DAVE McALEER - MUSIC EXECUTIVE - BARRY WHITE - KELLY MARIE

Dave McAleer is a music-industry veteran, chart historian, author and former record-company executive whose career provides a remarkable first-hand perspective on the development of popular music in Britain from the 1960s onwards.

McAleer began his working life as a club DJ in 1963, at a time when DJs, record shops and specialist music clubs were becoming increasingly important in determining what audiences listened to. His experience at the sharp end of this rapidly developing culture led him into the record business, where he spent approximately 25 years working in A&R and executive positions.

His record-company career included senior roles with RCA, Pye, DJM, Stax, Chess, Buddah and other labels. He became particularly associated with soul, R&B, disco and specialist American music, giving him an unusual perspective on the way records crossed the Atlantic and found new audiences in Britain. He also became managing director of 20th Century Records, associated with singer and producer Barry White.

Among the landmark moments of McAleer’s career was his involvement in bringing the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” to the British market. The record reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart in 1980 and became the first rap single to make the UK Top 40, helping introduce hip-hop to a mainstream British audience.

Alongside his record-industry career, McAleer developed into one of Britain’s leading authorities on chart history. He became a major contributor to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums and subsequently worked on several Virgin chart-reference publications. He has written or contributed to more than 40 music books and compiled or provided sleeve notes for thousands of albums.