Robert Godwin
Encyclopedia
Robert Godwin is an author who has written about rock music
and spaceflight
. Early in his career he was a rock music impresario
who managed a venue in Burlington, Ontario
and founded Griffin Music
.
in Shropshire, where he studied Mathematics and Physics, he emigrated to Canada.
where many world class rock acts performed including Rick Derringer
, Steppenwolf
, Joe Perry and Mountain. In 1983 Godwin turned to music management and assisted in the recording and production of albums by Michael White & The White
. In 1987 he started the process to establish his own record label Griffin Music
and his own book publishing company, Collector's Guide Publishing
. In 1990 the first album by Michael White was released on Griffin Music
. Over the next few years Griffin would release many classic rock acts' back-catalogs through Griffin, notably, the BBC In Concert series, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
, David Bowie
, Motörhead, Thin Lizzy
, Mike Oldfield
, Olivia Newton-John
, Hawkwind
, and Nazareth.
collectors. Books he authored between 1987 and 2007 include The Illustrated Collector's Guide to Led Zeppelin, The Illustrated Collector's Guide to Hawkwind
, The Illustrated Collector's Guide to Kate Bush
, Apollo 11
The First Men on the Moon, Project Apollo The Test Program, Project Apollo Exploring the Moon, Mars, The Lunar Exploration Scrapbook, Russian Spacecraft, Space Shuttle
Fact Archive and The Making of Led Zeppelin IV
. In 2005 Godwin co-authored Saturn
with Alan Lawrie. The book won the Sir Arthur Clarke Award
for Best Presentation Written in 2006.
, Led Zeppelin
, The Beatles
, Elvis Presley
, Kate Bush
, Alice Cooper
, Wishbone Ash
and Kiss
.
In 1998, at the invitation of astronaut Buzz Aldrin
, Godwin would begin his imprint Apogee Books
.
Between 1998 and 2011 Apogee Books
published over 130 book titles about space flight with contributions from Buzz Aldrin
, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Tom Hanks
, Ron Howard
, David R. Scott, Harrison Schmitt
and Wernher von Braun
.
Mission Reports series (30 titles as of 2011), Dyna-Soar Hypersonic Strategic Weapons System, Rocket & Space Corporation Energia
, The Conquest of Space, Columbia Accident Investigation Report as well as a series of vintage science fiction books in 2006 under the Apogee Science Fiction imprint. Titles with forewords by Godwin and editorial content include Garrett P. Serviss
' Edison's Conquest of Mars and A Columbus of Space, Hugo Gernsback
's The Scientific Adventures of Baron Munchhausen, Otto Willi Gail
's By Rocket To The Moon, and George Griffith
's The World Peril of 1910, A Honeymoon in Space and Around the World in 65 Days.
" is an absolute magnitude 12.7 minor planet discovered in 1985 by H. Debehogne at the European Southern Observatory.
In 2008 Robert was appointed as Space Curator at the Canadian Air and Space Museum
.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and spaceflight
Spaceflight
Spaceflight is the act of travelling into or through outer space. Spaceflight can occur with spacecraft which may, or may not, have humans on board. Examples of human spaceflight include the Russian Soyuz program, the U.S. Space shuttle program, as well as the ongoing International Space Station...
. Early in his career he was a rock music impresario
Impresario
An impresario is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays or operas; analogous to a film producer in filmmaking, television production and an angel investor in business...
who managed a venue in Burlington, Ontario
Burlington, Ontario
Burlington , is a city located in Halton Region at the western end of Lake Ontario. Burlington is part of the Greater Toronto Area, and is also included in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. Physically, Burlington lies between the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment...
and founded Griffin Music
Griffin Music
Griffin Music was an independent record label created in 1989 in Toronto, Canada by author/publisher Robert Godwin. It was originally created to finance and record the second album of Led Zeppelin tribute act, Michael White & The White...
.
Personal information
After attending St Oswalds Ellesmere CollegeEllesmere College
Ellesmere College is an independent co-educational English independent school located in Ellesmere and based in rural northern Shropshire, England.-History:...
in Shropshire, where he studied Mathematics and Physics, he emigrated to Canada.
Music Business
In 1981 he managed the Orient Express night club, a venue in Burlington, OntarioBurlington, Ontario
Burlington , is a city located in Halton Region at the western end of Lake Ontario. Burlington is part of the Greater Toronto Area, and is also included in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. Physically, Burlington lies between the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment...
where many world class rock acts performed including Rick Derringer
Rick Derringer
Rick Derringer is an American guitarist, vocalist, and entertainer.-1960s:When he was seventeen years old, his band The McCoys recorded "Hang on Sloopy" in the summer of 1965, which became the number one song in America before "Yesterday" by The Beatles knocked it out of the top spot. The song was...
, Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)
Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The...
, Joe Perry and Mountain. In 1983 Godwin turned to music management and assisted in the recording and production of albums by Michael White & The White
Michael White & The White
Michael White & The White is an American hard rock combo and occasional Led Zeppelin cover band, formed around singer Michael White.Michael White started his career in 1973...
. In 1987 he started the process to establish his own record label Griffin Music
Griffin Music
Griffin Music was an independent record label created in 1989 in Toronto, Canada by author/publisher Robert Godwin. It was originally created to finance and record the second album of Led Zeppelin tribute act, Michael White & The White...
and his own book publishing company, Collector's Guide Publishing
Collector's Guide Publishing
Collector's Guide Publishing is a Canadian publisher based in Burlington, Ontario, Canada.The company's first publication was Robert Godwin's Illustrated Collector's Guide to Led Zeppelin released in 1987. Owner Godwin also founded the independent record label Griffin Music in 1989...
. In 1990 the first album by Michael White was released on Griffin Music
Griffin Music
Griffin Music was an independent record label created in 1989 in Toronto, Canada by author/publisher Robert Godwin. It was originally created to finance and record the second album of Led Zeppelin tribute act, Michael White & The White...
. Over the next few years Griffin would release many classic rock acts' back-catalogs through Griffin, notably, the BBC In Concert series, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe was a project of four progressive rock musicians, vocalist Jon Anderson, drummer Bill Bruford, keyboardist Rick Wakeman, and guitarist Steve Howe . They had played together in Yes in the early 1970s...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Motörhead, Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
, Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
, Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
, Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, and Nazareth.
Author
In 1984 Godwin wrote The Illustrated Led Zeppelin Collection a book for Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
collectors. Books he authored between 1987 and 2007 include The Illustrated Collector's Guide to Led Zeppelin, The Illustrated Collector's Guide to Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, The Illustrated Collector's Guide to Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
, Apollo 11
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
The First Men on the Moon, Project Apollo The Test Program, Project Apollo Exploring the Moon, Mars, The Lunar Exploration Scrapbook, Russian Spacecraft, Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
Fact Archive and The Making of Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin IV
The fourth album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin was released on 8 November 1971. No title is printed on the album, so it is generally referred to as Led Zeppelin IV, following the naming standard used by the band's first three studio albums...
. In 2005 Godwin co-authored Saturn
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
with Alan Lawrie. The book won the Sir Arthur Clarke Award
Sir Arthur Clarke Award
The Sir Arthur Clarke Award is a British award given in recognition of notable contributions to space exploration, particularly British achievements. It is owned by the Space Education Trust and is independent of and separate from . Founded in 2005, the awards are an annual event. They take place...
for Best Presentation Written in 2006.
Print Publishing
Between 1987 and 1998 Collector's Guide Publishing released books on many different rock artists including Pink FloydPink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, Wishbone Ash
Wishbone Ash
Wishbone Ash are a British rock band who achieved success in the early and mid-1970s. Their popular records included Wishbone Ash , Argus , There's the Rub , and New England...
and Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
.
In 1998, at the invitation of astronaut Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history...
, Godwin would begin his imprint Apogee Books
Apogee Books
Apogee Books is an imprint of Canadian publishing house Collector's Guide Publishing. The Apogee imprint began with "Apollo 8 The NASA Mission Reports" in November 1998 at the request of astronaut Buzz Aldrin, second man on the moon. The first publication by Apogee was printed to celebrate the 30th...
.
Between 1998 and 2011 Apogee Books
Apogee Books
Apogee Books is an imprint of Canadian publishing house Collector's Guide Publishing. The Apogee imprint began with "Apollo 8 The NASA Mission Reports" in November 1998 at the request of astronaut Buzz Aldrin, second man on the moon. The first publication by Apogee was printed to celebrate the 30th...
published over 130 book titles about space flight with contributions from Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history...
, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
, Ron Howard
Ron Howard
Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years...
, David R. Scott, Harrison Schmitt
Harrison Schmitt
Harrison Hagan "Jack" Schmitt is an American geologist, a retired NASA astronaut, university professor, and a former U.S. senator from New Mexico....
and Wernher von Braun
Wernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
.
Editing
Godwin has edited dozens of books including the NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Mission Reports series (30 titles as of 2011), Dyna-Soar Hypersonic Strategic Weapons System, Rocket & Space Corporation Energia
Energia
Energia was a Soviet rocket that was designed by NPO Energia to serve as a heavy-lift expendable launch system as well as a booster for the Buran spacecraft. Control system main developer enterprise was the NPO "Electropribor"...
, The Conquest of Space, Columbia Accident Investigation Report as well as a series of vintage science fiction books in 2006 under the Apogee Science Fiction imprint. Titles with forewords by Godwin and editorial content include Garrett P. Serviss
Garrett P. Serviss
Garrett Putnam Serviss was an astronomer, popularizer of astronomy, and early science fiction writer. Serviss was born in upstate New York, and majored in science at Cornell. He took a law degree at Columbia, but never worked as an attorney...
' Edison's Conquest of Mars and A Columbus of Space, Hugo Gernsback
Hugo Gernsback
Hugo Gernsback , born Hugo Gernsbacher, was a Luxembourgian American inventor, writer, editor, and magazine publisher, best remembered for publications that included the first science fiction magazine. His contributions to the genre as publisher were so significant that, along with H. G...
's The Scientific Adventures of Baron Munchhausen, Otto Willi Gail
Otto Willi Gail
Otto Willi Gail was a German science journalist and author.Gail was born in Gunzenhausen, Mittelfranken. He studied electrical engineering and physics at the Technical University Munich. He worked for newspapers and radio broadcasting and wrote non-fiction books about physics, astronomy and space...
's By Rocket To The Moon, and George Griffith
George Griffith
George Griffith , full name George Chetwyn Griffith-Jones, was a prolific British science fiction writer and noted explorer who wrote during the late Victorian and Edwardian age. Many of his visionary tales appeared in magazines such as Pearson's Magazine and Pearson's Weekly before being published...
's The World Peril of 1910, A Honeymoon in Space and Around the World in 65 Days.
TV/Video
For his 1999 book Apollo 11 The NASA Mission Reports he created the first ever seamless QTVR digital panoramas of the Apollo lunar surface photography(1999)as well as the first commercial release of the digitized footage of the Apollo 11 moonwalk broadcast, both on an accompanying CDROM. He also produced and directed the 2002 direct-to-DVD Apollo 11 - Moonwalk which featured the first ever time-synchronized multiple-camera-angle movie of the first moonwalk and moon landing. The DVD first appeared in the book Apollo 11 - The NASA Mission Reports Volume 3. (2002). Godwin has consulted on the Discovery Channel TV series Rocket Science and in 2007 Mars Rising. He also consulted on the Led Zeppelin episode of VH-1 Legends television show.Awards and achievements
In 2007 the International Astronomical Union's Committee for Small Body Nomenclature approved the naming of a main belt asteroid after Robert and his brother Richard Godwin for their efforts in documenting space history and raising public awareness about Near Earth Objects. "4252 Godwin4252 Godwin
4252 Godwin is a main belt asteroid with an orbital period of 1577.5081690 days . The asteroid was discovered on September 11, 1985 by H. Debehogne at the European Southern Observatory. Named after Richard Godwin , a board member of the Space Frontier Foundation, who served as executive director of...
" is an absolute magnitude 12.7 minor planet discovered in 1985 by H. Debehogne at the European Southern Observatory.
In 2008 Robert was appointed as Space Curator at the Canadian Air and Space Museum
Canadian Air and Space Museum
The Canadian Air and Space Museum is an aviation museum featuring artifacts, exhibits and stories illustrating a century of Canadian aviation heritage and achievements...
.
External links
- Collector's Guide Publishing Official Web Site
- Robert Godwin at the Internet Movie Database
- Biography at Canadian Space Society
- Rocket Science at the Internet Movie Database
- http://www.space.com/spacelibrary/books/library_dyna-soar_030723.htmlInterview at Space.comSpace.comSpace.com is a space and astronomy news website. Its stories are often syndicated to other media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, Yahoo!, and USA Today.Space.com was founded by former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs and Rich Zahradnik, in July 1999...
] - Interview with Dr Sky at Teentalknetwork.com
- Interview on The Space Show in 2005
- Extracts of Apollo 11 CDROM at NASA's Apollo Lunar Surface Journal
- http://www.marsrising.ca/mars/marsRising/episode6.jspMars Rising at Discovery ChannelDiscovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
Canada] - Interview with CBC Metro-Morning on July 16 2009
- http://www.spacevidcast.com/2009/11/13/spacevidcast-2-35-honoring-the-apollo-12-40th-anniversary-with-robert-godwin/Interview on SpacevidcastSpaceVidcastSpacevidcast, often abbreviated as SVC, is a live weekly HD video podcast hosted by husband and wife team, Cariann Higginbotham and Benjamin Higginbotham...
on November 13, 2009] - Interview on The Space Show in February 2011
- Godwin Turns Fandom Into Business - Billboard 1996