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| Colin Larkin | |
|---|---|
| Name | Colin Larkin |
| Birth date | 1949 |
| Birth place | Liverpool |
| Occupation | Writer; encyclopedist; publisher; music journalist |
| Notable works | The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |
| Awards | Music Week awards; British Phonographic Industry recognitions |
Colin Larkin is a British writer, editor, and publisher best known for creating and editing The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, a comprehensive reference work on popular music. He built a career combining music journalism, database compilation, and independent publishing, influencing how popular music histories are catalogued and researched. Larkin's work intersects with musicians, critics, libraries, and archival institutions across the United Kingdom and internationally.
Born in Liverpool in 1949, Larkin grew up in a city associated with The Beatles, Merseybeat, and the broader British popular music scene. He was educated in Merseyside schools before attending higher education institutions where the cultural milieu included studies relating to Beatles scholarship, rock criticism, and archival research methods. His formative years occurred alongside major cultural events such as the rise of British pop in the 1960s and the development of BBC Radio programmes that shaped his interest in cataloguing music histories.
Larkin began as a music journalist contributing to regional and national publications influenced by editors and writers from outlets like NME, Melody Maker, Rolling Stone, Q (magazine), and Mojo (magazine). He later established an encyclopedic project that sought to document recording artists, albums, and genres worldwide, responding to reference works such as The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and AllMusic. The resulting The Encyclopedia of Popular Music became a multi-volume set commissioned and distributed in association with booksellers and libraries, used alongside catalogues like the Library of Congress records and bibliographies produced by institutions such as the British Library.
The encyclopedia attracted contributions from music scholars and critics who had written on figures like Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Madonna (entertainer), David Bowie, Michael Jackson, and The Rolling Stones. It covered genres from jazz to punk rock, hip hop, reggae, and electronic music, mapping connections between artists such as John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Prince (musician). The work informed discographies and was referenced by broadcasters at BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, and international stations during programming about artists including The Clash, The Smiths, U2, Nirvana (band), and Oasis.
Larkin founded and ran independent publishing imprints that produced reference volumes, biographies, and music-related titles distributed through retailers such as Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, and wholesalers serving academic libraries. He negotiated rights and licensing with record companies and archives including EMI, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Group for accurate discographical data. His business activities involved collaboration with database vendors and digital projects that paralleled services like Discogs, Rate Your Music, and early online encyclopaedias, integrating metadata practices similar to those used by the MusicBrainz community. Larkin also managed editorial teams and contracted contributors from academic departments at institutions like University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Goldsmiths, University of London, and conservatoires with connections to Royal College of Music.
Beyond editing the encyclopedia, Larkin wrote liner notes, artist biographies, and feature articles on performers such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, The Who, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. His broadcasting appearances included interviews and panel discussions on programmes produced by BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service, and independent music shows examining catalogues of artists such as The Kinks and The Beach Boys. He edited themed compendia and retrospectives tied to anniversaries of landmark releases like Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and landmark events such as Woodstock and the Glastonbury Festival. Larkin also contributed to academic journals and conference proceedings where presenters referenced his editorial standards alongside citation practices at the International Association for Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centers.
Larkin received industry acknowledgement for reference publishing and contribution to music scholarship from trade publications and cultural bodies. His encyclopedia and publishing work earned accolades in professional circles alongside recognition from specialist organisations that document popular music history and curation, comparable to awards and listings in outlets like Music Week, Billboard (magazine), and national cultural registries. Libraries and information professionals cited his compilations as valuable reference resources, and his projects were included in collections at institutions such as the British Library and university library catalogues.
Larkin has balanced editorial life with family and residential ties in the United Kingdom, maintaining involvement in ongoing projects that advise libraries, archives, and music historians. His legacy lies in establishing a model for expansive, accessible reference works on popular music that influenced subsequent databases, digital catalogues, and scholarly treatments of artists including Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, and Janis Joplin. Researchers, journalists, and broadcasters continue to consult his editorial corpus when tracing artist discographies, genre developments, and cultural intersections between performers such as Sly Stone, George Clinton, The Velvet Underground, and The Sex Pistols.
Category:British music journalists Category:Encyclopedists