 Cover of the 16 July 1966 issue, depictingthe Beatles | |
| Categories | Music magazine |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Cecil Tuck |
| First issue | October 7, 1964 |
| Final issue | May 4, 1968 |
| Company | Beat Publications |
| Based in | Los Angeles, U.S. |
KRLA Beat was an Americanrock music magazine that operated between 1964 and 1968.[1] It began in October 1964 as a free newsletter distributed by theSouthern Californian radio stationKRLA, before being reworked as a more reportage-focused title in February 1965.[2] The music journalism archiveRock's Backpages describesKRLA Beat as "the first American newspaper dedicated to coverage of the top-forty rock-and-roll music scene".[3]
The magazine was noted for its coverage ofBritish Invasion groups, particularlythe Beatles, but alsothe Rolling Stones,the Kinks andHerman's Hermits.[4] Its access to the Beatles was facilitated by direct contributions from the band's press officer,Tony Barrow.[2][4] The magazine was also granted exclusive access to the Rolling Stones during their recording sessions in Los Angeles,[3] after the group had become enamoured with RCA Studios inHollywood.[5]
Whilst acknowledging the cooperation that existed between the magazine and its subjects,KRLA Beat's online history states that "In the hands ofBeat writers, many articles remained mostly unaffected by tabloid-style gossip, occasionally reporting negatively about favorite bands of the day."[2] Author Robert Rodriguez describes the editorial approach as "refreshingly honest in its reporting".[4]
KRLA Beat was published by Cecil Tuck, who had worked for newspapers in Texas before being appointed news director at KRLA.[2] According to the magazine's website, the early, newsletter version of the title ran for 20 issues, published weekly from October 1964 onward.[6] The newsletter was solely the work of Bonnie Golden, formerly an editor atTeen Screen magazine, and distributed free tonewsstands,[2] record stores, and the station's listeners.[6]
Following Tuck's relaunching of the title, with an issue dated February 25, 1965,[7] its staff writers included Carol Deck, Louise Criscione, Mike Tuck, Rochelle Reed, and "Eden".[3] The last of these was a pseudonym for Nikki Wine, who went on to produceCasey Kasem's radio showAmerican Top 40.[8] KRLA DJsDave Hull and Tony Leigh were also credited as contributors, through the publication of their on-air interviews,[3] as was former Beatles publicistDerek Taylor,[9] who briefly hosted a radio show of his own.[10]
Writing in his online "Chart Beat Chat" forBillboard in September 2004,Fred Bronson recalled that he wrote forKRLA Beat as a sixteen-year-old in the mid-1960s.[11] By 1968, the magazine included articles byJacoba Atlas[3] – later a contributor toCircus,Melody Maker,[12]Los Angeles Free Press andRolling Stone[13] and to film publications such asShow[14] andFilm Comment.[15]
After leaving the Beatles' employ and establishing himself as a successful publicist in California,[16] Taylor became editor ofKRLA Beat in 1967.[2] That year, he helped organize theMonterey Pop Festival.[16] Having championed American acts such asthe Byrds andthe Beach Boys since 1965,[10][17] he subsequently guided the magazine's direction towardcountercultural issues andpsychedelia.[2]
In 1968, editorial disagreements between Taylor and Tuck, together with the latter's concerns about increased expenditure on the magazine, forced Taylor's departure.[2]KRLA Beat continued until May 1968.[3] Tuck was forced to shut down the publication due to its precarious financial position.[2]