Marc Bolan | |
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 Bolan in 1973 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mark Feld |
| Born | 30 September 1947 Homerton, London, England |
| Died | 16 September 1977 (aged 29) Barnes, London, England |
| Genres | |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1957–1977 |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | |
Marc Bolan (/ˈboʊlən/ BOH-lən; born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English guitarist, singer-songwriter and poet. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex.[1] Bolan strongly influenced artists of many genres, including glam rock, punk, post-punk, new wave, indie rock, Britpop and alternative rock. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020 as a member of T. Rex.[2]
In the late 1960s, he rose to fame as the founder and leader of the psychedelic folk band Tyrannosaurus Rex, with whom he released four critically acclaimed albums and had one minor hit "Debora". Bolan had started as an acoustic singer-writer before heading into electric music prior to the recording of T. Rex's first single "Ride a White Swan" which went to number two in the UK singles chart.[3] From 1970 to 1973, T. Rex encountered a popularity in the UK comparable to that of the Beatles, with a run of eleven top ten singles, four of which reached number one: "Hot Love", "Get It On", "Telegram Sam" and "Metal Guru". The 1971 album Electric Warrior, with all songs written by Bolan, received critical acclaim, reached number 1 in the UK and became a landmark album in glam rock. From 1973, he started marrying rock with other influences, including funk, soul, gospel, disco and R&B.
Bolan died in a car crash in 1977. A memorial stone and bust of Bolan, Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine, was unveiled at the site where he died in Barnes, London. His musical influence as guitarist and songwriter is profound; he inspired many later acts over the following decades. Bolan's March 1971 appearance on the BBC's music show Top of the Pops, wearing glitter on his face, performing the UK chart topper "Hot Love" is cited as the start of the glam rock movement.[4]
Music critic Ken Barnes called Bolan "the man who started it all".[5] The 1971 album Electric Warrior has been described by AllMusic as "the album that essentially kick-started the UK glam rock craze."[6] Producer Tony Visconti, who worked with Bolan during his heyday, stated: "What I saw in Marc Bolan had nothing to do with strings, or very high standards of artistry; what I saw in him was raw talent. I saw genius. I saw a potential rock star in Marc – right from the minute, the hour I met him."
- ^ Peraino, Judith (31 December 2006). Listening to the Sirens: Musical Technologies of Queer Identity from Homer to Hedwig. University of California Press. p. 229. ISBN 9780520215870 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Class of 2020". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ "Tony Visconti: 'What I saw in Marc Bolan was raw talent. I saw genius'. The Guardian. Retrieved 3 February 2019
- ^ Petridis, Alex (4 September 2020). "Why Marc Bolan was 'the perfect pop star', by Elton John, U2 and more". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ Barnes, Ken (March 1978). "The Glitter Era: Teenage Rampage". Bomp!. Retrieved 26 January 2019 – via Rock's Backpages.
- ^ Huey, Steve. "Electric Warrior – T. Rex". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 December 2014.