David Dalton, biographer of Rolling Stones and Janis Joplin, dies at 80

David Daltonbiographer who was one of the first writers of the Rolling Stone USA responsible for profiles of names such as Janis Joplin, Charles Manson and little Richard, died at the age of 80 on Monday, 11, in New York. Second The New York Times the son, Toby Daltonrevealed how the cause of death was cancer.

It is worth remembering how Dalton he also wrote biographies of some of the most important figures in pop culture, such as the Rolling Stones and The Beatles. born with the name John David Dalton on January 15, 1942, he grew up in London and British Columbia before moving with his parents to the United States in the 1960s.

David Dalton He soon found himself immersed in New York City’s underground art scene, where, with his sister, he began working as an assistant to Andy Warholaccording to information from Rolling Stone USA. The proximity to Warhol led him to photograph bands from British invasion, cultural phenomenon, and other artists. After reading about the creation of the rolling stone in 1967, Dalton started sending photos to the co-founder Jann Wenner.

Among the writer’s most notable works in Rolling Stone USA was a long profile, divided into several parts, about Charles Manson, cult leader. The text was written with David Felton, former journalist for the Los Angeles Times. With a prison interview with the criminal, they received a National Magazine Award in 1971.

David Dalton Biographies

After working on rolling stone, David Dalton started writing biographies. “When I wrote rock journalism, I was younger,” he wrote in an unpublished autobiography cited by The New York Times. “I was involved in the scene as it was happening and evolving. When I reached my 30s, I started writing about the past and have lived there ever since.”

In addition to the biography of Janis Joplin, later renamed as Piece of My Heart: A Portrait of Janis Joplin (1984), the author’s published works include The Rolling Stones: An Unauthorized Biography (1972), The Beatles: Get Back (1969), James Dean: The Mutant King (1974) and Who Is That Man? In Search of the Real Bob Dylan (2012).

David Dalton also helped musicians write their own autobiographies, such as Faithfull: An Autobiography (1994), from Marianne FaithfullMeat Loaf: To Hell and Back (1999), Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? (2004), from Steven Tylerand My Way (2013), from Paul Anka.