Ray Coleman (15 June 1937, Leicester – 10 September 1996, Shepperton) was a British author and music journalist.
Career
Coleman was the former
editor-in-chief of
Melody Maker known for his biographies of
The Beatles.
Besides
Melody Maker, Coleman contributed to music magazines such as
Disc,
Black Music, and
Musicians Only, and a contributor to magazines such as
Billboard. An author or co-author of ten books, he was working with
Nicky Hopkins on a never-completed biography at the time of Hopkins' death in 1994. Coleman was also near the completion of a
Phil Collins biography at the time of his own death in 1996. The book was completed and published in 1997.
Coleman was the first journalist to be awarded a Gold Badge of Merit by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors for services to British music.
Ray Coleman died of kidney cancer on 10 September 1996 at his home in Shepperton, near London. He was 59.
Coleman as biographer
Coleman wrote or co-wrote the biographies of at least a dozen famous musicians.
They include the following:
