Bernard Rhodes

In the early 1960s Rhodes and Pearse shared a flat at 68 Hamilton Terrace, St Johns Wood, London.

Mick Jagger, Marc Bolan, musician Mickey Finn, the Small Faces and Guy Stevens (who Rhodes later brought in to produce The Clash) were regular visitors.

Towards the late 1960s Rhodes won a Design Council award for a children's educational toy he designed using newly developed plastic techniques.

Bernard Rhodes is a designer, band manager, studio owner, record producer and songwriter who was integral to the development of the punk rock scene in the United Kingdom from the middle 1970s.

He is most associated with two of the UK's best known and influential punk bands, the Sex Pistols and The Clash.

According to John Lydon, Rhodes was responsible for discovering him in the Kings Road and arranging the audition which led to his joining the Sex Pistols.

Rhodes introduced Joe Strummer to Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, who with Keith Levene then formed The Clash.

Rhodes was an important force behind The Clash not only managing their business but also guiding their marketing and creative direction.

In the early 1970s Rhodes had a shop in the Antiquarius Market, Chelsea selling his hand printed silk screen designs on shirts and T-shirts, plus a selection of rare vintage reggae records.

During this period he became re-acquainted with an old friend, Malcolm McLaren and his girlfriend Vivienne Westwood who were operating out of Let It Rock boutique at 430 Kings Road.

Finding they shared a similar philosophy, Rhodes and McLaren went into business collaborating on the T-shirts which were sold in the shop.

Westwood wanted to expand the sleeveless T-shirt clothing line and Rhodes was an ideal colleague with his silk screen printing skill and whose 'complex meandering discourse threw up many new ideas'.

The T-shirt 'You're Gonna Wake Up One Morning and Know What Side of The Bed You've Been Lying On' was created and printed by Rhodes and uses his handwriting.

McLaren explained that Rhodes' idea was 'to create a dialogue'.

Rhodes has described the difference between himself and McLaren: 'Malcolm [McLaren] likes to titillate but I get down to substance'.

By 1975, SEX had become a hangout for a bunch of teenagers from whom the Sex Pistols would emerge.

Rhodes took the group under his wing while McLaren was in New York looking after the New York Dolls.

Original Sex Pistols member Glen Matlock describes Rhodes' contribution as making them understand the importance of being clear cut.

"He (Rhodes) had a real ability for making people decide exactly what they were trying to do."

John Lydon states that he was wearing a 'I Hate Pink Floyd' T-shirt when he was spotted by Rhodes on the Kings Road.

Rhodes insisted he meet McLaren, Steve Jones and Paul Cook in the local Roebuck pub that evening.

After this get-together, Rhodes had Lydon come back to the shop to audition for the role of singer.

As a result, Lydon became lead singer of the group.

Lydon says that Rhodes 'was important to me in so many ways... He would indicate to me where the problems with the Pistols would be in the future.

He would sow a seed and then wait to see if I would pick up on it.'

After his offer to co-manage Sex Pistols was rejected by McLaren, Rhodes was instrumental in The Clash's formation in 1976.

Mick Jones was wearing one of Rhodes' Wake Up T-shirts when he approached Rhodes after a Sex Pistols gig thinking he was a keyboard player.

They started talking about groups and the relationship was the starting point for what would eventually become The Clash.

Strummer credits Rhodes as his mentor, stating "He constructed The Clash and focused our energies and we repaid him by being really good at what we did".

Disagreement with the group about direction led to his sacking by the Clash in 1979.

Rhodes meantime continued with other successful signings to his label Oddball Productions and major record companies.

In 1981 singer Joe Strummer demanded his return to the Clash or he would quit the group.

Rhodes nurtured and managed other bands including Subway Sect, The Specials, Dexys Midnight Runners, Jo Boxers, The Lous, The Black Arabs, Twenty Flight Rockers, and Watts from Detroit.

During this period Rhodes built and operated from his Camden studio Rehearsal Rehearsals, in what became Camden Market.

The area around the studio became a well known hangout for punks and contributed to the growth of Camden as a hip area.

He is also known in Brazil for his friendship with Supla and baptising the band "Brothers of Brazil".

Rhodes was raised in Stepney, east London.

He says he never knew his father.

He was placed in a Jewish orphanage in South London where he remained until he was 15.

His mother worked long hours for Huntsman's tailors in Saville Row making suits for people like Cary Grant and later Hawes & Curtis where Rhodes' friend John Pearse who co-owned Granny Takes a Trip was her apprentice.