November 2001.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference apology was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Jonathan King freed from prison", BBC News, 29 March 2005.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2018_trial was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Finkelstein, Daniel (15 August 2018). "Trials of Jonathan King should worry us all". The Times. London. Retrieved 25 August 2018.