Andrew Faulds

In the UK general election, 1964, the Labour Foreign Secretary, Patrick Gordon Walker, had been defeated in controversial circumstances in the Smethwick constituency by Conservative candidate Peter Griffiths. Smethwick had been a focus of immigration from the Commonwealth in the economic and industrial growth of the years following World War II and Griffiths ran a campaign critical of the government's policy. Marital problems and the death of drummer John Bonham took its toll on Grant's health and after the official breakup of Led Zeppelin he virtually retired from the music business. It was during this visit that Robeson inspired Faulds to take up political activism. Just as the negotiations had just begun, Elvis unfortunately passed away on August 16, 1977. Robeson was still under severe censure and scrutiny in the USA owing to his socialist convictions and had only recently been allowed to travel abroad again following the confiscation of his passport during the McCarthyist episode. In 1977, Grant was asked by Colonel Tom Parker to manage a proposed tour of Europe by Elvis Presley. In 1959, Faulds and his wife played host to Paul Robeson who had travelled to England to appear at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford upon Avon in Tony Richardson's production of Othello. When Grant was once questioned on what was the single most important thing a manager could say, his response was "know when to say no".

After graduating from the University of Glasgow, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1948 but first came to a wider public recognition playing Jet Morgan in Charles Chilton's radio drama Journey Into Space on the BBC Light Programme. In 1975, Grant turned down a lucrative offer to manage Queen. Born Isoko, Tanganyika (now Tanzania), to missionary parents, Faulds married Bunty Whitfield in 1945. He also managed Bad Company and Maggie Bell. Andrew Matthew William Faulds (1 March 1923 - 31 May 2000) was a British actor and politician. In 1974, Grant was the driving force in establishing Swan Song Records which gave Led Zeppelin further financial and artistic control over its own products. Grant was also instrumental in setting up Led Zeppelin's publishing company Superhype, in 1969.

Grant's famous dressing room scene in the film The Song Remains the Same where he demands an explanation from concert staff on the sale of illegal photos, was typical of his no-nonsense dealings with people who tried to profit at the band's expense. By promoting Led Zeppelin's concerts he ensured that ticket profits wound up in the hands of the band rather than in the hands of promoters and booking agents. Live performances were more important than television appearances – if you wanted to see Led Zeppelin you had to experience one of their performances. Grant strongly believed that bands could make more money and have more artistic merit by producing albums rather than churning out singles.

He negotiated a sizable five-year record contract with Atlantic Records and his business philosophy would eventually pay off for the label. Without Peter Grant, it would have been doubtful Led Zeppelin would have been as successful. He also travelled closely with The Yardbirds ensuring that all costs were kept to a minimum, that members were also paid on time, and demanded publicity and artistic control by the band. Grant's no-nonsense approach to promoters and persuasive presence was influential in The Yardbirds making money from its concerts for the first time.

The experience however did give him ideas, which were put to good use later with Led Zeppelin. Producer Mickie Most had suggested to Napier-Bell that his friend Peter Grant would be an asset to The Yardbirds, but as it eventuated, his arrival was too late to save the band. It was in late 1966 that Simon Napier-Bell asked Grant to take over management of The Yardbirds, who were constantly touring yet struggling financially. Both Most and Grant set up the highly successful RAK Records label which produced a string of Number 1 hits throughout the 1970s.

His management was established in the same 155 Oxford Street office used by his friend Mickie Most, who previously used to work with Grant at the 2 Is Coffee Bar. By 1964, Grant had started to manage his own acts including The Nashville Teens, The Flintstones, an all-girl group called She Trinity, The New Vaudeville Band and the early years of Jeff Beck and Terry Reid. In 1963, Grant was hired by promoter Don Arden to act as tour manager for artists such as Bo Diddley, The Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Brian Hyland, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, and The Animals. As the acting roles dried up, Grant made more money taking groups such as The Shadows to gigs.

The money he made from these ventures was invested in his own entertainment transport business. He was also Robert Morley's double on many of that actor's films. Between 1958 and 1963, Grant appeared on a number of movies including A Night to Remember (as a crew member on the Titanic), The Guns of Navarone (a British commando), Cleopatra (a palace guard), and television shows The Saint, Crackerjack, Dixon of Dock Green, and The Benny Hill Show. It kindled his enthusiasm for acting and Grant was hired by film studios as a bit part actor, stuntman, and body-double.

He was spotted by a professional wrestler called Paul Lincoln, who gave Grant the opportunity to wrestle on television as "Count Massimo". He worked briefly as an entertainment manager at a hotel in Jersey before working as a bouncer and doorman at London's famous 2 Is Coffee Bar, where many figures in the British music industry got their start such as Cliff Richard, Adam Faith, Tommy Steele, and others. He attended Charterhouse public school until leaving at the age of 13, when he became a sheet metal factory worker in Croydon. Grant however was soon attracted to the entertainment industry and became a stagehand for the Croydon Empire theatre until leaving in 1953. Grant was born in the south London suburb of South Norwood, Surrey.

He was a manager for The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, and Bad Company, a record executive for Swan Song Records, and was responsible for improving pay and conditions for musicians in dealings with concert promoters. Peter Grant, (April 5, 1935 – November 21, 1995) was one of the most influential managers in rock and roll. Carry On Columbus (1992). Cleopatra (1963).

The Guns of Navarone (1961). A Night to Remember (1958).