Dick Witts
Encyclopedia
Richard "Dick" Witts is a professional musicologist, music historian, and ex leader of 1980s band The Passage
. He was born in Cleethorpes
on the coast of Lincolnshire
, England.
He studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music
and briefly at Manchester University. During this time he was a member of the Hallé Orchestra as a percussionist. During the mid-1970s he wrote for the contemporary classical music magazine Contact.
At that time, he was also involved in starting a Manchester Musicians Collective (on the model of the recently established London Musicians Collective
). This led into contact with the growing punk scene and he formed The Passage, producing their recordings and singing on many of their releases.
He presented television programme Oxford Road Show
in the early 1980s for the BBC
from Oxford Road Studios, Manchester
and was also a reporter for BBC Radio 3
.
Thirty of his radio interviews and contributions are housed in the British Library Sound Archive
. In 2003 he gave the Saul Seminar there on the history of music presentation in radio.
During the late 1980s he became involved in arts administration roles. He subsequently wrote a critical history of the Arts Council of Great Britain
: Artist Unknown: An Alternative History Of The Arts Council.
His first book, Nico
– the Lives and Lies of an Icon, was a biographical study of the German singer and songwriter (Virgin Books, 1993).
Dick now lives in Liverpool
and is a writer who has lectured at the University of Edinburgh
, Goldsmiths College
, London, the University of Surrey
in Guildford
and the University of Sussex
. He was appointed Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh where he made a simple catalogue of the Archive of Sir Donald Francis Tovey
(1875–1940). In 2010 he was invited by Edge Hill University, Liverpool, to design an Honours course in music.
His third book, a study of the music and history of The Velvet Underground
, was published by Equinox (UK) and the Indiana University Press (USA) in September 2006. He has also written chapters for the following academic books: Kraftwerk
: Music Non-Stop(Continuum, 2011), Mark E. Smith
and The Fall: Art, Music and Politics, (Ashgate, 2010), and the Cambridge Companion To Recorded Music (Cambridge University Press, 2009).
Witts is mentioned in the book Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music. He is credited with sending a package containing some of Aphex Twin
's music to Karlheinz Stockhausen
. He is currently researching a book on the history of British music from 1941–2000.
Witts is consultant to the ensemble Icebreaker
.
The Passage (band)
The Passage were a post-punk band from Manchester, UK who appeared on several record labels including Cherry Red Records, and their own label Night & Day, a subsidiary label to Virgin Records.-Biography:...
. He was born in Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes is a town and unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the estuary of the Humber. It has a population of 31,853 and is a seaside resort.- History :...
on the coast of Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England.
He studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music
Royal Manchester College of Music
The Royal Manchester College of Music was founded in 1893 by Sir Charles Hallé who assumed the role as Principal. For a long period of time Hallé had argued for Manchester's need for a conservatoire to properly train the local talent. The Ducie Street building, just off Oxford Road, was purchased...
and briefly at Manchester University. During this time he was a member of the Hallé Orchestra as a percussionist. During the mid-1970s he wrote for the contemporary classical music magazine Contact.
At that time, he was also involved in starting a Manchester Musicians Collective (on the model of the recently established London Musicians Collective
London Musicians Collective
The London Musicians' Collective is a cultural charity based in London, England devoted to the promotion of contemporary, experimental and improvised music...
). This led into contact with the growing punk scene and he formed The Passage, producing their recordings and singing on many of their releases.
He presented television programme Oxford Road Show
Oxford Road Show
Oxford Road Show was a pop music magazine show broadcast on BBC2 from the BBC's New Broadcasting House, Oxford Road, Manchester between 1981 and 1985. The show featured music, pop music news and competitions. Later it was known as "ORS 84" and "ORS 85"...
in the early 1980s for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
from Oxford Road Studios, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and was also a reporter for BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
.
Thirty of his radio interviews and contributions are housed in the British Library Sound Archive
British Library Sound Archive
The British Library Sound Archive in London, England is one of the largest collections of recorded sound in the world, including music, spoken word and ambient recordings....
. In 2003 he gave the Saul Seminar there on the history of music presentation in radio.
During the late 1980s he became involved in arts administration roles. He subsequently wrote a critical history of the Arts Council of Great Britain
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
: Artist Unknown: An Alternative History Of The Arts Council.
His first book, Nico
Nico
Nico was a German singer, lyricist, composer, musician, fashion model, and actress, who initially rose to fame as a Warhol Superstar in the 1960s...
– the Lives and Lies of an Icon, was a biographical study of the German singer and songwriter (Virgin Books, 1993).
Dick now lives in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and is a writer who has lectured at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom which specialises in the arts, humanities and social sciences, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1891 as Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute...
, London, the University of Surrey
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
in Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
and the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
. He was appointed Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh where he made a simple catalogue of the Archive of Sir Donald Francis Tovey
Donald Francis Tovey
Sir Donald Francis Tovey was a British musical analyst, musicologist, writer on music, composer, conductor and pianist...
(1875–1940). In 2010 he was invited by Edge Hill University, Liverpool, to design an Honours course in music.
His third book, a study of the music and history of The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
, was published by Equinox (UK) and the Indiana University Press (USA) in September 2006. He has also written chapters for the following academic books: Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
: Music Non-Stop(Continuum, 2011), Mark E. Smith
Mark E. Smith
Mark Edward Smith is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and only constant member of the English post-punk band The Fall.-Early life:...
and The Fall: Art, Music and Politics, (Ashgate, 2010), and the Cambridge Companion To Recorded Music (Cambridge University Press, 2009).
Witts is mentioned in the book Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music. He is credited with sending a package containing some of Aphex Twin
Aphex Twin
Richard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
's music to Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
. He is currently researching a book on the history of British music from 1941–2000.
Witts is consultant to the ensemble Icebreaker
Icebreaker (band)
Icebreaker is a UK-based new music ensemble founded by James Poke and John Godfrey. The group have established themselves as one of the UK's leading new music interpreters specializing particularly in post-minimal and "totalist" repertoire. They always play amplified and have a reputation for...
.
External links
- Official Site
- http://www.music.ed.ac.uk/staff/profile/ProfileRichardWitts.html
- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/higher/is-music-policed-and-controlled-933831.html