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Caroline Boucher

Caroline Boucher

Caroline Boucher has been the deputy editor of Observer Food Monthly and Observer Woman. Trained on a local paper in Kent, her career in the music press happened solely thanks to David Hughes, who'd left the Kent Messenger to join Disc and Music Echo and found her a job there. She left in the early '70s to work as an in-house PR for Elton John at Rocket Records (replacing Penny Valentine, who became head of A&R) and left in 1976 to have children. She is married to music business lawyer Robert Lee (of 'Virginia Plain' fame).

Caroline on the RBP podcast

62 articles

List of articles in the library

By date | By artist | Most recently added

The Beatles, George Harrison: Beatle Wife Pattie Sets Up Shop...

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 3 August 1968

PATTIE BOYD, a regular customer of the Chelsea Antique Market, changed sides of the counter last week when she opened her own stall there. ...

Joe Cocker: Joe gets by, with a little help from fags

Report by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 9 November 1968

Day in the life of Joe Cocker by CAROLINE BOUCHER ...

Bonzo Dog Band: Urban Spacemen DO Exist! The Mad, Mad Mad World Of The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 30 November 1968

CAROLINE BOUCHER INSIDE A DOO DAH DEN! ...

Joe South: Eligible Joe just loves his guitar!

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 31 May 1969

JOE SOUTH is one of America's most eligible bachelors. He's 25, wealthy, handsome, suntanned and talks in a deep Southern drawl that seems to come ...

Joni Mitchell: My Personal Life is a Shambles

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 10 January 1970

GENTLE, SHY Joni Mitchell flew into London last week with her friends Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young to do her last concert for a long, ...

MC5 Problem

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 8 August 1970

THE MC5 are a very good, very determined rock band. In the old days when people weren't too bothered about listening to them, they used ...

The Mothers Of Invention, Frank Zappa: Frank Zappa: A Frank Talk With Zappa On Being A "Rebel Chief"!

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 29 August 1970

AFTER A recent concert in Texas, Frank Zappa was accosted by a very smart elderly man, and three society women. "We want you to know ...

The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Chris Hillman: Chris Hillman: The Byrd who found his wings and began to fly

Retrospective and Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 6 February 1971

Chris Hillman looks back on the Byrds and talks about his 'Brothers' ...

Crosby Stills and Nash, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Jerry Garcia, Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash, John Sebastian, James Taylor: Joni Mitchell, James Taylor et al: The Pop Aristocrats

Overview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 20 March 1971

There's a new pop elite in America today, a closely-knit group of singers and musicians who have taken the music scene by storm. The members ...

The Faces: Faces "jam" — in a midget studio, or... A Night in the Life of Disco 2

Report by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 8 May 1971

IT'S THURSDAY at the BBC Television Centre, which means it's Disco 2 day, and there's feverish activity in a tiny studio high up in the ...

King Crimson Take To The Road!

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 8 May 1971

IT'S HARDLY surprising that King Crimson are scared stiff at the prospect of their first British gig, for it will be the first time they've ...

Mountain: How the West won 'em over

Profile and Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 29 May 1971

Mountain have Leslie West, the best guitarist in the world. Now he's attracting the attention of the other best guitarists in the world... ...

Quintessence — sincere, or a fraud?

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 29 May 1971

SHIVA IS a Christian Hindu who lives in Notting Hill Gate downstairs from his Guru. He is 22, born in Australia and arrived here two ...

The Band – Or When The Booing Ended

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 29 May 1971

NOBODY SEEMS to know much about the Band. That they're a living legend is a fact, a household name, true, but few people could enlighten ...

Andy Fraser: The Tea-Boy And The Van Driver Join Andy's Group!

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 28 August 1971

ANDY FRASER is, as they say, getting things together in the country. He's got a 400 year old cottage and a three week old hand ...

Badfinger: Straight Up

Review and Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 8 January 1972

THIS IS THE story of how Badfinger won the West. They didn't really have to do much in fact. They just went to America, did ...

Humble Pie: The New Filling In Humble Pie

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 8 January 1972

EVERY NOW and again, America latches onto an English band in a big way. Last year it was Elton John, the Faces, and Long John ...

Creedence Clearwater Revival, Tom Fogerty: Tom Fogerty: "Creedence Clearwater? I've Never Known Such A Bunch Of Egotistical Maniacs"

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 20 January 1972

IT'S ALWAYS sad when a group splits up amidst much bad feeling. It's even worse when one member leaves amidst equal bad feelings, and then ...

MC5 Turn Onto Love

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 4 March 1972

IT COMES AS something of a shock when the MC5 – long since branded as a revolutionary and rather spine-jarring band – looks deep into ...

Mungo Jerry: Ray Loses that Happy Habit

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 4 March 1972

RAY DORSET, it transpires, is a seasonal songwriter. He writes at the end of the summer and just before the spring, but at other times ...

Rick Nelson: How Ricky Became Rick

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 4 March 1972

A YEAR and a half ago and full of enthusiasm for his new band, Rick Nelson set off for Europe and a tour of American ...

Roxy Music — one year later...

Profile and Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 4 March 1972

ROXY MUSIC must be the only group around who took the trouble of rehearsing for a whole year before doing a concert. And although for ...

Ten Years After: Alvin Lee On The Hassles Of Being A Success

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 25 March 1972

ALVIN LEE is currently suffering from a surfeit of everything. He's had too much touring, too much hype, too much idolatry. Nowadays the band can't ...

Ben E. King Why Ben Stopped Drifting

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 25 March 1972

KEEPING abreast of the times, says Ben E. King, is one of the most important and difficult jobs for a singer. He's been singing and ...

Genesis: Too Posh For Fame

Profile and Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, 25 March 1972

ASK GENESIS how their careers are progressing and they'll tell you they're superstars in Aylesbury and Belgium, but little known elsewhere. In fact their fame ...

Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa: Captain Beefheart: Zappa stole my ideas, says the Captain

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 1 April 1972

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART is talking about his home, Eureka, where the snails are THIS big — he indicates about nine inches with his hands — and ...

Emerson Lake and Palmer: Why Keith Wants To Become Immortal

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 13 May 1972

KEITH EMERSON would like to be remembered as a twentieth century composer – he thinks about it quite a lot and finds it curious that ...

King Crimson: Fripp Finds the Answer

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 27 May 1972

...in White magic, coloured candles and a witch called Walli Emlark ...

Spencer Davis Group: Spencer Davis: Waiting For The Next Crack-Up

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 3 June 1972

SPENCER DAVIS' ailment is that he's hooked on music. It has made him ill, broke, come near to wrecking his marriage and, although he talks ...

Judge Dread: Here comes the Judge

Profile and Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 22 July 1972

AFTER RECEIVING three stab wounds in the stomach, an axe wound on the head and a broken bottle in the face, Alex Hughes gave up ...

Screaming Lord Sutch: Sutch is Life...

Profile and Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 5 August 1972

SCREAMING Lord "Jack the Ripper" Sutch — as he now likes to be known — is currently wearing his grudge on his chest. He is ...

Bobby Vee: Bye Bye Bobby – Meet Mr Villene

Profile and Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 26 August 1972

A CLAIM to fame you don't often associate with Bobby Vee is that he once sacked Bob Dylan from his band. Over here having just ...

Joe's Lights: Many Hands Make Lights Work

Profile and Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 2 September 1972

A look at the people behind the glitter. Caroline Boucher meets JOE'S LIGHTS, one of the best creative light shows around today ...

Gary Glitter: A Raven in Rich Plumage

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 4 November 1972

"YOU WILL bear in mind that he's got dreadful 'flu, won't you," says Gary Glitter's publicity agent when we fixed up the interview. And sure ...

Roxy Music: Central Hall, Chatham

Live Review by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 11 November 1972

"COR," SAID the bloke behind me after Roxy Music had finished their first number, "I like the way they take the micky out of themselves." ...

T. Rex: The Science Fiction Diplomatic Twentieth Century Robotised Holy Man Sends A Message...

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 11 November 1972

AS THE knockers warmed to their theme last week and adjusted their sights on Marc Bolan, the man himself was being mobbed at London Airport ...

The Jackson 5: Caroline Boucher Meets The Father Of A Phenomena

Report and Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 11 November 1972

THE TWO rival fan factions swarm round the Churchill Hotel, Osmond Brothers fans to the left waving up to those windows, Jackson Five ones massed ...

The Jackson 5: The Jackson Five: The Talk of the Town, London

Live Review by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 11 November 1972

TWO DAYS after they arrived, the Jackson Five had the unenviable task of doing a 45-minute spot to the British press at a champagne party ...

Silverhead: guaranteed reaction...

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 25 November 1972

SILVERHEAD HAVE only been in existence for a couple of months, but they're already causing some extreme reaction round the country. One reader wrote in ...

Marc Bolan, T. Rex: The Boogie Merchants: Marc Bolan

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 9 December 1972

CAROLINE BOUCHER takes a bleary, cross-eyed view of Marc Bolan who started life as a Tooting Mod, pro­gressed to a flower child, bopped as an ...

The Faces: And Along Came Jones

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 20 January 1973

BASICALLY SAYS Kenney Jones, the Faces have to be busy because if they're not working pretty regularly they get bored, very bored. And a bored ...

David Cassidy: A Partridge Planning to Leave the Nest

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 10 March 1973

Looking through the eyes of Caroline Boucher at DAVID CASSIDY, with whom she spent a day at his Los Angeles home ...

Frank Zappa: Frank Talk...

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 10 March 1973

… from Zappa, whom Caroline Boucher visited at his Hollywood home ...

The Osmonds: Golden Age Of The Osmonds

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 17 March 1973

THE OSMONDS have been around for years and Alan has known success with earlier line-ups, but it is with Donny that the brothers have discovered ...

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band: Free Trade Hall, Manchester

Live Review by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 14 April 1973

"THAT WAS just TERRIBLE," said Captain Beefheart after the opening performance of his tour at Manchester Free Trade Hall last Thursday. ...

Paul Simon: Rhyme and Reason

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 16 June 1973

PAUL SIMON minus his famous side-kick Art, in part one of his interview with Caroline Boucher ...

Emerson Lake & Palmer: Carl Palmer 'ELPing Himself

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 23 June 1973

SO YOU thought Keith Emerson was a flashy organist? You should see Carl Palmer these days. He's got a two-tone Perspex rostrum which revolves when ...

Carole King: Lou Adler — voice of a King

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 23 June 1973

IT WAS after making Tapestry that Carole King met her producer, Lou Adler, one day and just casually enquired how the album was selling. It ...

Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel: Simon on the split... The Paul Simon interview — part two

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 23 June 1973

WHEN CONFRONTED with the inevitable questions about the split partner, Artie Garfunkel, Paul Simon always says now that it is three years since he made ...

Brian Eno: Eno: Blank Frank — the Messenger of Doom

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 2 February 1974

The initials B.F. spell... think about it. Words by Caroline Boucher ...

Hawkwind: Reaching out for higher flings

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 2 February 1974

Hawkwind's Stacia acts it out. Disc's Caroline Boucher writes it down ...

Al Kooper, Lynyrd Skynyrd: Who The Hell Are Lynyrd Skynyrd?

Profile and Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 16 February 1974

LYNYRD SKYNYRD is, in fact, a used-car salesman somewhere in Florida. At least, he doesn't spell his name quite like that – the band had ...

Elton John: My life with the Rocket man

Memoir by Caroline Boucher, The Observer, 30 June 1996

Katharine Hepburn in the swimming pool and Stevie Wonder locked in the loo. Just two more problems for Elton John's former PR, Caroline Boucher ...

The Beatles: Copyright: Pepper corn

Interview by Caroline Boucher, The Observer, 23 March 1997

ONE OF the most famous album covers of all time is about to become the subject of bitter legal wrangling. Peter Blake, 64, designed the ...

Captain Beefheart: The Artist Formerly Known as Captain Beefheart (Dir. Elaine Shepherd, BB2)

Film/DVD/TV Review by Caroline Boucher, The Observer, 17 August 1997

WE AT the Observer can boast a couple of ancient links with Captain Beefheart, subject of tonight's Rock Cults programme, The Artist Formerly Known as ...

Keith Moon, The Who: Boozing with Keith Moon

Memoir by Caroline Boucher, The Observer, 18 April 2010

An afternoon with the Who drummer started with him putting wing mirrors on a donkey then went steadily downhill ...

Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant: Going veggie with Robert Plant

Memoir by Caroline Boucher, The Guardian, 20 June 2010

It wasn't easy grabbing a decent stew in Carnaby Street with the Led Zeppelin singer, says Caroline Boucher. ...

Marc Bolan: Brown rice with Marc Bolan

Memoir by Caroline Boucher, The Observer, 15 August 2010

Hippie food in rundown Notting Hill in the early '70s. It was hardly glam… ...

Frank Zappa: Cucumber sandwiches with Frank Zappa

Memoir by Caroline Boucher, The Observer, 17 October 2010

Caroline Boucher recalls afternoon tea with California's king of outrage. ...

Alice Cooper: Burgers with Alice Cooper

Memoir by Caroline Boucher, The Observer, 14 November 2010

Alice had hamburger… and his snake had a couple of mice. ...

Captain Beefheart obituary

Obituary by Caroline Boucher, The Guardian, 18 December 2010

DON VAN VLIET, better known as Captain Beefheart, who has died aged 69 of complications from multiple sclerosis, was one of the most influential American ...

Captain Beefheart: The night Captain Beefheart drove me into the hills in a red Corvette

Memoir by Caroline Boucher, The Observer, 20 August 2017

It's 1974, and a young Caroline Boucher is in Los Angeles to meet scary legend Don Van Vliet… ...

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