Alan Wills

Alan Wills (12 June 1961 – 11 May 2014) was a British record label owner and drummer. He was known for founding Deltasonic, a record label based in Liverpool that signed bands including The Coral and The Zutons. As a musician he played in The Wild Swans, Shack, Top, and the Lotus Eaters. For his work with The Coral he was named one of the Managers of the Year in 2003 by the Music Managers Forum.

Early life Wills was born in Anglesey, Wales on 12 June 1961, and grew up in the Cemaes area of the county. According to Music Week, Will's father was "in charge of the UK's nuclear early warning system".

Career In 1981, Wills went to Liverpool to audition as drummer for Pete Wylie's band Wah!. According to Wylie, "I told him he'd 'failed the audition' but I liked him, so I found another band for him to play with so he stayed here." He suggested Wills to another Liverpool band, The Wild Swans, whom Wills went on to join as drummer. Wills also played drums for Shack, Top and the Lotus Eaters. Wills said that at the time, "there hadn't been any great guitar bands for a while. I knew it was going to change", and "I just wanted to do more guitars". Wills printed 1000 copies of the band's first single, "Shadows Fall", and that December the label signed a joint venture licensing deal with Sony Music.

As well as signing The Zutons, other acts Wills worked with included Candie Payne, the Dead 60s, the Longcut, the Rascals, Miles Kane, and the Last Shadow Puppets.

Death and legacy

On 8 May 2014, Wills was admitted to Aintree University Hospital with critical head injuries after a bicycle crash in the Page Moss area of Liverpool. He died three days later. His funeral was attended by members of The Lightning Seeds, The Farm, Echo & the Bunnymen, Shack, and Cast, among others.

Outside a bar at the site of the former Deltasonic office in the Mossley Hill area of Liverpool is a blue plaque commemorating Wills. Inside the bar is memorabilia from the label, including a gold record awarded for The Zutons' record sales.