JOHN KNOWLES,
1949-2022

John “Knocker” Knowles, a beloved figure in the British music industry who played an integral role in the success of Island Records, died last week. He was 73.

Knowles joined Island in the 1970s as a sales rep during the label’s heyday, working with Bob Marley and the Wailers and others. After leaving the company, he established himself as a music marketer and label manager, with stints at MCA and Eagle Rock. He later joined the team under Lord Michael Levy at Magnet Records, where he met Chris Rea, whom Knowles later managed.

A successful amateur boxer in his youth, he'd worked odd jobs: London bellboy, milkman, door-to-door life-insurance salesman in New Zealand. It was Down Under that he met Island GM Fred Cantrell, who offered him a job as a sales rep in London.

Knowles distinguished himself selling reggae records around the country, getting noticed by Island chief Chris Blackwell and MD Tim Clark. Blackwell remembered him as “one of the most important people on the Island Records team” and “most loved and respected by all who met him," continuing, "He was always full of fun and very hardworking over many years. He was also not someone to pick a fight with! He will be sadly missed.”

After leaving Island for MCA, Knowles forged an enduring friendship with UMG Chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge, who said: "The music industry has lost one of its truly great characters, and I have lost one of my dearest friends. While most people knew Knocker for his larger-than-life personality, behind that was a man who was insightful, irreverent, thoughtful, generous and kind. His loyalty was absolute, and he helped me get through some of life’s most difficult times by providing perspective and uproarious laughter. What Knocker meant to me, Caroline and our family is beyond words. We extend our deepest condolences to Jill, Ben and Jack and the entire family.”