Robert “Joe” Meek
April 5, 1929 – February 3, 1967
Joe Meek was a legendary English record producer who played a key role in the development of British rock ‘n roll during the early ’60s. Many of his records are considered the foundation of the punk and garage movements of later years. His earliest claim to fame was 1962’s “Telstar” by the Tornados. It was the first record by a British group to top the U.S. singles chart. The seemingly endless list of artists that Meek produced during those early years includes Screaming Lord Sutch, Gene Vincent, Billy Fury, Tom Jones, the Honeycombs and Shirley Bassey. Perhaps more famous than the bands he worked with, were those on whom he passed. That list includes the Beatles, Rod Stewart and David Bowie. During the final years of Meek’s life, he suffered from severe depression and paranoia. Perhaps because of that, he was not getting much work and his finances were drying up because of it. He was also the victim of at least one blackmail plot and had been accused of plagiarism. On February 3, 1967, Joe Meek unexplicably shot and killed his landlady and then turned the shotgun on himself. He was dead at 37 years old. It should be noted that he died on the eighth anniversary of the death of Buddy Holly, Meek’s biggest hero.
What You Should Own
