Philip Norman

Philip Norman (born 13 April 1943) In addition to writing the newspaper's Atticus column, he gained notice during the late 1960s and over the following decade for his profiles of public figures such as Elizabeth Taylor, P. G. Wodehouse and Muammar Gaddafi, In the 1970s, he also worked as The Times rock music critic.

As author and novelist Shout! Norman's first book, Shout!: The Beatles in Their Generation, also published as Shout!: The True Story of the Beatles, was published in 1981, with later revisions. An immediate bestseller, Writing in 2005, Beatles biographer Ian MacDonald said that Norman's book "remains the sharpest account of The Beatles' career" and suggested that its anti-McCartney sentiments were balanced by the 1997 publication of Barry Miles' Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now.

Further writing and opinions on the Beatles Norman was interviewed in 1987 for a feature on George Harrison on the show West 57th, during which he stated that Harrison's view of the Beatles' history was the only reliable first-hand account, given Lennon's death seven years before. When asked for an explanation, Norman said that McCartney "rewrites history all the time" and Ringo Starr was unable to remember: "He doesn't know. He just... he drank, he smoked the joints, he had the girls and he drummed the drums... that was Ringo".

Reporting on the British media's reaction to Harrison's death in November 2001, Spencer Leigh wrote that "the only sour note" had come from a piece written by Norman in The Sunday Times. According to Leigh, Norman's article "tore away at Harrison's memory" by branding him "a serial philanderer" and denigrating his standing as a humanitarian.

In October 2008, Norman's 800-page book John Lennon: The Life was released to some controversy. According to Sean O'Hagan of The Observer, the tone of the book falls midway between the "extravagantly spiteful" narrative of Albert Goldman's 1988 biography The Lives of John Lennon and the "respectful, going-on adulatory" message of Ray Coleman's Lennon: The Definitive Biography, published in 1984. O'Hagan reported that Ono and McCartney, both of whom had co-operated with Norman during the book's creation, were displeased with the result.

Norman's book on McCartney, titled Paul McCartney: The Biography, was published in 2016. His book on Brian Epstein, Mr. Moonlight: Brian Epstein and the Making of the Beatles, was published in 2026.

Other works Norman has also published what the music journalism website Rock's Backpages describes as "definitive biographies" of Buddy Holly, the Rolling Stones and Elton John. Additionally, Norman has authored six works of fiction, and two plays: The Man That Got Away and Words of Love.

Published biographies Shout!: The True Story of the Beatles (1981), Symphony for the Devil: The Rolling Stones Story (1984), The Life and Good Times of the Rolling Stones (1989), Century Days in the life: John Lennon Remembered (1990), The Stones (1993, updated w/ a new afterword), Penguin Elton or Elton John (1991), or Shout!: The Beatles in their Generation (1996), Buddy: The Biography (1997), or Sir Elton: The Definitive Biography (2001), The Stones: The Acclaimed Biography (2002), John Lennon: The Life (2008), Mick Jagger (2012), (15) Paul McCartney: The Biography (2016), Slowhand: The Life and Music of Eric Clapton (2018), Wild Thing: The Short, Spellbinding Life of Jimi Hendrix (2020), George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle (2023),

Published fiction Everyone's Gone to the Moon (1996),