1. Don Arden managed the careers of rock acts such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Gene Vincent, Air Supply, Small Faces, The Move, Black Sabbath, Electric Light Orchestra, and Trickster.
22 Facts About Don Arden
1. 2.
Don Arden was the father of David Levy and Sharon Osbourne.
3.
Don Arden worked as an entertainer on the British variety circuit.
4.
Don Arden impersonated singers such as Enrico Caruso and film actors known for gangster roles, such as Edward G Robinson and George Raft.
5.
On weekends, Yiddish-speaking Don Arden impressed Jewish audiences with his Al Jolson routine.
6.
Don Arden began his career organising Hebrew folk song contests, then started putting together his own shows.
7.
Don Arden launched his career as a manager when he signed up American rock 'n' roller Gene Vincent in 1960, taking over from John Schatt.
8.
In 1965, Don Arden met aspiring rock band Small Faces in his office in Carnaby Street.
9.
Don Arden was immediately struck by the potential of Small Faces: "I thought at that time, on the first hearing, I thought it was the best band in the world".
10.
Don Arden reportedly threatened to throw Stigwood out of the window if he ever interfered with his business again.
11.
The band was never entirely convinced that Don Arden had paid them everything he owed them.
12.
Don Arden tried to rekindle his former glories as a family entertainer by releasing a single of his own in 1967: "Sunrise Sunset", from the musical Fiddler on the Roof, but it failed to chart.
13.
Don Arden returned to music management in 1968 when he signed The Move.
14.
In 1973, Don Arden took over management of singer-songwriter Lynsey de Paul.
15.
Don Arden eventually reached a settlement with Arden in 1978.
16.
Don Arden brought his son David and daughter Sharon into the business, intending to build an Arden showbiz dynasty.
17.
Don Arden was pregnant at the time and lost the child.
18.
Don Arden had acquired shares in RadioTracks through buying out Chandler without the knowledge of the other directors.
19.
In 1986, Don Arden was arrested for kidnapping and torturing a Jet records accountant named Harshad Patel, whom Don Arden believed had been embezzling money.
20.
From 1986 to the mid-1990s, Arden shuttled between his homes in Beverly Hills and Parkside in Wimbledon, London.
21.
Don Arden met his grandchildren Jack and Kelly for the first time on the show, and he met his granddaughter Aimee off-screen.
22.
Don Arden was buried in Agecroft Jewish Cemetery, Langley Road, Pendlebury, in Salford on 25 July 2007.