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Paolo Hewitt

Paolo Hewitt

Paolo Hewitt was placed in care before he had time to open up his eyes. He did four years in a nursery before being fostered by a woman who made Cruella De Ville look like a saint. At ten he was placed back into care, finally gaining his freedom at age 18. He relates all this just to illustrate why books and music are such important art forms to him. As the storm raged around him, it was these two art forms that allowed him shelter. This is why at age 14 when Enzo Esposito brought a copy of the New Musical Express into school. Paolo automatically knew what direction he wanted his life to take.

At age 19, Paolo moved to London, ostensibly to train as a teacher, in reality to find out if he could achieve his dream. He didn't have to wait long for his break. Unable to buy NME one week, Paolo purchased a copy of Melody Maker in which he was surprised to discover an advert looking for young writers. Within days Paolo found himself sitting in MM editor Richard Williams’ office talking about Spurs, Italy and clothes, having sent in examples of his craft from the student paper. Work followed soon after. Paolo's favourite writers on the music press at this time included Tony Parsons, Nick Kent, Danny Baker, Julie Burchill.

Within a year, Paolo was handed a staff job at MM. His beat included bands such as Dexys Midnight Runners, the Specials, Madness, the Jam and American r'n'b, both old and new. In 1983 he published his first book, The Jam: A Beat Concerto and moved to NME. Within a year he was writing mainly about the emerging Hip Hop scene, later becoming the first writer to cover the Acid House explosion.

Unfortunately, the NME found Paolo's affection for black music a difficult area and in 1990, Paolo decided to go freelance. Since then he has written for a number of publications both home and abroad as well as publishing a series of well-received biographies. These include definitive works on Oasis and The Small Faces. He also published a very well-received memoir detailing his time in care entitled The Looked After Kid. He currently has many fingers in many pies that he is waiting to warm up.

List of articles in the library by artist

101'ers, The: The 101'ers: Keys To The Legend

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, February 1981

ON THE WAY out of that pub, last Friday afternoon Joe Strummer suddenly gripped my elbow, and propelled me urgently away from the rest of ...

Aztec Camera: I'm Gonna Live Forever

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, January 1984

SCARCE ON the ground these past months, Roddy Frame is the new Boy Wonder, a precocious 19 year old currently calling all the shots. ...

Bluebells, The: The Bluebells: Everybody's Somebody's Bluebell

Profile and Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, June 1982

MATTERS FINALLY came to a head after the show that night. In the cramped dressing room, Ken McCluskey, the Bluebells' harmonica player, picked up a ...

Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.: The Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.: To Live And Die In L.A.

Report and Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, March 1990

The Devoux brothers have learned the rules of survival the hard way. In LA there are now 92,000 gang members, and mercy is not in ...

Bronski Beat: Bronski Beefs

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, November 1984

SUNDAY, 'ROUND about lunchtime, and Jimi Bronski is scurrying around his small council flat in a vain attempt to clean up the mess. I stand ...

Cameo: Product Of America

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, December 1986

His codpiece was banned from TOTP, his new single 'Candy' has been banned by Radio One, but LARRY BLACKMON has still led Cameo to the ...

Clash, The: The Clash

Report and Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, June 1981

STANDING BY the toilet door, the kid recognised him instantly. The hair piled up in a scraggy mess. The white leather jacket. The beautiful punkette ...

Clash, The: The Clash: Joe Strummer Answers The Call-Up

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, December 1980

WORKING ON THE theory that if you give him enough rope he'll either hang or save himself, the following pages are left basically for the ...

D Mob: Married To D Mob

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, January 1990

PAOLO HEWITT lays his hands on D mainman of D Mob, Dancin' Danny D ...

Lamont Dozier

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, April 1984

HE LOOKS tired now, as if all that time spent playing, writing and dreaming up words and sound had finally drained him of life and ...

Sheena Easton: The Prime of Miss Sheena Easton

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, January 1989

A star in the States and yet either a twee girlie singer or second-string Prince collaborator in her home country, SHEENA EASTON, courtesy of that ...

Everything But The Girl: Take The Melancholy Strain

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, December 1984

PUT SIMPLY, I wanted more than just a musical chit chat. ...

5 Star: Five Star: Sibling Soul

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, May 1986

FIVE STAR are one of Britain's most successful chart acts, but their Dad still keeps them firmly in line. PAOLO HEWITT meets the stars who ...

Funkapolitan: Funkapolitan (London)

Review by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, May 1982

ON PAPER the chemistry looked fine. Take a young, English funk band with obvious American leanings, pair them off with the cool, experienced hand of ...

Marvin Gaye: Death Of A Midnight Lover – A Tribute To A Trouble Man

Obituary by Paolo Hewitt, NME, April 1984

The romantic spirit of rising young black America in the '60s, Marvin Gaye evolved into a radical voice testifying pleasure and protest. A brilliant artist, ...

Marvin Gaye: For Once In A Lifetime

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, February 1981

AFTER NEARLY two hours in that bedroom, Lydia finally gave up. By any standards she'd waited long enough for her Marvin Gaye interview – a ...

Junior Giscombe: Secret Life of a Streatham Soul-Boy

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, May 1982

Paolo Hewitt rides the Soul Train to L.A. with Junior Giscombe ...

Nona Hendryx, Material: Nona Hendryx: Labelle-d By The Funk

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, January 1982

Paolo Hewitt sees eye-to-eye with NONA HENDRYX ...

Hot Chocolate: All Because The Lady Loves Hot Chocolate

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, March 1984

FRESH FROM his evening shower and now only half an hour away from facing 2,000 of his most ardent supporters, Errol Brown, a white towel ...

Marshall Jefferson: Marshall Lore

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, February 1989

Over the last three years, former post office worker MARSHALL JEFFERSON's work as producer, writer and arranger, has resulted in some of the best House ...

Madness: Adventures in Madonia

Report and Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, January 1984

With Mike Barson' departure from Madness are Camden's finest now fast approaching the pop parody stakes? or will a three day trip to Poland, fighting ...

Madness: The Italian Nutty Brigade

Report and Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, October 1980

All aboard the trans-Europe express as Madness go from Rome to Amsterdam, by Paolo Hewitt ...

Mel & Kim: Shop Girls Of The World Unite!

Profile and Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, February 1987

Out of the shops and into the charts come MEL AND KIM – friendly, forthright, but kept strictly in line by their manager. PAOLO HEWITT ...

Merton Parkas, The: The Merton Parkas: Deals On Wheels

Profile and Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, August 1979

The Merton Parkas, the first New Mod chartmakers, tell PAULO HEWITT that life's a lot easier in a Ben Sherman button-down than in a ripped ...

Oasis: C'mon America...Let's Ave Yer! Seven Mental Nights On The Oasis Tourbus

Report by Paolo Hewitt, Select, May 1996

WITHIN FIFTEEN MINUTES of their plane taking off for Kansas, Oasis have assumed battle positions. Liam Gallagher is in the toilet with a couple of ...

Police, The, Sting: Sting: A Policeman's Guide To Good And Evil...

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, September 1982

YOU MIGHT NOT have noticed, but there's been little activity on the Police front recently. This year, apart from a few sporadic live appearances, has ...

Prince: Sign O' The Times

Review by Paolo Hewitt, NME, June 1987

Prince isn't a star, he's an event. And so is the release of his new double LP. Paolo Hewitt is let to the subterranean bunker ...

Revillos, The: The Revillos

Profile and Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, September 1979

REVILLOS OR Rezillos or...whatever. Fay Fife and Eugene Reynolds have got a new set of backing players (?) and some fledgling singers behind them. What ...

Shalamar: The Second Time Around

Profile and Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, December 1982

LATE LAST March, under the advice of a close friend, Jeffrey Daniels, one third of a group called Shalamar, took a walk down the Kings ...

Roxanne Shanté: 'I Have Never Seen A Man Talk To An Ugly Woman. Never.'

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, October 1989

There is nothing that ROXANNE SHANTE won't rap about and no limit to who she disses. Here she talks to PAOLO HEWITT about men, music ...

Siouxsie & The Banshees: Kaleidoscope (Polydor)

Review by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, July 1980

STRANGE TO think that, as the Banshees' contemporaries head off for the fourth or even fifth time in the studio, Kaleidoscope marks only the third ...

Soul II Soul, Smith & Mighty, Massive Attack: Smith & Mighty and Soul II Soul: Anyone Who Had A Sound

Profile and Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, March 1989

Here PAOLO HEWITT gets on the Voice Beat with SMITH & MIGHTY and SOUL II SOUL. ...

Bruce Springsteen: The River (CBS)

Review by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, October 1980

LISTENING to Bruce Springsteen's The River is like taking a trip through the rock 'n' roll heartland as you've never experienced it. It's a walk ...

Bruce Springsteen: Not The Me-Me-Me-Me

Report and Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, May 1981

STACKED on the left of the typewriter are two blank cassettes which should contain the voice of Bruce Springsteen. But like Kevin Rowland and Elvis ...

Bruce Springsteen: Palais Des Sports, Lyons, France

Live Review by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, May 1991

COME ELECTION time, even the President of France must sometimes have to make speeches. And when the President makes a speech, nothing gets in his ...

Donna Summer: Donna Summer

Review by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, July 1982

IF THERE's one song that Donna Summer should be singing right now it's our current number one, 'Fame'. Tailor made for her, 'Fame' is glossy, ...

Sylvester

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, December 1984

NOT EVEN the New York cool that infests a group like The Force MD's can prevent the obvious excitement that sweeps through them as Sylvester ...

Third World: Hammersmith Odeon, London

Live Review by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, May 1982

OBVIOUS I know, but it seemed more than a coincidence that Third World should kick off their opening night in London on the first anniversary ...

Weather Girls, The: The Weather Girls: Fat Is Where It's At

Profile and Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, March 1984

TWO TONS of fun, indeed! ...

Wham!: Make It Big (Epic)

Review by Paolo Hewitt, NME, November 1984

LET'S START with Barry White. Now there was a man that I loathed. At the height of his success, I used to watch his videos ...

Bobby Womack: Hammersmith Odeon, London

Live Review by Paolo Hewitt, NME, September 1984

YEARS AGO when Bobby Womack bought his raw but stylised music to this same venue it was more a case of disintegration than any cause ...

Bobby Womack: The Great Provider

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, August 1985

"They call me a living legend/But I'm just a soldier who's been left behind/And now my heart can't take it/My feet won't make it/I'm the ...

Stevie Wonder: Breaking The Square Circle

Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, April 1989

Perhaps the most innovative musician of the '70s, STEVIE WONDER has enjoyed mixed fortunes in the '80s, dividing his time between duets with Dionne Warwick ...

List of genre pieces

Motown: I Hear A Symphony

Overview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, April 1982

TIMELESS music...a rare and precious thing...hard to find ...even harder to create: that's Motown music when it was in its heyday. It was a music ...

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