Peter Grant:: The Man Who Led Zeppelin

He was big. He was intimidating. He was a godsend to an industry dominated by the promoters and not the artists who were grossly expoited by them. Peter Grant was to Led Zep what a great driver is to a race car: the difference between winning or hitting the wall in turn four. Good management is essential for any artistic endeavor; otherwise it spins out of control under the weight of the artists' emotional involvement. Peter Grant allowed the musicians to make musical decisions without his interference while he tended to the important matters of the bottom line. He bullied and cajoled, but the objects of his abuse were overdue...But his hubris came with a price: his own comeuppence at the hands of Bill Graham's organization.Not a particularly well-written piece, but well worth the look behind the tawdry curtain of a fledgling music industry. One does not have to be a diehard Zep fan to enjoy this, as I am not but did enjoy it immensely.

I was impressed by all Mr.Grant "G" did for his boys.Being a Led Zeppelin fan now 30 of my 43 years.I knew of Peter Grant rep as tough and loyal to his boys of Zep. He may not had much of a education in terms of Schooling and a degree but,did he have street smarts ,the abilty to read people and earn peoples trust and respect if not fear. It was sad to see how very hard he took the death of drummer and backbone of Zep.I'm glad though he slimmed down and kicked the drugs and ,seemed to enjoy life agian even talking once agian to Robert Jimmy and JPJ. If you want to learn about Zeppelin and how there manager protected them fom sssoooo much and gained them the money they deserved this is the book for ya. There are a few Boo-Boo's in the book but, it can be overlooked. Much better the the terrible book by Mick Wall I read a month ago. This was a man who knew these very young men at the start ,not someone who just wanted to take money from them. WELL DONE G. WELL DONE G.

As a probably too intense a Zeppelin fan, I have read just about about every book associated with them. The best narrative is probably the Hoskyns one, although the most interesting is the picture themed "whole lotta led Zeppelin ". The mick wall book probably captures Page most completely, good and bad, and has the most in depth take on his occult interests without any lurid sensationalizing. Both plant books are terrible. Of course Page's massive recently released tome is on a different level. Hammer of the gods is poorly written, although it has the best title!This book on Grant capture the man,s greatness and inner decency that was at odds with his intimidating behavior, but it meanders, is repetitive at times, and contains many errors. An example is a footnote stating that Frank Wells the Warner brothers chief and later Disney executive died climbing Mount Everest, when in fact he was killed in a helicopter crash, that spared famed actor Clint Eastwood when the latter traveled in a separate helicopter on the same trip. Richard cole is used as as source too, and his various Zeppelin related remembrances vary greatly from book to book. What does come through is the authors heartfelt affection for grant and that is a good thing .

This book was better than I had anticipated. There are a few* 2 star ratings among mostly 5 star ratings. Which to me means that mostly hard core Zeppelin fans have read this book. The negatives don't really have much importance as they are being extremly pickey on insignificant details,which really are not that important. I LOVED this book cover to cover. I can understand why Peter Grant is/was considered to be the " fifth member " of the band. And rightly so. The author gave a realistic picture of the character of the man Peter, his faults ,,and genius as well. A man ahead of his time,,anda fierce protector of the boys in the band. Had Peter Grant not been their manager, I doubt the band would have had the freedom to reach full potential and create freely the brilliant compostions they so beautifully accomplished. Super read!!

Great tale about a “one-of” who guided Led Zep to its place in Rockhistory. Chris Welch knows music, the musicians, the era so well that the events are placed in the context of the times. I could hear Peter Grant speaking as I read about his life. Terrific read with enough fun pictures.

One of the best music books I've ever read along with Charles Shaar Murrays "Crosstown Traffic".Growing up with Zeppelins music I was always aware of Peter Grants name on the vinyl records and knew he must have been a powerful but mysterious guy. You never saw his picture or heard him, but you knew he was big.Chris Welch takes you back in a written time machine to the gigs, massive tours, limos, and the Zeppelin starship. But also the hilarious and heartbreaking moments. As the millions rolled in, so did the cocaine, booze and later heroin. Bonso flying the starship from New York to Chicago, fisty cuffs with Bill Grahams men in San Francisco. 1977 was a nightmare.John Bonhams tragic death in September 1980 nearly killed off Grant too, but he recovered and began a new life in the late 80's.Superb record of the mans life.

This is the first book I've read on Peter Grant, I've read other books on Led - Zepplin and they leave the reader wondering what's true what's false & what's half true. I believe that Peter was an excellent manager who looked out for every act he managed were his ways about going about it the best? That's up to the reader to decide but there was no complaints from any of the acts he managed. It does seem like his bark was worse than his bite. Hopefully we'll see a movie made based on the book.

If you're a Zeppelin fan you probably already know who Peter Grant is but this book gives you the behind the scenes story of what went with the guy behind the scenes. Great read for any Zeppelin fan.

Written by ex melody maker journalist Chris Welch this book is a fascinating account of one of rock music’s most successful and certainly the largest group managers of all time. Grant , an obese ex wrestler from south London knocked around the early RnR scene working as a roadie, bouncer etc for 60’s pop bands and then hit the big time managing the end of the yardbirds career and then what became Led Zeppelin. To give him his due Grant regarded the four ‘ boys ‘ almost as his own sons but he was particularly close to Zep founder member Jimmy Page. Grant did not let anything get in the way of allowing Zep to be one of the biggest acts in their time. However the picture Welch paints of Grant is one of a man to avoid at all costs

Whilst there can be little doubt that a group of Zeppelin's combined musical talent would have been a success anyway, it is also doubtful whether they would have become the worldwide phenomenon that they did without Peter Grant.Having endured a miserable scholarship at Charterhouse, Grant started his career in Fleet Street, where he came into contact with various colourful people in the entertainment industry, convincing him that this was where his future lay.Subsequently, he found work as a stage hand and assistant entertainment manager, before ending up as doorman at the legendary 2i's coffee bar, where he forged important friendships with one of the co-owners, Paul Lincoln, as well as one of the regulars, Mickie Most.Lincoln, a professional wrestler, persuaded Grant (who was a generously upholstered 6'5") to take up a career in TV wrestling, under the moniker of His Highness Count Bruno Alesio of Milan, which raised Grant's profile considerably, opening further doors to him as a bit part actor, stuntman and minder.It was in the latter role that he was recruited by the infamous Don Arden (father of Sharon Osbourne) as a tour manager, learning his craft and subsequently setting up a management partnership with his old friend Mickie Most.Although Most had a reputation for being a ruthless businessman, he had also tried and failed as an entertainer himself, knew real talent when he saw it and the value of nurturing it as a long-term investment, which in time, made him and the majority of his acts wealthyindividuals.This was a lesson that was not lost on Grant.In 1966, Simon Napier-Bell approached Grant about taking over the management of the fading Yardbirds, with Most taking responsibility for the production of their last album, Little Games, which showed their inability to make the transition from being a successful singles band to one capable of producing albums of consistent quality.However, Grant knew he had a star in Jimmy Page and a "new" Yardbirds were hastily assembled, recruiting Robert Plant and John Bonham from the Band of Joy and John Paul Jones, all of whom were known to Page from his days as a session musician, changing their name in the process, to Led Zeppelin.Grant's talent for marketing Zeppelin and uncompromising management style may have initially won him few friends, but also produced a growing, if slightly grudging respect, as a man of integrity who could always guarantee handsome returns for anyone he struck deals with in his pursuit of world domination.His downfall came about through his inability to delegate the full-time responsibilities of managing Zeppelin, by taking on too many side projects, including the management of the roster of acts signed to the Swan Song label and a growing cocaine addiction that diminished his reputation, through increasingly aggressive and erratic behaviour: John Bonham's death was the final straw and led to a long period of depression, which he eventually emerged from towards the end of his life, basking in his overdue recognition, as one of the greatimpresarios.Chris Welch knew Grant and the members of Led Zeppelin well and draws on a lifetime of interviews with them to produce a highly readable account of his working life, peppered with amusing anecdotes.My only criticism of the book is that it is rather light on Grant's life before and after Zeppelin, but as it was his stint as their manager that defined him, this is forgiveable.This is essential reading for Zeppelin fans.

I was very impressed with this book. Usually books on Zep and their entourage (though it is probably the same for any band!) fall into two categories - the overly sychophantic or the scurrilous. Welch's book on Grant avoids both. While he is obviously a huge fan of the band, he judiciciously quotes some less than complementary observations about the band made at the time by those who got to know them 'up close' and just lets the reader make up his or her own mind.But, of course, the main focus of the book is Grant himself, a physically huge, hard-headed bully in a number of respects but a manager who did geneuinely care for his artists. The material on Grant's post Zeppelin period - his long depression and reclusiveness followed by the healing relationship he developed with the former manager of Dire Straits in the years just before his death, is quite moving and provides some genuine insight into a complex character. If you are a Zep fan, you should not be without this biography of the man who clearly made them what they were (for better or worse).

Peter Grant was without doubt a colorful and fascinating character and a very useful adjunct to Led Zeppelin as he was one of those rare people who was capable of arranging 'things' and dealing with the more unsavory side of the music business and honest to boot. Mr Grant was a man to be feared if you were not being straight and it appears that he drove tough bargains on behalf of the band. I enjoyed the book having been a fan of the band. Mr Grant comes over as an irascible but likeable man who was, though, not to be messed with.

The other autobiography is much better than this. Bring it on home makes this book seem tame.