John Giddings took the classic route into live music and along the way became one of the biggest and best known agents and promoters in the world. Responsible for many of the most high profile tours of recent years including The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Genesis, Celine Dion, Iggy Pop and David Bowie, John also revived the Isle of Wight Festival, the Woodstock of Europe.
John graduated from Exeter Uni in the 70s, having learned the basics of booking bands as a social secretary, before becoming an agent at MAM. He was in the right place at exactly the right time, as a new wave of fantastic live bands appeared in the form of punk rock.
In no time, Giddings was representing The Adverts and X-Ray Spex before moving onto The Boomtown Rats, The Ramones and Iggy Pop. In the early 80s he formed TBA International and worked with Paul Young, Alison Moyet, Big Country, Howard Jones, Tears for Fears and Duran Duran. In 1987, Giddings literally went solo – forming the Solo Agency Group. His ascent from massively respected British music agent to global touring legend was meteoric. Soon, he was a key player in the world of global stadium tours. The Isle of Wight Festival however is something else, a personal crusade.
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