Peter Jenner

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Lore & Background

Jenner's journey with Pink Floyd began after he witnessed their performance at the Marquee Club in March 1966. Although the band primarily played rhythm and blues, Jenner was captivated by the strange acoustic effects created by Syd Barrett and Richard Wright. He tracked down members Roger Waters and Nick Mason to their flat, where he and Andrew King were invited to become managers despite having little industry experience. Using inherited money, they established Blackhill Enterprises and purchased essential equipment, including a Selmer PA system. Under Jenner's guidance, the band entered London's underground scene, notably performing at venues booked by the London Free School in Notting Hill. A major turning point was the "Games for May" concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall on 12 May 1967, an event set up by Jenner and King that marked the first pop concert at the South Bank. Their diverse social connections secured coverage in The Financial Times and The Sunday Times. Jenner's voice even appears at the start of "Astronomy Domine" on the 1967 album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

In Their Own Story

By late 1968, the free festival movement Jenner championed had swelled to massive proportions. In June, July, and August of that year, Blackhill Enterprises organized events in Hyde Park where approximately 120,000 people gathered to see Pink Floyd, Roy Harper, and Tyrannosaurus Rex. The concerts were so successful they earned centre-page spreads in the Melody Maker by Christmas. Jenner stated, "The main reason we do them is because we feel a great interest in the importance of pop music in Britain." However, as Syd Barrett's mental state deteriorated, the management dynamic shifted. Believing Barrett was the principal songwriter and creative force, Jenner and King chose to continue managing his career separately while permitting Waters, Mason, Wright, and new member David Gilmour to operate under the name Pink Floyd. This decision led to their eventual parting with the main band as Blackhill Enterprises disintegrated in 1981.

Reader's Guide

To understand Peter Jenner's impact, one must look beyond standard management roles to his work in cultural organization. He was instrumental in setting up the London Free School after meeting a group of like-minded individuals at John "Hoppy" Hopkins' flat in Queensway on 8 March 1966. This initiative led to the first Notting Hill Fayre, where Jenner organized a Pink Floyd concert at All Saints Hall in September to fund the school's operations. Jenner later founded Sincere Management with his wife Sumi Nishihata after Blackhill dissolved. His career extended into advocacy; he was an executive of the International Music Manager's Forum until 2006 and a director of the UK Music Managers' Forum. A vocal commentator on copyright, he argued in a 2006 paper titled "Beyond the Soundbytes" that governments should impose blanket licences for online music, reasoning that collecting £1 a month from every person in the UK could generate £60 million a month.

Did You Know?

• Jenner's voice can be heard at the start of Pink Floyd's 1967 track "Astronomy Domine."
• He turned down an offer to manage David Bowie.
• In September, he organized a Pink Floyd concert at All Saints Hall specifically to fund the London Free School.
• The Hyde Park Free Festival in 1968 attracted approximately 120,000 people.
• Jenner managed Billy Bragg for more than 30 years and still acts as his advisor.