Dave Laing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dave Laing
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Laing in 2012
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| Born |
David William Laing
9 January 1947 Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England
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| Died | 7 January 2019 (aged 71) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Music journalist, author, editor |
Dave Laing (born David William Laing, January 9, 1947 – January 7, 2019) was a British writer and editor. He was an expert on the history of pop and rock music. He helped people understand how these music styles grew and changed over time. He also worked as a researcher at universities like Westminster and Liverpool.
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Who Was Dave Laing?
Dave Laing was a very important person in the world of music writing. He spent his life studying and explaining pop and rock music. He wrote many books and articles about music. He also edited magazines and encyclopedias.
His Early Life and Start in Music
Dave Laing was born in Tunbridge Wells, England, in 1947. He went to school in Wimbledon. There, he even joined his first band. He started college at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. But he left in 1967 to move to London.
He began writing about music while working other jobs. His first book, The Sound of Our Time, came out in 1970. Later, he went back to college at the University of Sussex. He studied English and sociology there.
Writing About Pop and Rock
In 1971, Dave Laing wrote a book about the musician Buddy Holly. This was one of the first detailed studies of a pop artist's songs. He then became the editor of a British music magazine called Let It Rock. He led the magazine from 1972 to 1973.
He wrote other important books too. These included The Electric Muse (1975), which was about folk music becoming rock. He also wrote One Chord Wonders: Power and Meaning in Punk Rock (1985). This book looked at the punk rock movement. In the 1970s, he helped edit The Encyclopedia of Rock.
A Lifetime of Music Knowledge
Dave Laing continued to write and edit throughout his life. He co-wrote The Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music in 1995. He also helped write The Guerrilla Guide to the Music Business in 2001.
He was an editor for the Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World. He wrote for many music magazines and newspapers, including The Guardian. In his later years, he was the managing editor of a journal called Popular Music History. He also co-edited a book series called Icons of Pop Music.
Dave Laing passed away on January 7, 2019, at the age of 71. He left behind a huge collection of writings about music.
