Ray Connolly
AFTER STUDYING social anthropology at the London School of Economics, Ray Connolly began his professional life as a journalist, most notably at the London Evening Standard. There over a period of seven years he interviewed almost all the famous rock stars of the Sixties and Seventies, from the Beatles (many times) to Bowie, Jagger, Leonard Cohen, Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield, Charlie Watts, Pete Townshend and over a hundred more. He has also written twelve novels, including Sunday Morning, Love Out Of Season and Shadows On A Wall,screenplays for the movies That'll Be The Day and Stardust, short stories, and television documentaries, films and series, including Lytton's Diary and Perfect Scoundrels. There have also been biographies, Being Elvis and Being John Lennon as well as several plays for BBC Radio 4, including Sorry, Boys, You Failed the Audition (what might have happened to the Beatles if George Martin had rejected them in 1962), Unimaginable his own account of the death of John Lennon (whom he was due to see that day), and Devoted, an account of his 102 days in intensive care with Covid during the pandemic. Most recently he has published his memoir Born At The Right Time.
(photo credit: David Bailey)
17 articles
List of articles in the library
John Lennon, Yoko Ono: The enigmatic Yoko
Interview by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 26 October 1968
In her first interview: talking about love, loneliness and Lennon ...
Janis Joplin: Janis Superhypermost!
Interview by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 5 April 1969
JANIS JOPLIN is instantly, aggressively friendly. I'm a complete stranger and right away she's asking me to massage her neck and kissing me "hello" with ...
B.B. King: Blues Boy and Lucille
Interview by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 26 April 1969
B.B. King didn't know anything about being black until he was 13: then the differences became obvious ...
Live Review by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 1 July 1969
RAY CONNOLLY at the Pop Proms ...
Live Review by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 7 July 1969
The Jagger magic is still there ...
Interview by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 12 July 1969
"THE BEATLES are personally not rich to the extent that most people think they are. They're not that well off. Maybe it's a comedown, but ...
Interview by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 13 December 1969
KEITH RICHARD, the Rolling Stone with hair that looks like it got half caught in a helicopter propeller and has never fully grown out again, ...
Jeff Dexter: Jeff thinks it's funny: "Even with a beard they call me Madam"
Interview by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 20 December 1969
A HALF-DEAD fly cruised slowly and miserably around Jeff Dexter's ash blond shoulder-length hair and made its unhappy way towards me. Dexter must have read ...
Joni Mitchell: A little bit of Ecology Rock from Joni...
Interview by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 3 January 1970
"THE MONEY you get paid as a singer is all out of proportion. In America they pay you to sing — but they don't pay ...
Laura Nyro: New York Tendaberry (CBS)
Review by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 17 January 1970
Laura and her captain ...
Interview by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 21 April 1970
The truth about the Beatles: Paul McCartney talks to Ray Connolly ...
Interview by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 22 April 1970
THROUGHOUT LUNCH the McCartneys sat close together. As Paul talked Linda squeezed his hand and whenever he talked about their marriage and family, she put ...
Dusty Springfield: Dusty at 30... loneliness is an occasional thing
Interview by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 5 September 1970
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD looks as though she's playing at doctor-during-consulting-hours sitting there in that white walled room at Philips Records meeting the all and sundry members ...
Jimi Hendrix: Pop music loses top guitarist — superb, often wasted talent
Obituary by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 18 September 1970
JIMI HENDRIX, who died today, was one of the most superbly talented guitarists that rock music has discovered. But he suffered the fatal flaw of ...
George Harrison: All Things Must Pass (Apple)
Review by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 21 November 1970
Together: George and Eric and Klaus and Ringo and Allen and Bonnie and Billy and Co. ...
The Beatles, John Lennon, Yoko Ono: John Lennon: The working class hero at 30
Interview by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 10 December 1970
THE RAY CONNOLLY INTERVIEW: THIS WEEK, JOHN LENNON ON THE EVE OF HIS NEW LP ...
James Brown: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Ray Connolly, The Evening Standard, 11 March 1971
A dialogue in hysteria ...
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