Keith Altham obituary
Journalist who pioneered the role of rock music PR in the UK and looked after the Rolling Stones, the Who and the Beach BoysKeith Altham, who has died aged 84...
By Robin Denselow · The Guardian Culture
Journalist who pioneered the role of rock music PR in the UK and looked after the Rolling Stones, the Who and the Beach Boys Keith Altham, who has died aged 84 after suffering from Parkinson’s disease, was a music journalist and broadcaster who in the 1970s pioneered a brand-new career: rock music PR. After founding KA Publicity in 1971 he became the most celebrated music publicist in Britain, with a remarkable list of clients, many of whom he had interviewed as a writer. They included the Rolling Stones, the Who, Marc Bolan, the Beach Boys, Slade, Status Quo and Van Morrison. Keith was a natural PR, because he understood the needs of both artists and music journalists, and because he had a flair for publicity, even while still a journalist. In 1966, when working at the New Musical Express, he was approached by the music entrepreneur Larry Page and asked if he could suggest a stage name for Reg Ball, a bricklayer who was lead singer for a struggling band, the Troggs. Altham suggested Reg Presley – and the name stuck. It appeared in the next issue of the NME (without Ball having been informed) and band’s next single, Wild Thing , was a hit. Continue reading...