The Velvet Mafia: The Gay Men Who Ran the Swinging Sixties

by Darryl W. Bullock

Concentrating on the friendship between impresario Larry Parnes, Beatles manager Brian Epstein, and showbiz solicitor David Jacobs, the book details how they shaped the Swinging 60s, along with their associates including songwriter Lionel Bart (author of the hit musical Oliver! ), record producer Joe Meek, Sir Joseph Lockwood (the head of EMI), Vicki Wickham (manager of Dusty Springfield and assistant producer on the influential TV show Ready Steady Go ), and more. Drawing on rare and unpublished archive material, personal diaries, and new interviews from some of the survivors of that turbulent decade, The Velvia Mafia shows how—in the period leading up to the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality and the founding of the Gay Liberation movement—LGBT professionals in the music industry were working together, supporting each other, and changing history.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, LGBT, Queer Studies, Pop Culture, Biography

368 pages, Hardcover

First published February 25, 2021

About the author

Described as ‘a veritable Bard of the bent, broken and Baroque’ by Andy Partridge (XTC), Darryl W. Bullock is a writer, publisher and editor, specialising in music and the arts.

He has written for publications including The Bath Chronicle, Venue, Folio, The Spark, The Bath Magazine, Essentially Catering, My Wiltshire, We Are Family magazine, Good Bristol, B-24/7, 3Sixty, The Pink Paper and The Western Daily Press. He has been profiled in The Guardian, The Sunday Times and GT and has featured on BBC One (The Big Questions), C4 (Come Dine With Me) and on numerous local and national radio and TV programmes. He is also the publisher of The Green Guide to Bristol and Bath, the annual guide to ethical living for the West Country.

Darryl is the author of The World’s Worst Records (Volumes 1 and 2) and Florence Foster Jenkins: the Life of the World’s Worst Opera Singer (Duckworth-Overlook, 2016), singled out as ‘delightfully cheering' by bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith in the Guardian. His latest work, David Bowie Made Me Gay: 100 Years of LGBT Music, will be issued in September 2017. He posts weekly on his popular blog, The World’s Worst Records (www.worldsworstrecords.co.uk).

—https://www.facebook.com/pg/darrylwbu...

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have long thought that somebody should write a biography of Larry Parnes and so was delighted to come across this. Author Darryl W. Bullock does not concentrate solely on Parnes, but also weaves the stories of others involved in the world of entertainment in the Sixties; including Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, producer Joe Meek, Lionel Bart (of ‘Oliver!’ fame), and managers Robert Stigwood, Andrew Loog Oldham, Simon Napier-Bell and others, whose careers, and lives, interlinked.

For me, the two central figures are Parnes and Epstein. Both brought up with comfortable backgrounds, whose families ran their own businesses, both Jewish, and both homosexual, during a time when it was illegal and had to be hidden. Parnes, of course, ran his stable of stars, including Tommy Steele, Marty Wilde, Billy Fury and the disappointingly named, Johnny Gentle, who a fledgling Beatles accompanied on a tour of Scotland.

Nicknamed, ‘Mr Parnes, Shillings and Pence,” Parnes was sniped at by the press, who gleefully hinted at his homosexuality – interviewing his stable of young men sitting on his sofa, while Peter Sellers satirised him as, ‘Major Rafe Ralph,” on his album, ‘Songs for Swingin’s Selllers.’ Parnes was uninterested in signing the Beatles, but Epstein, making the short trip from his record shop to the Cavern, was entranced. Parnes was helpful as the Beatles first found success, but once they exploded into worldwide fame, his statements in the press sounded a little bitter – including his constant refrain that Beat Groups were on the way out and that he questioned many in New York who thought little of the Beatles…

This is a fascinating glimpse into the entertainment world of the Sixties; looking mainly at pop management – although there is also much about David Jacobs, lawyer to Parnes and, later, most of the Sixties stars, and others, such as the head of EMI, Sir Joseph Lockwood, the Krays and the unpredictable, genius producer, Joe Meek, who intersected in those years. It is also, of course, a story of how the – mainly men – involved in the entertainment business had to hide their sexuality and the constant danger of being attacked, blackmailed or arrested,

Larry Parnes was the first British manager who became a celebrity in his own right, while Brian Epstein enjoyed the status that accompanied the, ever increasing, fame of ‘his boys.’ Parnes was adept at repackaging the young singers he discovered and sending them on endless tours, as well as trying to push them into other areas, so they could become all round entertainers. Both Parnes, and Brian, managed many artists, while Epstein might have been wiser to have concentrated his attention on the Beatles. However, both men had a personal investment in the stars they managed; with Parnes, for example, trying to find Billy Fury a niche, long after his career had taken a dive and Epstein, despite some bad business decisions, doing his utmost to protect the Beatles, as their stars continued to rise.

As the Sixties grew older, music and social attitudes were changing. Homosexuality between two consenting men became legal. Drug use became widespread and many lost their life to the excess of the times. Overall, a fascinating read of an era full of change, talent and optimism, as well as excess, overindulgence and shifting social attitudes. I have read this in March, but undoubtedly, it will be one of my reads of the year.

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had my own record shop, I would name the shop after Darryl W. Bullock’s book “The Velvet Mafia.” In my shop, instead of having sections or categories on artists, I would have Larry Parnes, Brian Epstein, Joe Meek, Robert Stigwood, Simon Napier-Bell, and Andrew Loog Oldham sections. Since these gentlemen are not recording artists but managers and producers, it will focus on their pop music view. Mostly gay, when being gay was illegal in England up until 1967, these figures articulate and sold generations music that was essential and sometimes bad. Here, bad is a sign of genius. All above are strong visionaries in how they sold a product - usually good-looking males, with occasionally questionable music talents, and artists of great importance and brilliance.

Due to the laws and the straight world, LGBT professionals had to work publicly and secretively. Managers like Larry Parents and Brian Epstein came from Jewish working-class families who had retail shops. Both tried to enter the show biz world as entertainers or actors but realized that they could go into showbiz through promoter and manager. For Parnes, his ‘yes’ moment was seeing the teenage Tommy Steele in a Solo coffee house and Epstein visiting the Liverpool Cavern to see the future Fab Four. Both saw the future, and especially Parnes invented homegrown British orientated rock n’ roll. The Beatles, of course, became a planet to themselves.

The book covers many grounds, but the focus is on Parnes, Epstein, Meek, Stigwood, and songwriter Lionel Bart. Each figure has other personalities circling them, and eventually, they mixed with the others. There are other managers/visionaries such as Andrew Loog Oldham and Simon Napier-Bell. Still, they will get their own book, or there will be a sequel to this perfect volume. I love pop music because it must be part of a more extensive culture or society. The Gay world so secretive, even with their own language at times, Polari, which is traced back to the 19th-century, and possibly to the 16th. It is a form of can’t slang that only insiders can understand. Here the Managers/Promoters made marketing decisions to create a product that appeals to the Gay’s sensibility and the screaming female fan market. Parnes is not a music person, but he realized that Rock n’ Roll needed its own platform in England and not shared with clowns, jugglers, and comedians. The roots of music hall culture will not disappear but transform into British rock n’ roll packaged tours. At times even great American artists such as Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, and Buddy Holly would be part of the big show. This cross-continental programming fueled the imagination and desires of British youth. Many of the musicians from the British Invasion have seen Buddy, Eddie, and Gene.

At the beginning of his career, who would have thought Robert Stigwood would end up being the king of showbiz. Managing Cream and Bee Gees, or the talented Lionel Bart, would lose all his dough. Parnes rarely made financial mistakes, and at times Epstein was overwhelmed with problems of narcotics, a hard love life, and finances that went totally out of his control. The 1960s was in consistent motion. I think this was the force that led these gentlemen to use their desires to make money (always the concern) and forge a new liberating culture.

Darryl W. Bullock’s “The Velvet Mafia” is a well-documented look at that decade. With the skill of a historian/journalist, he captures these figures in motion and all the byproducts of that landscape. Here you get the Kray Twins and the voices of the young British artists as their lives being changed by these business and social visionaries. Joe Meek’s sad narration is told here as well. It’s a fantastic story of a man struggling with his place in society and being a genius in his field of record production. Kimley and I discuss and interview Bullock on his book on our podcast Book Musik. It will be up on March 15, 2021. In fact you can hear it here: Book Musik podcast

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Darryl Bullock's The Velvet Mafia is a winding list of names of men who knew men who knew men who managed the Beatles.

Brian Epstein, Larry Parnes, and a slew of other gay men were the managers who made the Beatles and other British pop stars of the 60s who they were. Much as one would imagine, these men made the Rock N' Roll 60s as much as they made the men. Each one ran afoul of money troubles, drug addictions, and fame they just couldn't grasp for long.

Unfortunately to truly enjoy this book readers will already need to have a detailed and microcosmic knowledge of the 60s British music scene. Bullock introduces lists of names of people and in many cases describes and details people only on the basis of who they knew. This makes the book incomprehensible in some parts and a true slog in others. As much as I love cultural history and queer history, this one just strayed too far from the path.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The other reviews of the book are spot on. I can only add that while the various producers and managers depicted had a proclivity for "adventure" that was trouble bound, I was intrigued by the detail of how close producers like Joe Meek might have been to working with the Beatles. The early Apple Records anecdotes are fun too, especially the exchange about David Bowie being rejected by the label.

[Kimley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tosh and I discuss this with author Darryl W. Bullock on our Book Musik podcast.

Rock ‘n’ roll as we know it would not exist if not for this group of gay men in the U.K. during the late fifties and sixties fondly referred to as “The Velvet Mafia.” Larry Parnes, Brian Epstein, Joe Meek, Lionel Bart, and Robert Stigwood are some of the major players in this book who left an indelible mark on the pop/rock world. At a time in the U.K. when being gay was illegal and when pop music could only be heard from pirate radio stations, they managed to push the needle forward and open up a culture that allowed us all to swing!

[Vansa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book my husband gets me for my birthday usually ends up being my favourite book that year. This year was no exception.
I love the music of the 60s because the decade started with the bubblegum pop of Sandie Shaw and Billy Fury, and as it went on, you can see musical styles evolving-by the end of the decade you had the psychedelic stylings of Syd Barret! This book is about some of the people who shaped London when it was swinging in the 60s-men who saw that there was a substantial demographic of teenagers, who were entering jobs at a young age since their parents couldn't send them to college for further education, and who had some disposable money to spend. They didn't want to listen to the crooners their parents listened to, Elvis was all the rage across the pond, and men like Larry Parnes, Robert Stigwood, Andrew Loog Oldham ,among others, stepped in to fill this demand. Bullock has chapters for each of these managers/impresarios/songwriters/producers, and explores how they created popstars and a new sort of performer-young people who could play their instruments, and who, in many instances, wanted to be involved with creating the music as well. A lot of young people were moving to London, from all over the country for work:Tommy Steele, for instance, was spotted by Lionel Bart and Larry Parnes performing at a club in Soho, when he was on shore leave from his job on the Cunard line. Apart from being able to spot talent, these managers/producers were able to nurture that talent too, and match them with the right recording artists and songwriters. They maintained a rather Svengali-esque control though-Larry Parnes, for instance, didn’t like any of the performers he managed to get involved in romantic entanglements ( he tried very hard to break up Marty Wilde and Joyce Baker, both of whom he managed, till he realised it could make for good publicity!). The singers were treated like workhorses-punishing touring schedules with barely any time for their voices to recover. Bullock links this to increasing drug use-some performers turned to alcohol and cocaine just to get them from one gig to another. He doesn’t hesitate to explore the dark side of all this overwork for some singers, who found being thrust into the spotlight suddenly unnerving and difficult, and weren’t given the help they would have needed to cope with it. They weren’t paid very well either-keeping them dependant on the managers was a good way of ensuring full control. It’s not surprising that all of them idolised Colonel Tom parker, who created this template! On the other hand, without these managers, the singers would not have had this opportunity at all! It’s fascinating to read of how this industry grew in England-till then they had been content to get American acts to perform. There really was no template for them to follow, and since they were figuring it up as they went along, there was a brotherhood of sorts with everyone chipping in to help each other out in a pinch-- a camaraderie I’m not sure exists now, when contracts are probably legally a lot more watertight, everything seems a lot more corporatized, and lot more soulless!
The men Bullock writes about all had to keep their sexual preferences secret, something that must have taken a toll on them. They were also subject to exploitation by unscrupulous policemen who targeted vulnerable men: this was when homosexuality was still a crime in England. The most tragic, of course, is the story of Brian Epstein. A large part of the book is devoted to him-arguably the most influential, and most successful talent-spotter/manager in the world at the time! ( or since, for that matter) . I wouldn’t have minded less attention devoted to him since he’s already much written about, and the others in the book are just as interesting, but that’s a minor quibble about a thoughtful, sometimes moving and compelling book.

[John Holmes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bullock's book provides a largely linear portrait of an interconnected group of gay men who ran the careers of many of the 1960s biggest music stars. It's a detailed study that brings in much else from the era, including the Krays, fashion, the stage musicals that was many of the central characters' other love, and the general shifts in attitudes towards homosexuality over the era.

It is that writing about homosexuality that often feels most powerful. When Bullock sets his subjects against changing law and mores, and occasionally tries to argue that the men themselves were part of the drivers of change, the book starts to feel alive.

At other times, it risks descending into a long lost of micro-narratives that are often interesting but struggle to cohere into a larger story and are difficult to follow as a result. Some of the main focus gets lost as a result, we get stories of arrests, blackmail, secret affairs but never enough time spent on this to really analyse of put it in context.

Part of this is the largely chronological structure of the chapters. Although they often jump around in time, trying to fit very disparate stories into a single chapter means the chapters feel disjointed and don't seem to have a coherent theme.

The characters do emerge clearly though. Larry Parnes as an innovator who found a way to package rock 'n' roll in Britain, fleeced his acts while believing he cared for them, but eventually struggled to spot the changes from individuals to groups. Lionel Bart as the wunderkind of theatre but struggling in other ways, particularly with money. Joe Meek as a complex mix of innovator and technically ropey sound, always struggling to reach Parnes level of success. Epstein and his close relationship to the Beatles.

Out of this also come a sense of how badly many of the musicians themselves were treated - in some cases Bullock seems to be suggesting the poor management contributed to deaths, particularly in the case of Eddie Cochran. Inevitably the damage wrought by drugs plays a key role, and Bullock is careful to show how the pills and marijuana of the 60s gave way, as did his subjects (those still alive), to cocaine and a more business-like management style in the 70s.

Bullock is less consistent in actually writing about the music, perhaps not his interest. Perhaps the strongest sense that comes out is the shift from individuals to groups and also the complexity of John Lennon who, at times, is violent, ambiguous about his own sexuality, off-hand and (in current terms) strikingly dehumanising about Epstein's, and generally an unpleasant character.

Also mildly irritating is Bullock's habit of questioning every suicide and suggesting foul play - often after making clear the person in question was suffering significant mental health problems. It's unclear to me how seriously we should take these questions but it generally reads like Bullock wants to insert a slightly gossipy air of mystery into these deaths. It's out of keeping with the rest of book.

Overall, an interesting read but lacking in a clear narrative.

[David Roundsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very educational read for people interested in the back stories behind the music scene. Very exhaustive and detailed, almost too detailed. Some names are brought up, Marty Wilde as an example, along with a very brief mention of his first daughter, Kim. Kim went on to major stardom in the UK as well as scoring a #1 in the US with her version of "You Keep Me Hanging On." It would have been interesting had there been a bit more detail on how Marty transitioned into co-writing Kim's first hit, "Kids in America" with his son, and Kim's brother, Ricky. A definite study for people interested in music management, and the origins of some of the biggest names in music.

[Jon Zelazny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each chapter at least opens with a specific situation, but within five or six paragraphs, Bullock is back to flailing about in the ancient queer gossip stew. Worse, he rarely mentions whether all this forgotten music had merit, leading me to think it doesn't. YouTube'd the much-lauded instrumental "Telstar," for instance, and my god, it sounds like the roller rink from Hell.

Those interested in Swinging London behind-the-music should check out Johnny Rogan's better organized 'Starmakers & Svengalis' instead.

[Nick Spacek · Rating 4 out of 5]

not only the story of many of the gay men who made some of britain's finest rock 'n' roll talent possible -- such as larry parnes, brian epstein, and joe meek -- but also the story of changes in british social mores, the rise of rock music, and even the evolution of popular live entertainment. there's a lot going on, but bullock deftly weaves everything into a fascinating tale.

[Martin Castle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an excellent book I can’t rate it highly enough. I didn’t know anything about the impact of gay men and women on music in the late 50s and 60s but this book brings it to life! All set against homophobic laws and opinions across the period that made it such a challenge for these men and women. The research is meticulous with so much detail it’s brilliant. Buy it and just dive in!

[Steve Erickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good at showing how miserable being a gay man was in '60s Britain, but it's just a rundown of the (mostly tragic) lives of gay rock music managers/producers like Brian Epstein, Joe Meek and Kit Lambert with no real analysis about how their queerness influenced the culture of the time.

[Shakespete · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m astonished that a book with such an exciting premise could be this boring.

[Graeme Whitton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fairly enjoyable but didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know and a lot of it seemed to be focused on gossip. A pass mark but it promised more than it delivered.

[Nicole Marie]

This book seemed pretty good, but I wouldn't recommend it for those who don't have a decent grounding in the who's who of rock and music in the 60s. I'll read just about anything - lighthouse, bones, earthquakes, politics, environmental, history, whatever - but I was in too far over my head here. I did not meet the prerequisite knowledge for this book.

If you're knowledgeable about music, give this a shot. The writing seemed good from the bit that I made it through and if you already have a strong interest in the subject matter, even better!