Phil Solomon

Solomon’s roster of managed artists included The Bachelors, Them, The Dubliners and Twinkle, as well as backroom talents such as Phil Coulter, who wrote Eurovision Song Contest winners for Sandie Shaw and Cliff Richard. He also launched the careers of comedy artists such as Frank Carson and the poet Pam Ayres.

Having mounted a financial rescue package for Radio Caroline, Britain’s first offshore pirate station, Solomon restored its fortunes and, in 1966, established the Major Minor independent record company.

Philip Raymond Solomon was born on April 27 1924 in Belfast, where his parents had built up a large record distribution and sales company, Solomon and Peres. Although he originally hoped to train as a vet, in the 1950s Phil became a publicist for Ruby Murray, the first Northern Irish entertainer to top the UK hit parade. With his wife, Dorothy, he also promoted national tours for the crooner Connie Foley and ventured into management.

In 1958 the Solomons moved to London, becoming impresarios for such disparate performers as Kenneth McKellar, Louis Armstrong and Cliff Richard. They struck gold with their first signing, The Bachelors, who specialised in close-harmony versions of sentimental evergreens such as Diane, I Believe, and Charmaine . The group weathered the beat boom, registering 18 UK Top 40 entries between 1963 and 1967, and appearing on the Royal Variety Shows in 1966 and 1968.

The Bachelors were contracted to Decca, and Solomon’s success with them prompted the firm to sign Them, a Belfast rhythm-and-blues group . A maiden single flopped, however, and, during their first major London booking, Van Morrison was unshowy to the point of inertia until Solomon issued an exasperated offstage directive to move himself.

Matters improved after some string-pulling from Solomon ensured that a second Them release, Baby Please Don’t Go, was heard for several weeks over the opening credits to ITV’s Ready Steady Go! pop series and reached the Top 10.
It was the group’s enthusiasm for a song by Twinkle that led Solomon to groom the 15-year-old schoolgirl for stardom. Her Terry – which was to come within an ace of No 1 in 1965 – was taped with accompanists that included the arranger and pianist Phil Coulter, a former Queen’s University student discovered by Solomon the previous summer.
In 1966 Solomon launched Major Minor Records, which produced chart hits for The Dubliners, Malcolm Roberts, Crazy Elephant, Neville Dickie and Karen Young — as well as the million-selling Mony Mony by Tommy James and the Shondells, and Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg’s Je T’Aime ... Moi Non Plus .
Retiring to Bournemouth, Solomon maintained his interests in horse breeding and racing, and opened Solomon art galleries in Mayfair and Dublin. The critic Brian Sewell became a close friend.
His brother, Mervyn, founded Emerald, Ireland’s principal record label.
Phil Solomon, who died on April 11, is survived by his wife Dorothy. There were no children.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/music-obituaries/8550941/Phil-Solomon.html