Peter Grant

Peter James "G" Grant (5 April 1935 – 21 November 1995) was an English music manager. Grant managed the popular English bands the Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin and Bad Company, among others, and was also a record executive for Swan Song Records. Grant has been described as "one of the shrewdest and most ruthless managers in rock history". He is widely credited with improving pay and conditions for musicians in dealings with concert promoters.

Early life Grant was born in the south London suburb of South Norwood, Surrey, England. His mother Dorothy worked as a secretary. He attended Sir Walter St John School in Grayshott before the Second World War, and completed his schooling at Charterhouse School in Godalming after the evacuation.After the war Grant returned to Norwood until leaving at the age of 13, when he became a sheet metal factory worker in Croydon. He left that job after a few weeks and obtained employment on Fleet Street delivering photographs for Reuters. Grant was soon attracted to the entertainment industry, and worked as a stagehand for the Croydon Empire Theatre until 1953, when he was called up for national service in the RAOC, reaching the rank of corporal. He worked briefly as an entertainment manager at a hotel in Jersey before being employed as a bouncer and doorman at London's famous The 2i's Coffee Bar, where Cliff Richard, Adam Faith, Tommy Steele and others got their start. Australian-born professional wrestler Paul Lincoln, who also co-owned the 2i's bar, suggested Grant appear on television and gave him the opportunity to wrestle under the titles "Count Massimo" and "Count Bruno Alassio of Milan," using his 6 ft 5 in frame to good effect. This kindled his enthusiasm for acting, and he was hired by film studios as a bit part actor, stuntman and body double. Acting career Between 1958 and 1963, Grant appeared in a number of films, including A Night to Remember (as a crew member on the Titanic), The Guns of Navarone (as a British commando) and Cleopatra(as a palace guard). He also appeared in television shows such as The Saint, Crackerjack, Dixon of Dock Green, and The Benny Hill Show. He was Robert Morley's double on many of that actor's films. The money he made from these ventures was invested in his own entertainment transport business. As the acting roles dried up, Grant made more money taking groups such as the Shadows to their concerts. Artist management In 1963, Grant was hired by promoter Don Arden to act as the British tour manager for artists such as Bo Diddley, the Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Brian Hyland, Chuck Berry, Gene Vincentand the Animals. By 1964, Grant had started to manage his own acts including the Nashville Teens, an all-girl group called She Trinity, the New Vaudeville Band, Jeff Beck, Terry Reid and Stone the Crows. His management was established in the same 155 Oxford Street office used by his friend, record producer Mickie Most, who had previously worked with Grant at the 2i's club. Most and Grant together set up the highly successful RAK Records label, which produced a string of hits throughout the 1970s. In late 1966 Simon Napier-Bell asked Grant to take over management of the Yard