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Ray Coleman

{{Short description|20th century British journalist and writer}}

{{for|the MLB player|Ray Coleman (baseball)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}

{{Use British English|date=May 2012}}

{{Infobox person

|name = Ray Coleman

|image =

|alt =

|caption =

|birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1937|6|15}}

|birth_place = Leicester, England

|death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1996|09|10|1937|6|15}}

|death_place = Shepperton, England

|nationality = British

|other_names =

|known_for =

|occupation = Author
Editor in chief, Melody Maker
Biographer
Journalist

}}

Ray Coleman (15 June 1937, Leicester – 10 September 1996, Shepperton) was a British author and music journalist.{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-ray-coleman-1363059.html | title=Obituary: Ray Coleman | first=Chris | last=Welch | author-link=Chris Welch | newspaper=The Independent | location=UK | date=12 September 1996 |accessdate=30 January 2021 }}{{cite news |publisher=SouthCoastToday.com |newspaper=The Standard Times |date=26 September 1996 |url=http://www.s-t.com/daily/09-96/09-23-96/d03wn445.htm |title=Ray Coleman, biographer of Beatles and Clapton, at 59 |via=archive.is |archive-url=https://archive.today/19970218125819/http://www.s-t.com/daily/09-96/09-23-96/d03wn445.htm |archive-date=18 February 1997 |url-status=dead}}{{cite encyclopedia| publisher=Muze | encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Popular Music | title=Coleman, Ray | date=1 March 2006 | url=http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/Muze/2005/07/01/626382?extID=10026 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060623012718/http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/Muze/2005/07/01/626382?extID=10026 | archive-date=23 June 2006 | via=archive.org }}

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.{{cite web| url=https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/ray-coleman/255194/ | title=Books by Ray Coleman | publisher=Thrifty Books | accessdate=30 January 2021 }}

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.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

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:

References

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{{succession box|title=Editor of Melody Maker|years=1970–1978|before=Jack Hutton|after=Richard Williams}}

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Category:1937 births

Category:1996 deaths

Category:Writers from Leicester

Category:20th-century British biographers

Category:English biographers

Category:English magazine editors

Category:Melody Maker writers

Category:Deaths from kidney cancer in England

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