The Velvet Mafia: the gay men who helped shape mic the 60s | Mic | The Guardian

gay 1960s singers

Lookg for a list of the bt gay sgers and gay micians of all time? We've round up our top picks along wh their bt songs!

Contents:

THE VELVET MAFIA: THE GAY MEN WHO HELPED SHAPE MIC THE 60S

* gay 1960s singers *

But the people who shaped and advised those artists – the on who managed the stars of the classic rock age – were, by an outsized marg, gay terwoven muny clud Brian Epste (who brought the world the Beatl), K Lambert (who -managed the Who), Simon Napier-Bell (the Yardbirds, and a young Marc Bolan), Robert Stigwood (Cream, the Bee Ge), Billy Gaff (Rod Stewart), Ken Pt (David Bowie), Barry Krost (Cat Stevens), as well as Tony Stratton-Smh (who formed the visnary label Charisma for bands like Genis). In fact, was a gay man, Larry Parn, who svengali-d Bra’s very first rockers, om Tommy Steele to Billy Fury to Marty Wil.

A new book tled The Velvet Mafia: the Gay Men who Ran the Swgg Sixti aims to tell the Brish si of this story by focg on several key players the scene, cludg a few of the aforementned nam along wh the novative producer Joe Meek and the head of the UK’s most powerful label at the time, Sir Joseph Lockwood. ”At the same time, the rich, powerful and fluential men faced the nsirable nsequenc of beg gay at a time when homosexual acts were still outlawed the UK.

40 BT GAY SGERS & MICIANS OF ALL TIME (LGBTQ+ SGERS)

”There were, fact, a few powerful gay women the Brish rock scene at the time as well, cludg Vicki Wickham, who booked the acts on the semal TV show Ready Steady Go and who later managed Dty Sprgfield and LaBelle.

”Bullock’s book don’t lve to the eper cultural and psychologil issu volved the relatnships between the gay and straight men. Still, ’s clear to any stunt of the era that the edgy liv of gay men at the time fascated the straight artists they worked wh. ”In some ways, managers like Epste and other others uld sulate themselv om the everyday life of gay men at the time – throwg their own exclive parti and circulatg elevated circl where they uld do as they pleased.

35 BT GAY SGERS OF ALL TIME (LGBTQ+ SGERS)

Ironilly, after the law agast homosexual acts changed Bra 1967 – crimalizg them certa circumstanc and for those of a certa age – the harassment of LGBTQ people actually tensified.

“But post-67, and wh the formatn of the Gay Liberatn Front 1970 Bra and wh gay people beg more outspoken, the raids and the psdo-polil attacks started to happen more.

GREATT GAY SGERS OF ALL TIME

The fact that there are many mic artists who are openly gay is a big step for LGBTQ+ rights, which mak the artists important and fluential. And that’s why gay rockstars were so important – and Freddie Mercury was probably the most fluential.

In one of the terviews, the sger said he was spired by Elton John throughout his life, and he is also a famo gay sger. Eher way, g out as gay was a life-changg (and liberatg) cisn for Ricky Mart, and he is now nsired one of the most fluential LGBT artists the world. However, 2012, he scribed himself as gay, and he has been more open about his private life ever sce.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY 1960S SINGERS

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