Life and Death of a Pirate
1960s Pirate Radio
BIOGRAPHY of Reg and Dorothy Calvert, singers, musicians, disc jockeys and radio engineers
Written as a novel
Sometimes real life can be stranger than fiction
SPECIAL OFFER: HARDBACK: £16.50 to include UK P&P
Complete trilogy £24.
Includes 'Popcorn to Rock 'n' Roll' & Hardback 'Life and Death of a Pirate'.
Hardback: 474 pages with over 150 photos and images contains BOOKS TWO AND THREE OF TRILOGY: 2: Clifton Hall - School of Rock
3: Shivering Sands - 1960s Pirate Radio
**SEE BELOW FOR BOOK REVIEWS**
BOOKS Two and Three included in Hardback Edition
and available as Kindle eBooks from www.amazon.co.uk
BOOK TWO: CLIFTON HALL - School of Rock.
An amazing true story.
1961 Reg and Dorothy Calvert buy Clifton Hall, near Rugby and their musicians move in with them. It is an extraordinary household with much fun and laughter, loud music day and night, firework battles, a pet monkey, and a campaign for votes for teenagers with Screaming Lord Sutch. Dorothy is key to organising the business, the boys, and her daughters, but never her husband. Reg is in demand as a manager but declines the suggestion to manage the Beatles. (Photograph of his singer, Tanya Day, being supported by the Beatles in Hamburg). Behind the glitz and glamour lies a tumultuous love story and Dorothy's struggle for equality.
BOOK THREE: SHIVERING SANDS - 1960s Pirate Radio
An amazing true story.
1964 Radio Caroline begins to broadcast from a ship at sea and Reg Calvert has a new dream. His wife, Dorothy, reminds him he cannot afford to buy a ship, so he looks for an alternative. He discovers abandoned wartime forts in the Thames Estuary and with Screaming Lord Sutch, he has a summer of fun. When Sutch returns to performing, Reg decides to put the station on a professional footing, renaming it Radio City. Clifton Hall is sold to pay for the station and Reg works incredibly hard to make it a success. By 1966, he is the only individual to own a profitable 'pirate' radio station, and his groups, The Fortunes and Pinkerton's Assorted Colours are at the top of the hit parade. June 1966, a business rival hijacks the station, blackmails Reg for 50% of the profits. Reg refuses, and when he goes to negotiate, he is shot dead, without a word being spoken. Dorothy is immensely brave. Even though her life is threatened, she picks up the pieces and becomes the only woman to run a radio station. When the government close Radio City, Reggie Kray asks her to continue.
The author has carefully researched the facts behind the newspaper headlines, shining a light on political conspiracy and the miscarriage of justice. (All the witnesses on Reg Calvert's 'side' were cancelled at the Hearing, and important evidence lost.)
Shivering Sands, provides an important history of the 1960s. Written as a novel and described by readers as a surprising 'thriller' and 'page turner' . SEE BOOK REVIEWS BELOW
BOOK REVIEWS
(Extracts)
"Wow" ......" A true fun and sad story of the extraordinary life and death of Reg and Dorothy Calvert. Their involvement in the music entertainment business intertwined with establishing and running Pirate Radio (Radio Sutch later renamed Radio City). The book throws so much more light and truths on so many twists and turns with lies and cover-ups exposed. Even though I worked on Radio City, I had no idea of how much intrigue and deception there was. It is only now that I can picture the whole story and appreciate the facts revealed. " Luc Dunne
"A fascinating insight into the life and times of one of the great characters of pirate radio. Reg Calvert was one of the only people to fund and operate a successful offshore station himself while the others often had big city or US funders lurking the background. This book shows how his wish to remain independent from such, often murky pressures, finally led to his sad death. A good read." Brian Lister
"What a wonderful surprise this morning with the postwoman! This year in total 15 books have been published where offshore radio was the main subject or was mentioned in the story. This is the very best one this year...... In fact this is the best book I've received in years. ... Congratulations." Hans Knot
"The author's research is unique. No one else has achieved what she had achieved." Mervyn Hagger.
"I laughed and cried, and I've been wracked with nostalgia. The best days of my life were made possible by Reg alone. What a great, great man." Roger James.
"That was a gipping and ultimately most chilling read. Reg and Dorothy Calvert were remarkable people, both living their dreams and Dorothy is a heroine for carrying on Radio City. I enjoyed the conversational style of writing which made the events so vivid to follow, especially the often-fraught relationship between Reg and Dorothy." Mike Guy
