Andrew Loog Oldham - Biography

Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944 in Paddington, London) is an English producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of The Rolling Stones from 1963, and was noted for his flamboyant style.

1 Biography
- 1.1 Early career
- 1.2 Later career
2 Andrew's Blues
3 External links

Biography

His father Andrew Loog was a United States Army Air Force lieutenant of Dutch descent who served with the Eighth Air Force; he was killed in June 1943 when his B-17 bomber was shot down over the English Channel and is buried in Belgium. His Australian mother, with maiden name Oldham, was a nurse and comptometer operator.

He attended a number of schools, including Aylesbury School for Boys, Cokethorpe School in Oxfordshire, St Marylebone Grammar School and Wellingborough School in Northamptonshire. A self-proclaimed hustler who spent teenage summers swindling tourists in French towns, Oldham's interest in the pop culture of the 1960s and the Soho coffeehouse scene led to working for Carnaby Street mod designer John Stephen and later as an assistant to then emerging fashion designer Mary Quant.

Early career

Oldham became a publicist for British and American musicians and for producer Joe Meek. Among his projects were brief stints publicizing Bob Dylan on his first UK visit and work for Brian Epstein promoting The Beatles in early 1963. In April 1963, a journalist friend recommended that he see a young R&B band called The Rolling Stones. Oldham saw potential in the group being positioned as an "anti-Beatles" - a rougher group that would be untamed compared to the "cuddly moptop" image that Epstein was projecting of the Beatles. Oldham, who was still a teenager, rapidly acquired a more seasoned business partner (Eric Easton) and took over management of the Stones who to that point had been informally represented by local promoter Giorgio Gomelsky. Oldham signed recording rights to the Stones to Decca targeting A&R head Dick Rowe, who had earlier declined to offer a contract to The Beatles.

Among many strategies devised and executed by Oldham in his campaign to propel the group to success:

retaining ownership of the group's master tapes, which were then leased to Decca - an idea learned from Phil Spector, that allowed greater artistic freedom and financial rewards than a standard recording contract;
bringing John Lennon and Paul McCartney to the recording studio at a crucial moment, which led to their song "I Wanna Be Your Man" becoming the Rolling Stones' second single;
encouraging Jagger and Richards to start writing their own songs; and
actively promoting a "bad boy" image for The Rolling Stones as a contrast to The Beatles. Oldham himself generated widely-reprinted headlines like "Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone?" and provocative album-cover notes such as a satirical incitement to fans to mug a blind beggar for funds to buy the album. These ploys garnered the desired media coverage for the Stones.

Oldham produced every Rolling Stones recording from 1963 till late 1967. Oldham had no previous experience as a producer and acted on instinct and his own aesthetic.

Oldham discovered Marianne Faithfull at a party, giving her Jagger and Richards' "As Tears Go By" to record. He also developed other studio talent with his Andrew Oldham Orchestra, in which Rolling Stones as well as London session players (including Steve Marriott on harmonica) recorded pop covers and instrumentals. These were rediscovered in the 1990s when the indie band The Verve used a string loop based on the orchestral arrangement of "The Last Time" in "Bitter Sweet Symphony"; in the ensuing court battle, songwriting royalties for the Verve track were awarded to Jagger and Richards.

As his acts' success increased, Oldham thrived on a reputation as a garrulous, androgynous gangster who wore makeup and shades and relied on his bodyguard "Reg" to threaten rivals.

Oldham sold his share of the Rolling Stones' management to Allen Klein in 1966, but continued in his role as the band's de facto manager and producer until late 1967. Relations with the group were, however, becoming strained for a number of reasons, including Oldham's drug use and erratic personality; the legal problems that the band was facing in 1967 compounded the difficulties. After Oldham's departure, relationships between Oldham and the Rolling Stones were strained for several years.

In 1965 Oldham set up Immediate Records, among the first independent labels in the UK. Among the artists that Oldham signed and/or produced or guided were PP Arnold, Chris Farlowe, the Small Faces, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Rod Stewart, the Nice, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, the Amen Corner, the McCoys, the Strangeloves, and Duncan Browne.

Oldham also helped Derek Taylor publicise the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album by taking ads praising the album. Oldham enlisted songwriter Billy Nicholls to record a British response, the album Would You Believe?. After the Small Faces disbanded in 1969, he put together Humble Pie, featuring Steve Marriott (formerly of the Small Faces) and Peter Frampton (formerly of The Herd).

In the 1970s and 1980s, Oldham worked primarily in the USA. He produced Donovan and other artists. In the mid-80s, he made Colombia his primary residence after marrying Esther Farfan, a Colombian model. There he became a mentor for local bands.

Later career

Oldham co-wrote a (mostly fictional) biography of ABBA in the 1990s and two autobiographies: Stoned (1998) and 2Stoned (2001), in which he and other music figures recount his days as a manager, producer and impresario.

In 2005 Oldham was recruited by Steven Van Zandt to host a radio show on Van Zandt's Underground Garage radio channel heard in North America on Sirius Satellite Radio. Oldham is heard daily with a three-hour show on weekdays and a four-hour weekend show.

Since 2006 has worked on many occasions with Argentine musician Charly Garcia. In 2008 he worked on the production of Los Ratones Paranoicos' new album.

He also produced and arranged Canadian singer Wyckham Porteous's album 3 A.M. (2008).

Since 2008 he has been managing and working with Colombian acoustic/pop artist Juan Galeano on the production of his debut album.

Andrew's Blues

The song Andrew's Blues, sung by Gene Pitney with the Rolling Stones and appearing on the Black Box collection CD1, is a humorous if scathing evocation of Oldham.