Tony Calder, the music manager who promoted the Beatles’ debut single Love Me Do, died on 2 January at the age of 74.
Calder, who was born in Surrey, was hired by Beatles manager Brian Epstein to promote the band in the early 1960s. Soon after, Calder and Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham – whom Calder had met while working at Decca Records – formed a PR company called Image. It managed the Rolling Stones and promoted the Beach Boys.
In 1965, Calder and Oldham founded the independent label Immediate Records, whose roster included the Small Faces, Rod Stewart and Fleetwood Mac. Immediate closed in 1970. Oldham was among those who paid tribute to Calder following his death, posting a message on Twitter that read: “A member of the family has left us.”
In the mid-60s, Calder had a brief spell as a record producer, working with Marianne Faithfull on her singles Come and Stay With Me and This Little Bird, both Top 10 hits in the UK. In the 70s, he signed acts including the Bay City Rollers and Black Sabbath. In 1978, he began managing Eddy Grant.
In his later years, Calder co-authored a biography of Abba with Oldham. As of 2007, he was working with Eddy Grant again as his business manager. Calder reportedly died in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital following a battle with pneumonia.
