80@80: A Liverpool life in 80 chapters
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AlbakiReads Editorial A life in Liverpool music journalism, told in 80 recollections
A life in Liverpool music journalism, told in 80 recollections
Structured as 80 chapters to mark Spencer Leigh’s 80th birthday, this memoir draws on diaries and archival material from a career in broadcasting and newspaper columns. Its scope reaches from decades at BBC Radio Merseyside and the Liverpool Echo to conversations with performers and entertainment figures, while Liverpool’s pop history—especially the Beatles and the Merseybeat scene—forms a central thread. The book presents a personal record of Leigh’s working life alongside anecdotes about the singers, songwriters, and other figures he encountered while documenting popular music culture in Britain and the United States.
Good fit for readers who enjoy
- Fans of Liverpool, Merseybeat, and Beatles history
- Readers interested in music broadcasting and journalism memoirs
- People who enjoy anecdotal accounts of popular-music figures
Themes
Liverpool music culturePop and rock historyBroadcasting and journalismThe Beatles and MerseybeatCelebrity interviews
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Book Overview On the 1st of February 2025, writer and broadcaster Spencer Leigh celebrated his 80th birthday and the publication of the most personal o...
On the 1st of February 2025, writer and broadcaster Spencer Leigh celebrated his 80th birthday and the publication of the most personal of the 40 books he has authored. For his memoir, 80@80, Spencer has raided the archives and diaries to create 80 chapters that reflect a life dedicated to writing and talking about pop music.
The anecdotes and stories in 80@80, from decades spent on BBC Radio Merseyside and column writing for the Liverpool Echo, feature hundreds of household names he has interviewed - ranging from local legend Ken Dodd to movie stars like Billy Bob Thornton. But it is the tales of the Beatles and the fascinating singers, songwriters, and the rest of music's movers and shakers, that dominate his action-packed biography.
His friend Colin Hall, former custodian of John Lennon's childhood home, says: "Spencer is a Lancastrian treasure trove of words and insights and has been on the radio for over 50 years. He's a walking encyclopaedia of the development of pop and rock music culture in the UK and USA." And his career is remembered fondly by fellow BBC broadcaster Bob Harris: "I think it began with a series on the Liverpool poets and then he did that series, Let's Go Down the Cavern, which was put out as a book too. That was the first history of Merseybeat."
Whether he's talking to Willie Nelson or Wee Willie Harris, Spencer Leigh has an unerring ability to recall the small fascinating details of the conversations he has been privileged to have with decades of artists who have shaped popular music history.
The anecdotes and stories in 80@80, from decades spent on BBC Radio Merseyside and column writing for the Liverpool Echo, feature hundreds of household names he has interviewed - ranging from local legend Ken Dodd to movie stars like Billy Bob Thornton. But it is the tales of the Beatles and the fascinating singers, songwriters, and the rest of music's movers and shakers, that dominate his action-packed biography.
His friend Colin Hall, former custodian of John Lennon's childhood home, says: "Spencer is a Lancastrian treasure trove of words and insights and has been on the radio for over 50 years. He's a walking encyclopaedia of the development of pop and rock music culture in the UK and USA." And his career is remembered fondly by fellow BBC broadcaster Bob Harris: "I think it began with a series on the Liverpool poets and then he did that series, Let's Go Down the Cavern, which was put out as a book too. That was the first history of Merseybeat."
Whether he's talking to Willie Nelson or Wee Willie Harris, Spencer Leigh has an unerring ability to recall the small fascinating details of the conversations he has been privileged to have with decades of artists who have shaped popular music history.
Book Details Format: Paperback | Publisher: INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED | ISBN: 9798345734
FormatPaperback
ISBN9798345734
EAN9798345734247
PublisherINDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED
Publication Date2025-01-05
AccessoriesNo Accessory
ConditionNew
Product TypeQUALITY PAPERBACK BOOKS
Weight1.31 Pounds
Length9.0 Inches
Width6.0 Inches
Height0.99 Inches
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