Roy Carr

Roy Carr (1945 – 1 July 2018) was an English music journalist, covering pop, rock and jazz. He joined the New Musical Express (NME) in the late 1960s, and edited NME, Vox and Melody Maker magazines.
Born in Blackpool, Lancashire, after his family moved there from London during the Second World War, he was the son of jazz musician and composer Tony Carr, a member of Joe Loss's band and writer of "March of the Mods". Roy Carr started his music career as a member of Blackpool-based band The Executives, who also featured Glenn Cornick. The band supported many leading acts in the mid-1960s, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and The Who, and had several unsuccessful singles issued on the Columbia and CBS labels.
After first starting to write reviews for Jazz News and the NME in the early 1960s, he joined the NME staff in 1970. He contributed as reviewer, interviewer and columnist to the magazine's relaunch later in the decade under editors Alan Smith and Nick Logan. During the 1980s and 1990s Carr compiled the majority of free tape and CD compilations that were given away with music magazines such as NME, Vox and Melody Maker, including the influential C86 cassette compilation.
(Read more at Wikipedia)
== Links to Peel ==
On the Perfumed Garden of 12 July 1967, Peel mentions that Roy Carr, then living in Blackpool and a member of the band The Executives, had sent in an entry to the show's Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds competition. Carr didn't win and as far as is known Peel never played anything by the Executives, one of the more obscure British bands of the 1960s (although band member Glenn Cornick later joined Jethro Tull).
But Roy Carr's biggest influence on Peel's shows was through the many compilations he was involved with (around 250, according to Discogs), starting with the double album Hard Up Heroes, released on Decca in 1974 and continuing throughout his journalistic career with NME, Melody Maker and Vox. From show playlist evidence, many of these appealed to Peel (especially the NME compilations of the 1980s) while others were drawn from Peel sessions or material he had already played on his shows. There were also some compilations put together with the help of Clive Selwood or the Strange Fruit label.
On 14 June 2022, Elvis: The Complete Illustrated Record (Eel Pie, 1982), co-written by Roy Carr and Mick Farren, was among a lot of "American Music" books from John Peel's library in an auction of rare records and other items from the Peel archive.
== Compilations ==
=== Peel collections ===
(Peel-related various artist (v/a) compilations put together by Roy Carr. Click on image for Discogs page, including production credits.)
Mixed_peel.jpg|Mixed Peel (1987, cassette, NME 033)|link=http://www.discogs.com/Various-Mixed-Peel/release/1170841
Radio_daze.jpg|Radio Daze: John Peel Sessions (1992, cassette, Vox Magazine GIVIT 3)|link=http://www.discogs.com/Various-Radio-Daze-The-John-Peel-Sessions/release/1220927
JPsFestive15Front.jpg|John Peel's Festive 15 (2005, CD, Uncut Magazine ‎– UNCUT 2006 01)|link=http://www.discogs.com/Various-John-Peels-Festive-15/release/578965
=== Peel plays ===
(Known plays by Peel of v/a compilations with Roy Carr among the production credits (according to Discogs) or journal editor, by publication, excluding releases listed on pages for NME (1981-2002) and Melody Maker (1993-95). Please add more information if known.)
;Uncut
(CD - Instant Karma 2002- A Tribute To John Lennon)
*03 October 2002 (Radio Mafia): Robert Wyatt: Love
*15 October 2002: Robert Wyatt: Love
;Vox Magazine
(cassette - Vox Elite: The Class Of '92)
*12 February 1993: PJ Harvey: Rid Of Me (solo demo)
*28 February 1993 (BFBS): PJ Harvey: Rid Of Me
(cassette - Abattoir Dogs)
*04 March 1995: Link Wray: Deuces Wild
*10 March 1995: Margaret Lewis: Reconsider Me
*11 March 1995: John Lee Hooker: Hoogie Boogie
*31 March 1995: Tommy McLain: Sweet Dreams 
(cassette - Class Of 95)
*01 December 1995: Pulp: Sorted For E's & Wizz (Live)
== See Also ==
*Books
== Links ==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs: Roy Carr: production credits
*Discogs: Roy Carr: production credits: Peel related, including session tracks, etc
*Rock's Back Pages: Roy Carr
*Goodreads: Roy Carr
*NME: Roy Carr obituary
Category:People
Category:Compilations