Biography Kit Lambert

1 biography

1.1 life
1.2 career in film , music
1.3 track record
1.4 tommy , firing
1.5 ward of court
1.6 book , final days

biography
early life

kit lambert son of composer constant lambert , part time actress, florence kaye. grandson of george washington lambert, sculptor , painter official war artist australian government @ gallipoli during world war i. godfather father s friend , fellow composer, william walton. godmother margot fonteyn, prima ballerina danced constant s company, royal ballet, , whom constant had affair causing him leave lambert s mother. home life difficult lambert sent live grandmother @ young age. when 16 father, whom hero worshipped, died @ age of 45.

career in film , music

after studying history @ trinity college, oxford, lambert briefly served officer in british army; stationed in hong kong. after service, in may 1961, joined expedition 2 oxford friends, richard mason , john hemming, in attempt discover source of iriri river in amazon. lambert hoped film expedition documentary. on 3 september, mason killed uncontacted amazon tribe known panará while alone hunting food. lambert arrested brazilian officials on suspicion of murdering friend but, after concerted campaign in britain daily express newspaper, had financed expedition, released. after returning united kingdom, lambert became assistant director on films guns of navarone, russia love , l-shaped room met fellow ad, chris stamp brother of actor terence stamp.

soon after, , stamp decided make documentary show behind-the-scenes life of pop group. band chose high numbers (known previously, , again afterwards, who). lambert , stamp began filming concerts of group, abandoned idea of documentary, deciding instead become s managers, though had no experience managing group. after band turned down emi, lambert , stamp signed them shel talmy, had produced kinks hits, , company had output deal through decca records in uk. lambert replaced talmy group s producer in 1966, starting m boy, reached number 2 on uk singles chart.

track record

in 1967, lambert , stamp established own independent record label, track record, 1 of first of kind, signing various new artists, including jimi hendrix, arthur brown (producing number 1 single, fire, in 1968), thunderclap newman, john lennon , yoko ono, , golden earring. in 1968, set offices in new york , signed labelle, first album lambert produced, , parliaments. label proved lucrative duo due fiscal mismanagement , ongoing conflicts fell debt , dissolved in 1978.

tommy , firing

in 1966, lambert convinced pete townshend move away simple songs of group s earlier albums , produce more mature fare, encouraging songwriter begin composing deeper songs, using troubled childhood starting point. townshend has acknowledged lambert influenced him combine rock music , opera, led creation of rock opera tommy. although international hitmakers late 60s, wasn t until release of tommy in 1969 band became firmly established both creatively , commercially. however, while struggling articulate townshend s next concept, lifehouse (which abandoned, , turned popular rock album, s next), lambert began shopping film version of tommy without band s authorization. led significant differences between lambert , group.

despite this, in 1973, townshend reached out lambert, asking him recording of quadrophenia, lambert s drug abuse , allegations of missing funds stalled efforts @ reconciliation. after litigation initiated unpaid royalties, both lambert , stamp fired in 1974 , replaced bill curbishley, still manages band. officially ended partnership band 2 years later. on 22 january 1977, settled lawsuit against lambert , stamp @ office on poland street. townshend received $1-million settlement of u.s. copyrights date , gained rights recordings substitute onwards. in late 1970s, lambert worked punk bands including producing single group chelsea, under name kit baron lambert.

ward of court

at peak of success lambert owned flat in knightsbridge, london, , palazzo dario on grand canal in venice, known baron lamberti or baroni lamberti. lambert claimed conceived in venice , hence connected city. neighbor heiress , renowned modern art collector, peggy guggenheim whom lambert rumored romantically linked with. however, in uk excessive drug use brought him attention of british police , arrested , charged possession of heroin. defense, , 1 used, lawyer convinced lambert become ward of court of protection whereby avoid drug charges , potential prison sentence while official solicitor take charge of affairs. ward kit provided small weekly stipend out of own money live on amounting approximately £150/week. this, though royalties albums lambert produced , hendrix steadily increasing each year.

book , final days

funerary monument, brompton cemetery, london

in 1980, lambert, assisted journalist john lindsay, began writing autobiography, detailing how discovered who. included many never-before-told stories contemporaries beatles, rolling stones, brian epstein , jimi hendrix, , friends princess margaret , liberace. however, days before lambert sign publishing deal, publisher contacted official solicitor in charge of lambert s life, stated revenues sale of book had paid court, dole them out lambert. beginning of lambert s downward spiral, increasing dependence on drugs , alcohol.

in 1981, lambert died of cerebral hemorrhage after falling down stairs of mother s house. buried in brompton cemetery, london, alongside father, paternal grandfather , grandmother. on night of death, seen drinking heavily @ popular kensington gay nightclub, el sombrero where, according many including townshend, beaten drug dealer on unpaid debt, contributed fall , death. in autobiography bowie, bolan , brooklyn guy, record producer tony visconti states [lambert] in advanced stages of whatever. died when coke dealer pushed him downstairs.