Ritchie Yorke

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Ritchie Yorke
File:Ritchie yorke.jpg
Ritchie Yorke
Born 12 January 1944
Brisbane, Australia
Nationality Australian
Citizenship Australian
Occupation Author, broadcaster, historian, journalist.

Ritchie Yorke is an Australian-born author, broadcaster, historian and music journalist.

Biography

Born in Brisbane, Yorke left Australia for the UK in 1966 to act as International Operations Manager for Sunshine Records, being responsible for launching Normie Rowe in the European market. In 1967 he managed the international promotions for Chris Blackwell of Island Records.[citation needed] The same year he relocated to Toronto, Canada.[1] He began working for the Toronto Telegram before being appointed the Globe & Mail’s first full-time rock writer in 1968.[2]

In 1970, Yorke worked as International Peace Envoy with John and Yoko Lennon on their War Is Over If You Want It peace campaign. With musician Ronnie Hawkins he traveled the globe, carrying War Is Over! posters around the world in 1970 in a “52,000 mile world tour”.[3] When they took their placard messages to the Chinese border (25 miles from Hong Kong), they “were stopped by Red Gaurds [sic] and warned they would be shot if they didn’t leave.” [4]

In 1971 Yorke's book on Canadian rock Axes, Chops, & Hot Licks was published, being the first rock history book "devoted entirely to a music scene outside of the United States and England".[5]

In 1972 Yorke organised the "Maple Music Junket”, in which a number of continental writers, radio and tv programmers, editors and film makers were inviting to visit Montreal and Toronto to observe five concerts (three in English, two in French) that were staged in Montreal and Toronto.[6]

Yorke was named journalist of the year at the annual Juno awards in 1972, being cited for his “contributions to the Canadian music industry through is recently published book “Axes, Chops and Hot Licks,” a survey of the Canadian music industry, his instigation of the Maple Music Junket and magazine writings”.[7]

In 1976 he published the “Hisotry of Rock ’n’ Roll”. The book represented the “summarised account of Yorke’s original quarter-million word script for the 60-hour CHUM-produced documentary” of the same name.[8]

In 1986 Yorke returned to Brisbane and began writing for the Brisbane Sunday Mail in 1987.

Amongst the many publications he contributed to, Yorke was the Canadian Editor of Rolling Stone (1969–70), Canadian Editor of Billboard (1970–80), and was the Senior Music Writer for the Brisbane Sunday Mail for 20 years (1987-2007).[9]

He has written biographies on Led Zeppelin and Van Morrison and also written for publications including Billboard, Circus, Jazz & Pop, Los Angeles Free Press, Los Angeles Times, Melody Maker, Miss Chatelaine, Modern Hi-Fi, Mojo, New Musical Express, Ottawa Journal, Rolling Stone and TV Week.[citation needed]

Books

  • Lowdown on the English Pop Scene, Horwitz, 1967
  • Axes Chops & Hot Licks (The Canadian Rock Music Scene), Hurtig Publishers, 1972
  • Into the Music: The Van Morrison Biography, Charisma Books, 1975
  • The Led Zeppelin Biography, Methuen Publications, 1976
  • The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Methuen Publications, 1976
  • The Ballad of John and Yoko (contributor), Rolling Stone Publishers, 1982
  • The Definitive Biography: Led Zeppelin, Virgin Books, 1991
  • A Little Bull Goes A Long Way (contributor), Pennon Publishing, 2001
  • Memories of John (contributor), Harper Collins, 2005
  • Hendrix On Hendrix: Interviews And Encounters with Jimi Hendrix (contributor), Chicago Review Press, 2012
  • Rock Country (contributor), Hardie Grant Books, 2013
  • Led Zeppelin On Led Zeppelin: Interviews And Encounters (contributor), Chicago Review Press, 2014

References

  1. BIG SOUND: Music Business Summit and Showcase. (2009). Speakers Bio: Ritchie Yorke. Q Music. Retrieved from http://www.qmusic.com.au/bigsound2009/speakers/RitchieYorke.pdf
  2. Scott, B. (2013). Ritchie Yorke on Rock and Roll. Retrieved from http://www.vice.com/read/ritchie-yorke-on-rock-n-roll
  3. Bari, M. A. (2007). Mass media is the message: Yoko Ono and John Lennon's 1969 year of peace. Retrieved from http://drum.lib.umd.edu/bitstream/handle/1903/7200/umi-umd-4591.pdf;jsessionid=C9D02CFE8999E4B0DF2376E45CBAAC53?sequence=1
  4. Express, N. M. (1970, 1970 Feb 14). Craziest Pop Pic Of Week? New Musical Express (Archive: 1952–2000), 15.
  5. Daley, M. (2007). A historiography of rock music, 1955--1976. York University (Canada). Accessed through ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global database. https://www.library.yorku.ca/find/Record/2334836
  6. Johannson, P. R. (1972). Canada's rock music industry: Counterweight or component of continentalism? American Review of Canadian Studies, 2(2), 35-60. doi: 10.1080/02722017209481339
  7. Billboard, (1972, Mar 18). General news: Ritchie Yorke gets Can.'s Juno award. Billboard (Archive: 1963-2000), 84, 3.
  8. Canada: Print rock history. (1976, Oct 16). Billboard (Archive: 1963-2000), 88, 64.
  9. BIG SOUND: Music Business Summit and Showcase. (2009). Speakers Bio: Ritchie Yorke. Q Music. Retrieved from http://www.qmusic.com.au/bigsound2009/speakers/RitchieYorke.pdf