“Grant, the pioneering manager, revolutionized the business and helped shape the modern music industry. At the time of his death in 1995, a proposed film about his life had been in development for more than five years. It was never going to get made. And if it had, nobody would ever have believed it anyway.”
-Mark Blake (from Bring It on Home, page xiv)
I have read countless books about the history of rock & roll. I especially enjoy the ones that cover the early to mid-70’s, when rock was at its peak in both popularity and quality; a decadent time I am severely sad I missed, having been born too late. In said volumes many names of behind-the-scenes non-creative business people like Bill Graham or Don Arden or Allen Klein, who are rarely mentioned in fan magazine articles or on the radio, pop up here and there, usually with a paragraph or two that tell an incredible tale of some debauchery that has since become a part of rock folklore. Peter Grant is one of those mysterious figures who lurk in the background. Best known as being the manager who steered Led Zeppelin into their iconic status, most books tell us little more than he was a physically imposing man who used to be a nightclub bouncer and was intimidating and aggressive when in pursuit of what he wanted. I always felt Grant was deserving of his own biography, and apparently British music journalist Mark Blake (not to be confused with my former anthropology professor at Dawson College, Mark Blaker) agrees with me. And the result is his latest effort Bring It on Home: Peter Grant, Led Zeppelin, and Beyond – The Story of Rock’s Greatest Manager. But is Grant’s story compelling enough, or was he just a bean-counter who was in the right place at the right time?
Bring It on Home hits the ground running and is well-paced and smooth while at the same time packed with interesting anecdotes and facts about its elusive subject. But it is more than just a portrait of a man; it offers an intriguing glimpse into the 60’s and ‘70’s popular music scene as well.
Blake does not waste a word, or even a punctuation mark, in Bring It on Home’s less than 300 pages, employing a terse and dry English sensibility with every carefully crafted line. The business aspect of the entertainment industry, be it music, film or television, can be dry and dull but the author is conscious of that and strips the details to the bare bones essentials without sacrificing quality.
Grant was not someone who spoke often to others about his upbringing, and the section of the book covering his childhood is a little thin, but to be fair Blake likely didn’t have much to work with and maybe that part of the subject’s life wasn’t ultimately that interesting or relevant enough to warrant more pages.
The great era of rock music is now long past. Bands still tour the nostalgia circuit, but a number of them don’t even have the original singers; sure it sometimes can’t be helped as a few of them have passed on, but what is Journey without Steven Perry? Who pays to see Jonathan Cain? Recently my friend Stretch took his son to see the band Foreigner sans Lou Gramm, or most of the original members other than a 74 year-old Mick Jones, at Place des Arts. (Stretch had seen them perform at the old Forum in the 80’s on their Agent Provocateur tour with the authentic lead lung front and centre.) Stretch did not pay just to see Mick Jones either time. It’s like going to see Pat Benatar for Neil Giraldo. These acts today are little more than glorified cover bands. (With the exception of Ritchie Blackmore’s band Rainbow, which has to date had at least 4 lead singers and despite featuring at several points some top-notch musical talent like Cozy Powell and Don Airey, were already but an upscale cover band!) I sigh when I contemplate what I have missed. Bring it on Home made me feel like I was there.
I often say that The Beatles changed the world. But would they have without Brian Epstein? What is a music act without proper management and direction? Without someone to protect the artists from talentless and uncreative music industry executive scumbags? Would Led Zeppelin have been Led Zeppelin without Peter Grant? According to the book, even the spelling of the band’s name would not have been the same were it not for him (page 69).
So to answer my question: Does Peter Grant’s life merit a full biography?
Yes. Yes it does.
And Mark Blake delivers a tome worthy of Grant’s larger-than-life appearance, personality and lifestyle.
Bring It on Home: Peter Grant, Led Zeppelin, and Beyond – The Story of Rock’s Greatest Manager is best recommended for those who are interested in rock history and the music industry, especially during the 70’s.
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