Peter Grant (music manager)

Peter Grant
Background information
Birth namePeter Grant
Born(1935-04-05)5 April 1935
OriginSouth Norwood, London, England
Died21 November 1995(1995-11-21) (aged 60)
Eastbourne, Sussex, England
OccupationMusic manager
Years active1963–1995
Formerly ofLed Zeppelin, the Yardbirds, the Jeff Beck Group, Terry Reid, the New Vaudeville Band, Bad Company, Maggie Bell, the Nashville Teens, Stone the Crows
Websiteledzeppelin.com

Peter Grant (5 April 1935 – 21 November 1995) was an English music manager, best known as the manager of Led Zeppelin from their creation in 1968 to their breakup in 1980.[1] With his intimidating size and weight, confrontational manner, knowledge and experience, Grant was able to procure strong and unprecedented deals for Led Zeppelin, and is widely credited with improving pay and conditions for all musicians in dealings with concert promoters.[2] Grant has been described as "one of the shrewdest and most ruthless managers in rock history".[3]

Born and largely brought up in the south London suburb of South Norwood, England by his mother, he worked variously as a stagehand, bouncer, wrestler, bit-part actor, and UK tour manager for acts such as Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent and the Animals, before getting involved briefly in band management with the Nashville Teens and the Yardbirds.[4][5]

He was also a record executive for Swan Song Records.

  1. ^ Chris Welch (24 November 1995). "OBITUARY:Peter Grant". independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022.
  2. ^ Eduardo Rivadavia (21 November 2015). "The Life and Death of Led Zeppelin Manager Peter Grant". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  3. ^ Australian Broadcasting Corporation – Triple J Music Specials – Led Zeppelin (first broadcast 12 July 2000)
  4. ^ Paul Henderson (5 April 2017). ""If somebody had to be trod on, they got trod on": a classic interview with Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant". Classic Rock.
  5. ^ Chris Welch (15 December 2009). Peter Grant: The Man Who Led Zeppelin. Omnibus Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-85712-100-4.