In this digital and information age that we live in, it becomes increasingly more important that we have strong networking connections that keep us continually informed of matters that greatly interest us, including new books from Spencer Leigh. Recently I was listening to one of Steve Marinucci’s Beatles News Briefs and I came across this one where Steve interviewed longtime Liverpool broadcaster and author, Spencer Leigh.
During this program Spencer and Steve discussed Spencer’s autobiography that was published in early 2025 to celebrate Spencer’s 80th birthday. Well, it is 2026 and Spencer is 81 now and I finally have discovered this book thanks to Steve Marinucci’s YouTube program, and I have made plans to acquire this book for my book collection. As many of you know, I not only collect Beatles books but books that somehow contribute to their fabulous magical story and drama.
A SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
A special thanks goes out to Steve Marinucci for making me aware of this title. Steve’s YouTube program also provided the knowledge of an impending book by Spencer Leigh intended for a 2027 release called Pepper People which will offer a detailed analysis of all of the figures that appear on the Beatles Sergeant Pepper cover. Another fascinating book by Spencer Leigh. Thanks for helping to keep the Beatles book fever alive, Spencer and Steve!
Networking is indeed alive and thriving!
Here is the referenced Steve Marinucci YouTube program:
(Video) Beatles News Briefs #118! – Spencer Leigh on Liverpool landmarks, Paul LP listening, MORE!!
Ordering information for the Spencer Leigh autobiography:
AMAZON US LINK:
80@80: A Liverpool life in 80 chapters: Leigh, Spencer: 9798345734247: Amazon.com: Books
AMAZON UK LINK:
80@80: A Liverpool life in 80 chapters: Amazon.co.uk: Leigh, Spencer: 9798345734247: Books
Back cover of the book:
As luck would have it, the signed and inscribed book from Spencer arrived in the mail the day the book was posted on the blog which is-a very good omen!
AMAZON BOOK DESCRIPTION:
“On the 1st of February 2025, writer and broadcaster Spencer Leigh celebrated his 80th birthday and the publication of the most personal of the 40 books he has authored. For his memoir, 80@80, Spencer has raided the archives and diaries to create 80 chapters that reflect a life dedicated to writing and talking about pop music.
The anecdotes and stories in 80@80, from decades spent on BBC Radio Merseyside and column writing for the Liverpool Echo, feature hundreds of household names he has interviewed – ranging from local legend Ken Dodd to movie stars like Billy Bob Thornton. But it is the tales of the Beatles and the fascinating singers, songwriters, and the rest of music’s movers and shakers, that dominate his action-packed biography.
His friend Colin Hall, former custodian of John Lennon’s childhood home, says: “Spencer is a Lancastrian treasure trove of words and insights and has been on the radio for over 50 years. He’s a walking encyclopaedia of the development of pop and rock music culture in the UK and USA.” And his career is remembered fondly by fellow BBC broadcaster Bob Harris: “I think it began with a series on the Liverpool poets and then he did that series, Let’s Go Down the Cavern, which was put out as a book too. That was the first history of Merseybeat.”
Whether he’s talking to Willie Nelson or Wee Willie Harris, Spencer Leigh has an unerring ability to recall the small fascinating details of the conversations he has been privileged to have with decades of artists who have shaped popular music history.”
THE WONDROUS STORY CONTINUES: A NEW PEPPER BOOK FROM SPENCER IN 2027
For those of you who may have been as surprised as me to learn of this book, it is such a happy feeling and experience for this aging Beatlemaniac and music lover to learn that my musical horizons will be expanded even more by being exposed to a book which I only recently learned of its existence. You will be kept informed as we get closer to the release of Spencer’s “Pepper People” book coming in 2027! This book will be an analysis of all of the people that appeared on the Sgt. Pepper cover!
Pass the word-Be healthy and be happy!
Buzz
