Articles, interviews and reviews from Harold Bronson: Rocks Backpages.

Harold Bronson was indoctrinated into rock criticism by his first editor at the UCLA Daily Bruin, John Mendelssohn. Bronson learned his craft, and was soon able to forgo his box boy duties at the local market by earning the same pocket change writing for Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, L. A. Free Press, Rock Magazine and others. He not only enjoyed access to L.A.’s music scene, but the camaraderie of his fellow rock writers. He played music at UCLA with Mark Leviton (and subsequent noted author) Jon Kellerman in the retro-punk band Mogan David and His Winos, as well as becoming good friends with Steve Rosen and John Tobler.

Joining Richard Foos at the Rhino Records store, and drawing upon his experience with the Winos, whose 1973’s Savage Young Winos was among the first truly independently released rock albums of the 1970s, he started the Rhino Records label in the store’s back room. Success wasn’t instant, but through the years Rhino created the standard for reissues, and was awarded label of the year (2000-2002) by the record retailers organization NARM. Bronson and Foos subsequently left the label, which is now part of the Warner Music Group.

Bronson, who had taken quite a few film classes as part of his major, established Rhino Films (a separate company), and has produced a handful of films, most notably Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, and Why Do Fools Fall in Love (the story of the first teen star, Frankie Lymon). Daydream Believers, a tv movie on the Monkees, was based, in part, on Bronson’s book Hey, Hey, We’re the Monkees, about which Michael Nesmith said, "best captures the Monkees Zeitgeist."

Bronson recently completed My Dinner With Jimi, which attempts to capture the magic of Swinging London. It was written by Howard Kaylan, based on his account of the Turtles tour of England. Bronson would like to flesh out more of the great stories from rock, but as Hollywood has a continual frown from this underperforming genre, he finds it tough going.

Argent Again
Interview by Harold Bronson, Phonograph Record, August 1971

Badfinger: Woo, Liverpool Accents
Profile and Interview by Harold Bronson, Rolling Stone, June 1971

Black Sabbath : The Wit & Wisdom of Ozzy Osbourne or For the Best Coke Call Black Sabbath
Report and Interview by Harold Bronson, UCLA Daily Bruin, June 1972

Blue Swede: Grunting a Feeling
Report and Interview by Harold Bronson, Rolling Stone, July 1974

Canned Heat: One More River To Cross
Review by Harold Bronson, Rolling Stone, February 1974

Flo & Eddie : Howard Kaylan: Mother Was A Turtle
Interview by Harold Bronson, Rolling Stone, September 1971

Focus: How to Make It Without Playing Top 40
Interview by Harold Bronson, Rolling Stone, May 1973

Guess Who, The : Guess Who: They Don't Know What We Look Like
Interview by Harold Bronson, UCLA Daily Bruin, April 1971

Herman's Hermits: Miss Brown, You've Got A Lovely Mother
Profile by Harold Bronson, UCLA Daily Bruin, January 1972

Hollies, The : The Hollies: No Room For Solo Stars
Profile and Interview by Harold Bronson, Rolling Stone, January 1973

Hot Chocolate: Cicero Park (Big Tree)
Review by Harold Bronson, Phonograph Record, January 1975

Elton John : What do Bowie, Elton, and Mantovani have in common?
Interview by Harold Bronson, Music World, June 1973

Mance Lipscomb: Portrait of a Texas Bluesman
Profile and Interview by Harold Bronson, Music World, February 1973

Manfred Mann : An Exploration Of The Four Chapters Of Manfred Mann
Overview by Harold Bronson, Phonograph Record, November 1971

Monkees, The : Instant Replay: Does Anyone Dare Remember The Monkees?
Interview by Harold Bronson, Coast, September 1971

Peter and Gordon : The Producers: Peter Asher
Interview by Harold Bronson, Hit Parader, 1972

Procol Harum : On The Road with Procol Harum
Interview by Harold Bronson, UCLA Daily Bruin, November 1971

Gerry Rafferty: Can I Have My Money Back?
Review by Harold Bronson, Rolling Stone, November 1973

Emitt Rhodes: Mirror (Dunhill)
Review and Interview by Harold Bronson, UCLA Daily Bruin, November 1971

Spencer Davis Group : Spencer Davis
Interview by Harold Bronson, Phonograph Record, June 1971

Status Quo: Whisky A Go Go, Los Angeles
Live Review by Harold Bronson, Melody Maker, February 1974

Stealers Wheel: Ferguslie Park
Review by Harold Bronson, Rolling Stone, January 1974

James Taylor : The Producers: Peter Asher
Interview by Harold Bronson, Hit Parader, 1972

T. Rex: "The Mania Never Stops"
Interview by Harold Bronson, Phonograph Record, April 1972

Troggs, The : Troggs: Fond Rememberings And Frank Quotes From The World's First Punk Rockers:
Retrospective and Interview by Harold Bronson, Phonograph Record, February 1973

Turtles, The : Howard Kaylan: Mother Was A Turtle
Interview by Harold Bronson, Rolling Stone, September 1971

Wilderness Road: Sold For Prevention Of Disease Only (Warner Bros.)
Review by Harold Bronson, Phonograph Record, March 1973

Frank Zappa : Howard Kaylan: Mother Was A Turtle
Interview by Harold Bronson, Rolling Stone, September 1971

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