Mr Music Man: The Life and Times of a Music Promoter Book

By the age of 21 Mervyn was running his own drinking club in Soho's Gerrard Street frequented by a young crowd of soon to be pop stars actors business tycoons and criminals. After joining forces with the legendary agent Joe Collins (father of Joan and Jackie partner of Lew and Lesley Grade) he staged the first Beatles Christmas shows and went on to work with virtually all the pop and rock and roll acts of the time (he was running the tour where P.J. Proby infamously split his trousers) before spotting the potential of bringing country and western music to England and setting up the giant Country and Western Festival at Wembley. For many years Mervyn's festival brought all the great country names to Europe including Tammy Wynette Dolly Parton Crystal Gayle etc. He was particularly friendly with Johnny Cash. He also staged West End shows and brought the Red Army to London during the Cold War (along with many other Eastern European shows) and staged Marlene Dietrich's farewell tour.One of the few English showmen to have dined at Ten Downing Street The White House and the Kremlin Mervyn now 75 years old recently fathered a new baby and is planning a new show for the West End with Andrew Lloyd Webber. His story spans modern show business from the age-old traditions of Variety through the revolution caused by the arrival of television and pop music.