Founder of "Mersey Beat", a Liverpool newspaper devoted to the local music scene, and the first to publish John Lennon's writings. One of Lennon's first submissions was a pun-filled history (to date) of
The Beatles. "Mersey Beat" later carried an irregular "column" by Lennon, titled "Beatcomber" (a play on "Beachcomber", a popular running column in another newspaper).