Who manager Chris Stamp dies at 70

Chris Stamp

Chris Stamp, former manager of the Who and boss of Track Records, has died after a cancer battle at the age of 70.

He started his career as an assistant director at Shepperton Studios, where he met future business partner Kit Lambert.

In 1963 they decided to make a movie about the rock scene, and during research they saw a concert by the High Numbers – later known as the Who.

The following year Stamp and Lambert became the band’s managers and steered their rise to fame.

They formed Track in 1969 and released the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s first single, along with records by Arthur Brown and Golden Earring. Stamp was credited as co-producer on a number of Who records.

The band sacked him in 1975. He spent ten years struggling with addiction issues then became an addiction counsellor. He later settled his differences with the band.

Frontman Roger Daltrey said Stamp was an influence “without whom we wouldn’t be the band we were.”

Meanwhile, pioneering US music agent Frank Barsalona has also died. He was 74.

Starting out with the GAC agency, he spearheaded the “British invasion” by bringing the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds to the States. He launched his own firm, Premier Talent, in 1964 – the first agency to focus solely on rock acts.

His roster grew to include the Who, Led Zeppelin, U2, Van Halen, Bon Jovi and hundreds of others.

Barsalona was a founding member of the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame and was inducted himself in 2005. He had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for some time.