Nationality British Education Jesus College, Oxford Role Author | Name Philip Dodd Alma mater Oxford University | |
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Born 24 November 1957 (age 66)
Ipswich, Suffolk, England ( 1957-11-24 ) Occupation Author, publisher, editor, publishing consultant Genre Autobiography, rock'n'roll, non-fiction, jazz, travel, nostalgia, business Books The book of rock, The Reverend Guppy's, The Book of Cities, The Book of Islands, What's in a Name?: From Jos | ||
Philip Dodd (born 24 November 1957) is a British author, editor, and publisher best known for his work on books with high-profile musicians, TV stars and media personalities. He has collaborated with the Rolling Stones, Genesis, actor Philip Glenister and celebrity entrepreneur James Caan. Philip Glenister once said of Dodd: “Phil makes writing seem effortless. But only because you don’t see the craft and the graft that has to go into it”. Dodd is also an author in his own right, having written several non-fiction books under his byline, such as the The Reverend Guppy's Aquarium. A long-term jazz aficionado, he plays piano with the Philip Dodd Quartet, which has appeared at London's 606 Club.
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History
Philip Dodd was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, on 24 November 1957, to Arthur and Esther Dodd, both teachers and dedicated crossword solvers. He attended the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe before going on to read Modern Languages at Jesus College, Oxford. While at Jesus, Dodd founded Vague magazine, based on Andy Warhol's Interview magazine, Deluxe and Ritz Newspaper. The magazine won a Guardian Student Media Award in 1980. Vague alumni include Mandy Pooler, later Media Director of O&M Media and CEO of Mindshare, Paul Keers, launch editor of the British GQ magazine, the journalists Jane Shilling and Megan Tresidder, as well as the boss of private equity firm Terra Firma Capital Partners, Guy Hands and CEO/Chief Ombudsman for Legal Complaints, Adam Sampson.
Publishing career
Dodd worked as an editor and publisher for the Longman Group, Octopus and Virgin Publishing from 1981 to 1997. He was Chair of the Society of Young Publishers (SYP) in 1984, and a founder member of the Groucho Club. He was also an Editorial Fellow at the Jerusalem International Book Fair in 1985.
From 1997, Dodd worked as a publishing consultant with music and entertainment clients from his time at Virgin. He then developed, edited and co-wrote autobiographies with the Rolling Stones (According to the Rolling Stones, Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 2003), Nick Mason of Pink Floyd (Inside Out, W&N, 2004) and Genesis (Chapter and Verse, W&N, 2007) and books with ABBA and Mamma Mia!, Philip Glenister (Things Ain't What They Used To Be, Little Brown, 2008) and James Caan (entrepreneur) of TV's Dragons' Den (Get The Job You Really Want, Penguin Portfolio, 2011). Dodd's writing has been compared to that of Clive James, Hilaire Belloc and Stephen Fry, for its wry perceptiveness.
Author
As an author, Dodd wrote The Reverend Guppy’s Aquarium (Random House Books UK, Penguin USA, 2007),in which he explored the lives of people whose names give the English language some of its most colourful words, including Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone; Roy Jacuzzi, inventor of the Jacuzzi Whirplool Bath, and Mercédès Jellinek, the daughter of Emil Jellinek – the Austrian businessman who founded the Mercedes car company.
He also wrote The Book of Rock (Pavilion, 2001) and with travel writer Ben Donald, The Book of Cities (Pavilion, 2004) and The Book of Islands (Palazzo, 2008). Dodd has written articles for the Guardian and the Mail on Sunday, as well as smaller publications.
Music
Dodd plays piano with the Philip Dodd Quartet – first formed at Oxford and then re-formed in 2006. The quartet, which also includes Paul Mason (tenor and soprano saxophones, and flute) Graham Brough (double bass) and Will Awdry (drums), appeared in 2011 at the 606 Club in Chelsea and the Maritime Jazz Festival in Medway. He also played keyboards alongside Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Screaming Lord Sutch at London's Hard Rock Café in 1990. Dodd credits tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp for first firing his interest in jazz.
Personal Background
Philip Dodd is married to Joanna Dodd, founder of PR firm Rochester PR Group. He lives in Rochester, Kent with his wife and two daughters.