Darryl Read

Who was Darryl Read?

Darryl Michael Roy Read was a British poet, singer, guitarist, drummer, actor and writer. Read was among the forerunners of punk rock. According to 2008's Pretty Vacant: A History of UK Punk, his second band Crushed Butler "was, in many ways, Britain's first proto-punk band." In addition to his work with Crushed Butler, spanning from the group's founding in 1969 to is dissolution in 1971, Read played briefly with Krayon Angels and has released a number of solo albums. He has collaborated in recording with such musicians as Bill Legend, Mickey Finn and Ray Manzarek.

Read's involvement with film included 1964's Daylight Robbery, for which he won a Silver Lion medal award at the Venice Film Festival at the age of 14. He wrote a screenplay with Bernard White for the feature film Remember a Day, and also starred as Roger Bannerman, a character based on Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett. He acted on stage in two rock-based plays. In Let the Good Stones Roll, which debuted at the Edinburgh Festival, he played Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. He was featured in Bastard Angel, a play inspired by the band the Kinks. Read has also worked on television as an actor in many productions.