b. Kenneth George King, 6 December 1944, London, England. While studying for his finals at Cambridge University, King hit number 4 in the UK charts in July 1965 with his plaintive protest song "Everyone's Gone To The Moon". Although the catchy follow-up "Green Is The Grass" failed, the English student was already revealing his entrepreneurial talents by discovering and writing for others. Hedgehoppers Anonymous gave him his second protest hit with the number 5 single "It's Good News Week", after which King took on Manfred Mann with an unsuccessful cover of Bob Dylan's "Just Like A Woman". A perennial pop columnist and socialite, he impressed Decca Records' managing director Sir Edward Lewis who took on his talent-spotting services. King discovered, named and produced Genesis' first album, but the band soon moved to Tony Stratton-Smith's Charisma Records. King, meanwhile, was releasing occasionally quirky singles like "Let It All Hang Out", a reworking of B.J. Thomas' "Hooked On A Feeling", and another Dylan cover "Million Dollar Bash". He was also an inveterate pseudonymous hit maker, heavily involved in such studio novelty numbers as the Piglets' "Johnny Reggae", Sakkarin's "Sugar Sugar", the Weathermen's "It's The Same Old Song" and St. Cecilia's "Leap Up And Down (Wave Your Knickers In The Air)".

Listen to Jonathan King at Finetune.

• Everyone's Gone to the Moon

• Petula Clark
• Peter & Gordon
• Los Bravos
• The Dave Clark Five
• Thunderclap Newman
• Chad & Jeremy
• The Mindbenders
• The Fotunes
• The Seekers
• The Marmalade
• The Silkie
• Georgie Fame
• Unit 4+2
• The Bachelors
• Argent
• Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders
• The Merseybeats
• Wayne Fontana
• Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
• George Fame & The Blue Flames

• inuhiko