Chris Charlesworth

Between 1970 and 1977, Chris Charlesworth was a staff writer and editor for Melody Maker, the UK’s best-selling music weekly when rock stars fell over themselves to appear in its pages.

As MM’s US Editor in New York, Chris spent four years rubbing shoulders with rock’s most iconic heroes. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Elton John and dozens more found themselves face to face with Chris. He went on tour in America with The Who, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and many others. He was at 27 concerts by the original Who, often backstage or onstage. Somewhere above Colorado he took the controls of Led Zeppelin’s private plane. He saw an unknown Elton John at a disastrous festival in 1970 and predicted he would become a world star. He ambushed Pink Floyd in Glasgow, chased Bob Dylan in New England and acclaimed Bruce Springsteen’s flair 18 months before Born To Run was released. Chris was the first music writer to write about the nascent CBGBs scene in New York, introducing MM readers to Debbie Harry long before she became a household name, and identified Slade as future stars a year before they had their first hit single.