David Stafford

The biography of Ronnie Lane, the English musician and songwriter best known for his bands Small Faces and Faces. Ronnie Lane's story is that of a working-class kid who started his musical career busking a ukulele at the age of eight. As a young man he signed with legendary manager Don Arden, who paid him in paisley shirts. He then enjoyed a phenomenal 17 consecutive Top 40 singles, womanising and LSD, and fell under the spell of a mystic before joining forces with Rod Stewart. Ronnie was later diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, moved to America, went broke and died far too young. Drawing on extensive research and interviews with friends and family, Caroline and David Stafford unearth the truth and talent of the man behind the music.

It is November 5th, Guy Fawkes Night, 1930. Bonfires are blazing, rockets burst. In a country lane, revellers discover a car that has been set on fire. At first they assume that this is the work of vandals taking the Guy Fawkes spirit a little too far, then they notice, sitting at the wheel, a body, charred beyond recognition. The initial assumption is that the owner of the car, Mr William Hodge, a successful travelling vacuum cleaner salesman has taken his own life by flooding the car with petrol and lighting a match. The post mortem, however, reveals that Mr Hodge was either unconscious or dead before the fire was lit. When Tommy Blamire, a local criminal, is charged with the murder, barrister Arthur Skelton believes him to be innocent, so sets out to prove as much and ensure justice is served.

Guy Fawkes Night, 5th November, 1930. Bonfires are blazing, rockets burst. In a country lane, revellers discover a car that has been set on fire. At first, they assume that this is the work of vandals taking the Guy Fawkes spirit a little too far, sitting at the wheel is a body, charred beyond recognition. The initial assumption is that the owner of the car, Mr Harold Musgrave, a successful travelling salesman has taken his own life in a particularly grisly act of self-immolation. The post-mortem, however, reveals that Mr Musgrave was either unconscious or dead before the fire was lit. When Tommy Prosser, a local criminal, is charged with the murder, barrister Arthur Skelton believes him to be innocent, so sets out to ensure justice is served.

An American drummer, a bass player from Newcastle and a guitarist a decade older than the other two, with little in common other than their musical brilliance and towering ambition, formed one of the most successful bands in history. Covering the years 1977-1986 and the brief reincarnation in 2007-2008, acclaimed biographers Caroline and David Stafford chronicle the rise and fall of the Police. Much like Reservoir Dogs but without the light relief, it's a tale of jealousy, anger and attrition both on the road and in the studio. And yet, despite - or perhaps because of - the battles, these three musicians, Sting, Andy and Stewart, each supremely talented in his own right, together achieved a symbiosis that produced music of soaring magnificence.

Shortlisted for the CWA Sapere Books Historical Dagger 2021. January 1929. When Arthur Skelton won the legal case of the century, he went from being an unremarkable barrister to front-page sensation. Now he faces a new challenge. Mary Dutton is accused of poisoning her husband and the police are utterly convinced she is guilty. Even her supporters think she did it. Skelton agrees to take on what many consider an unwinnable case, a decision wholly unconcerned with the defendant's resemblance to a beautiful actress. With an army of women set to vote for the first time in history, the fate of Mary Dutton will have a significant impact on Britain's political future. Skelton faces mounting pressure to find the truth, but will that be enough to save a young woman's life?

An engaging and original account of 1921, a pivotal year for Churchill that had a lasting impact on his political and personal legacy "Important . . . Its power lies in a vivid re-creation not only of Churchill's public roles but also his private life--of good fortune but also family tragedy."--Paul Bew, Wall Street Journal After the tragic consequences of his involvement in the catastrophic Dardanelles Campaign of World War I, Churchill's political career seemed over. He was widely regarded as little more than a bombastic and unpredictable buccaneer until, in 1921, an unexpected inheritance heralded a series of events that laid the foundations for his future success. Renowned Churchill scholar David Stafford delves into the statesman's life in 1921, the year in which his political career revived. From his political negotiations in the Anglo-Irish treaty that created the Irish Free State to his tumultuous relationship with his "wild cousin" Clare Sheridan, sculptor of Lenin and subject of an MI5 investigation, this broad account explores the nuances of Churchill's private and public lives. This is an engaging portrait of this overlooked yet pivotal year in the great man's life.

An engaging and original account of 1921, a pivotal year for Churchill that had a lasting impact on his political and personal legacy“Important . . . Its power lies in a vivid re-creation not only of Churchill’s public roles but also his private life—of good fortune but also family tragedy.”—Paul Bew, Wall Street Journal After the tragic consequences of his involvement in the catastrophic Dardanelles Campaign of World War I, Churchill’s political career seemed over. He was widely regarded as little more than a bombastic and unpredictable buccaneer until, in 1921, an unexpected inheritance heralded a series of events that laid the foundations for his future success. Renowned Churchill scholar David Stafford delves into the statesman’s life in 1921, the year in which his political career revived. From his political negotiations in the Anglo-Irish treaty that created the Irish Free State to his tumultuous relationship with his "wild cousin" Clare Sheridan, sculptor of Lenin and subject of an MI5 investigation, this broad account explores the nuances of Churchill’s private and public lives. This is an engaging portrait of this overlooked yet pivotal year in the great man’s life.

Arthur Skelton has gone from unassuming Yorkshire barrister to front-page sensation, having won the case of the century. But January 1929 brings another high-profile case. Mary Dutton is accused of murdering her husband, although there are few people who dispute her guilt. Between practising his autograph and pose for hordes of journalists and fans alike, Skelton agrees to defend her, despite many considering the case to be unwinnable. With a looming general election and an army of flappers set to cast their inaugural votes, both sides of the political divide are vying for their support by trying to turn the case to their advantage. Skelton faces mounting pressure to find the truth, but will that be enough to save a young woman's life?

"There's only ever been two English rock 'n' roll singers," Ian Dury said, "Johnny Rotten and Billy Fury." Butter adverts have tainted Johnny's status, but Billy's combination of beauty, sex, innocence, talent, charisma and vulnerability has never been matched. The Sound of Fury, his first L. P., is still widely revered as the best British rock'n'roll record ever made. When he first appeared on TV, a generation of teenagers found true love, and his post-rock'n'roll heartbreak ballads were the essential soundtrack to adolescent angst. In 1973, he was brought out of semi-retirement to play Stormy Tempest - to some extent a parody of himself - in the movie That'll Be The Day. The magic rose above the parody. He never knew how not to be magnificent. David and Caroline Stafford guide the reader through Billy's troubled childhood in Liverpool, via gold and silver lame, to his later years as a farming ornithologist, and his comeback cut short by his premature death. Billy Fury was a key figure on that watershed between post-war privations and sixties excess. He knew everybody, auditioned the Beatles to be his backing band, met and outhandsomed Elvis, partied with Keith Moon and hosted acid parties. Yet, throughout the mayhem, he always remained true to himself- diffident and amused. Halfway To Paradise tells the full story with the compassion and affection due to an artist who, decades after his death, still has the power to command admiration and adoration.

Most pop stars' fame used to end with their 25th birthday, but Adam Faith just kept on being interesting until the day he died aged 62. Born Terry Nelhams in working-class Acton, he defined post-war aspiration. Though his vocal talents were limited, he enjoyed an unprecedented run of seven top five hits. His chiselled features were a gift to TV (then a new medium), fans swooned each time he smiled, heavyweight journalists saw him as the 'Spokesman for British Youth' and his sexual adventures were the stuff of legend. When The Beatles rendered his style of pop obsolete, Adam turned TV actor. As Budgie, the hapless Soho chancer, he played the character he might have become in life had it not been for his steely ambition and boundless energy. Then he reinvented himself again as a manager, famously guiding Leo Sayer to international stardom, before becoming a financial guru who made and lost several fortunes - not always his own. Terry Nelhams never quite got used to being Adam and saw his alter ego as having something of an independent existence: "Being Adam is like playing a part in a film," he said. "On the whole I prefer being Adam." David and Caroline Stafford's witty and insightful biography, charts the glorious triumphs and often cataclysmic failures of a 'child man' who spent his life getting away with it

On paper, Kenny Everett's qualifications did not look promising - not much in the way of education, physique or social skills, just a gift for funny voices, an oblique imagination and a way with a tape recorder. Yet, by an odd twist of fate, when in the 1960's and 70's the British radio revolution transformed the aural landscape, funny voices, oblique imagination and a way with a tape recorder were the precise and perfect qualities the world was crying out for. Ever a corporate player, Kenny was frequently fired, yet still went on to reinvent television. Meanwhile, outside the studios, the challenge to 'get a life' brought moments of ecstasy, frequent bother and at least one suicide attempt. And at the exact moment when tabloid frenzy about the AIDS epidemic reached its peak, he came out. This new biography, based on intricate documentary research as well as interviews with colleagues, friends and enemies - including Alexei Sayle, Barry Cryer, David Mallet and "Whispering" Bob Harris - not only gets under the skin of the man, but also gives a taste of the times. It captures the novelty and excitement of hearing all-pop radio for the first time, the terror and bluster of the high-ups, the brilliant blossoming of gay culture throughout the 70s and 80s, and the tragedy and vile hypocrisy that surrounded the AIDS epidemic.

The Silent Game traces the history of spy writers and their fiction from creator William Le Queux, of the Edwardian age, to John le Carré, of the Cold War era. David Stafford reveals the connections between fact and fiction as seen in the lives of writers with experience in intelligence, including John Buchan, Compton Mackenzie, Somerset Maugham, Ian Fleming, and Graham Greene. Le Queux used his spy fiction as xenophobic propaganda before and after World War I, and le Carré’s novels have provided reflections on the Cold War and the decline of Britain’s influence. Anxieties about the decline of the American “empire” have helped stimulate a more vigorous American literature of espionage, providing an index of contemporary American concerns about power relations. As Stafford suggests, the genre of espionage fiction rarely intends to document the real world of intelligence. Rather, it provides a popular vehicle for exploring themes of imperial decline, international crisis, and impending war.

Lionel Bart was a writer and composer of British pop music and musicals, best known for creating the book, music and lyrics for Oliver! He also wrote the famous songs 'Living Doll' (Cliff Richard) and 'From Russia With Love' (Matt Munroe). He was a millionaire aged thirty in the Sixties, bankrupt in the Seventies and died in 1999. In this first revealing biography, the authors gained exclusive access to Bart's personal archives - his unfinished autobiography, his letters and scrapbooks. They detail how he signed away the rights to Oliver! to finance his new musical Twang - based on Robin Hood - which flopped badly in the theatre. Reveal how his heavy drinking led to diabetes and how he died in 1999 aged 69 from liver cancer. They have interviewed his personal secretaries, friends, family, counsellors and many of the performers, musicians and producers who worked with him. Interviewees include Rocky Horror's Richard O'Brien and actors Dudley Sutton and Nigel Planer.

To end a history of World War II at VE Day is to leave the tale half told. Endgame 1945 highlights the gripping personal stories of nine men and women, ranging from soldiers to POWs to war correspondents, who witnessed firsthand the Allied struggle to finish the terrible game at last. Endgame 1945 highlights the gripping personal stories of nine men and women, ranging from soldiers to POWs to war correspondents, who witnessed firsthand the Allied struggle to finish the terrible game at last. Through their ground-level movements, Stafford traces the elaborate web of events that led to the war's real resolution: the deaths of Hitler and Mussolini, the liberation of Buchenwald and Dachau, and the Allies' race with the Red Army to establish a victors' foothold in Europe, to name a few. From Hitler's April decision never to surrender to the start of the Potsdam Conference, Stafford brings an unprecedented focus to the war's "final chapter." Narrative history at its most compelling, Endgame 1945 is the riveting story of three turbulent months that truly shaped the modern world.

Ten days before the largest operation of World War II was launched, it was still one of the century's best-kept secrets--thanks to countless ordinary people participating in one of history's most remarkable moments. David Stafford has written a riveting account of ten of those ordinary men and women--including an American paratrooper, a German soldier, a nineteen-year-old English woman working on secret codes, a Parisian Jew in hiding, and a daring French resistance cell--as they lived through ten very extraordinary days. Drawing on previously unpublished diaries and letters, Stafford gives readers a fresh point of entry into one of the most significant battles ever fought. Ten Days to D-Day buzzes with the pace of a novel, as Stafford moves from country to country, from character to character, including some of D-Day's leaders: Hitler, Rommel, Eisenhower, and Churchill. Stafford compellingly brings to life the final days before the invasion through the eyes of its participants, the citizens and soldiers that made history on June 6, 1944.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to housing policy and finance in Britain. It describes changes in the condition and tenure of housing in the post-war period, and contrasts the massive investment in house building and improvement with allegations that housing conditions are deteriorating. It describes the rise of the public housing sector and the slight decline in the face of the Thatcher government's policy on council house sales, which followed. The book thus provides a background for the development of housing policy over the next decade.