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  • The Tastemaker

  • My Life with the Legends and Geniuses of Rock Music
  • By: Tony King
  • Narrated by: Ben Higgins
  • Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (23 ratings)
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The Tastemaker cover art

The Tastemaker

By: Tony King
Narrated by: Ben Higgins
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Summary

The Tastemaker charts the singular life of a man who has been at the beating heart of music's most iconic moments for over sixty years and features stories of his time working with everyone from the Beatles to the Ronettes and Elton John to the Rolling Stones.

Leaving school at the age of sixteen to start his career in the music industry at Decca Records, Tony King would soon find himself becoming a close friend and confidante to some of the world's biggest artists - a far cry from his childhood days in Eastbourne.

Living in an era of seismic social, technological and cultural transformation, King experienced these defining moments as an influential figure in London and New York's gay scenes. Despite his heady life in showbusiness, however, he would soon learn that a glittering career couldn't shield him from heartbreak - witness to the AIDS crisis and the devastating consequences, his personal life was intermittently marked by tumult and turmoil. This included spending time with with his friend Freddie Mercury in the Queen frontman's final days.

Suffused with Tony King's disarming warmth and unparalleled charisma - and at times profoundly moving - The Tastemaker paints an intimate portrait of a music legend and captures the unpredictable world he stamped his indelible mark upon.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Tony King (P)2023 Faber Audio

Critic reviews

"This is a brilliant book by a brilliant man. A magician with perfect taste. Thank God I met him. He is gold dust!" (Elton John)

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What listeners say about The Tastemaker

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Absolutely superb

Fantastic bio littered with legends and anecdotes that make you smile. Never heard of Tony in truth but knew with the music background this would still be a great book. It was, well written and I felt narrated well too. Amazing life working with and alongside music giants from the Beatles to Bowie. Loved every minute and could listen to these books all day long. Tony clearly was and is a great bloke loved by all and rightly so. An absolute gentleman as well as music industry expert.

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Great listen

I heard Tony King on the Rockonteurs podcast talking about this book. It doesn’t disappoint, full of stories of life on the road, as well as a bit of a social documentary on 60s London, the 70s and into the 80s AIDS crisis in New York. Recommended.

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Recommended

Really enjoyed this. Finished it over a weekend, so interesting and easy to listen to.

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What a Life - A Life Truly Lived

I recently finished listening to Elton’s audiobook and Tony features prominently in that. Having heard Tony’s chat with Nicky Campbell I had to hear more about his fascinating life.
So many incredible tales. Tony has lived a life like the storyline of a Hollywood movie, & it’s conveyed very well here. Would’ve liked him to have narrated himself, but that’s my only minor gripe.

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fascinating

A really good listen. Well worth a credit. I've listened to lots of rock star biographies and this versions brings so many of them together! Nice to hear the worker bee's perspective

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Highly recommend if you're into music

This is such a wonderful listen. Tony comes across as such a warm and beautiful man, it's no wonder everyone loved him. To be part of so much at that level and still be so level headed is a credit to him. I loved this book and have recommended it to everyone I know who is into their music

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    4 out of 5 stars

Good story, poor narrator.

Really enjoyed this. Quite a ride this guy has had.
I felt the narrator missed much of the subtleties and intonation of the book. Some odd phrasing and weird gaps.

Nonetheless, a great book.

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What a job!

I listened to an interview with Tony on a podcast & straight away bought the audiobook, well worth a listen & what a way to earn a living, imagine calling that work!

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Interesting life lived!

This is a really interesting listen which I thoroughly enjoyed. The performance let the story down a little

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