Rockonteurs with Gary Kemp and Guy Pratt Simon Napier-Bell joins the Rockonteurs
Mar 8, 2026
Simon Napier-Bell, veteran manager, producer and songwriter behind acts like the Yardbirds, T. Rex and Wham!, shares tales from 60s club life to taking Wham! to China. He recalls scoring films, inventing publicity stunts, guiding influential bands, building fan clubs in Japan, and staying active with new projects. Short, vivid stories about music, management and showbiz hustle.
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Making A Film Score Overnight
- Simon described cutting a messy Burt Bacharach score into usable themes and spending six weeks in the cutting room to remake the film score for What's New Pussycat.
- He slept at the studio, earned £10,000, bought a Ford Thunderbird, and later cringed at the result despite learning film scoring techniques from the experience.
Social Change Created A New Manager Class
- Simon links the 1960s manager boom to the end of national service and the decriminalization of homosexuality, which opened new career paths for creative, out-of-closet gay men.
- He argues gay managers became cultural intermediaries between conservative record-company executives and rebellious youth scenes, shaping the industry.
Charts Shifted Power To Artists And Managers
- Simon observes the shift from 'song' charts to 'record' and artist-focused charts forced record companies to use managers as marketing departments.
- When records, not songs, drove success, artists required storytelling and image; managers filled that marketing gap.