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Jonathan King (born Kenneth George King, 6 December 1944, Godalming, Surrey) is a British singer, songwriter, TV personality, and pop music producer.
He first came to prominence when he wrote and sang "Everyone's Gone to the Moon" in 1965, going on to become a record label executive and media entrepreneur, he recorded more songs under his own name and various pseudonyms and was also a writer and producer for various other musical artists. In total he has amassed career sales in the region of 40 million records world-wide.
In 2001 he was convicted of sexual offences against minors in the 1980s, for which he served three and a half years in jail.
The child of an American father and an English mother, King was educated at Charterhouse School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He made his first recordings with Joe Meek, but those were not released. As an undergraduate, he wrote and sang his first hit, "Everyone's Gone to the Moon", in 1965. Before graduating, he wrote and produced further hits such as "It's Good News Week" by Hedgehoppers Anonymous and "Johnny Reggae" by The Piglets, and also discovered, named and produced Genesis, whose founding members were also at Charterhouse.
Soon after King graduated, his Saturday evening ITV series Good Evening; I'm Jonathan King, was seen nationally for six months.
He was involved in running Decca Records twice, first in the late 1960s and again in the late 1970s. Under various different names he performed and produced a large number of songs. Among these were "Let It All Hang Out", "It Only Takes A Minute", "Sugar, Sugar", "Loop di Love", "Hooked On A Feeling", "Lazybones" and "The Sun Has Got His Hat On". He produced the Bay City Rollers and sang on their first hit, "Keep on Dancing". He backed The Rocky Horror Show and produced the original cast album.
His own record label, UK Records had hits with 10cc, whom he named, Terry Dactyl and the Dinosaurs, Roy C, Carl Malcolm with "Fattie Bum Bum", The First Class with "Beach Baby", Lobo, and St. Cecilia. King frequently performed under pseudonyms, such as "Shag", "Sakkarin", "Bubblerock", "100 Ton and a Feather" and "Nemo", although in 1975, a rendition under his own name of "Una Paloma Blanca" was named Record of the Year at the Ivor Novello awards.
King moved on from the music industry in the 1980s, to further his involvement in television and radio. He presented a daily radio show on New York's WMCA radio throughout 1980 and regularly reported from the US on Top of the Pops. A spinoff series, Entertainment USA, was successful on BBC Two. He also created the Youth TV show No Limits.
King also wrote a column in The Sun for eight years called 'Bizarre USA' and his criticism of Band Aid and Live Aid provoked 18,500 letters in one day. He wrote regular features in many other newspapers and magazines. King also completed two published novels, entitled "Bible Two" and "The Booker Prize Winner".
King wrote and hosted the BRIT Awards for BBC Television in 1987 and he wrote and produced them in 1990, 1991 and 1992. From 1995, he organised A Song For Europe, the BBC quest for a Eurovision Song Contest winner. The 1996 entrant by Gina G, "Ooh Aah... Just A Little Bit", went to number one in the UK Singles Chart, whilst the 1997 entrant by Katrina and the Waves', "Love Shine a Light", won the contest. He was also responsible for the Record of the Year shows on British television, regularly shown at Christmas.
In 1993, he formed The Tip Sheet, a music weekly publication, which continues online as a message board discussing and promoting unknown and unsigned musical acts, and in 1997 he was awarded the BPI Man Of The Year Award in a ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel with a message of support from the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
King was also an early fan of the Harry Potter books, releasing a tribute CD in 1999
In November 2000, King was questioned by police and charged with sexual offences dating back to the early 1970s. After the case attracted publicity, several more men came forward with complaints, and he was charged and convicted of six offences against 14 and 15 year old boys committed between 1983 and 1989. A subsequent trial relating to allegations dating back to the 1970s saw King acquitted of all charges.
On his release he stated his intention to return to the music and entertainment industry. In 2007 he released a collection of mainly new songs, entitled "Earth to King". One of these songs attracted controversy in July 2007, when it was seen to defend the serial killer, Harold Shipman.
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