Decca: The Supreme Record Company

Decca is one of the great global names in recorded music. From pioneering techniques that revolutionised classical recording, to the 1960s and 70s pop explosion, through to the classical revival in the 1990s and 2000s, the sheer diversity and range of Decca’s story and its influence on 20th- and 21st-century music is unparalleled. Decca: The Supreme Record Company is a treat for anyone fascinated by the development of modern music, full of lively anecdotes and insights into the label’s broader contribution to culture.

Includes twelve chapters covering: Decca’s Foundation (Andrew Stewart); American Decca (Lois Wilson); Decca and the Second World War (Dr Tony Wakeford); The Decca Sound (Michael Gray); Decca’s Golden Years (Paul Moseley); The Pop Years 1956–68 (Jon Savage); Decca Beyond Pop and Classical (Louis Barfe); Stones, Smurfs, Splodgenessabounds (Daryl Easlea); The Three Tenors (Adam Sweeting); Russell Watson and the 21st Century (Sam Jackson); Decca Today and Tomorrow (Tom Lewis); Essential Recordings.

About the Authors

Darren Henley is the author of more than thirty books about the arts and two independent government reviews into music education and cultural education. Chief executive of Arts Council England since 2015, he spent fifteen years leading Classic FM, first as managing editor and then as managing director. Appointed OBE for services to music, he is a recipient of the British Academy President’s Medal for his contribution to music education, music research and the arts.

Daryl Easlea is a writer, DJ and A&R consultant whose words have appeared in Record Collector, Mojo, Prog, the Guardian and Uncut. Among his books are Everybody Dance: Chic and the Politics of Disco; Talent Is an Asset: The Story of Sparks and Without Frontiers: The Life and Music of Peter Gabriel. He regularly compiles and annotates CDs and LPs.