Rob Gretton

Rob Gretton
Born	(1953-01-15)15 January 1953
Died
Genres	New wave, post-punk
Occupation(s)	Promoter, Manager
Years active	1977–1999
Labels	Factory
Associated acts	Joy Division, New Order

Robert "Rob" Gretton (15 January 1953 – 15 May 1999), was the manager of Joy Division and New Order. He was partner in and co-director of Factory Records and a founding partner of The Haçienda.

Life and career

In 1977, Gretton became a leading figure in the Manchester punk scene with his involvement with Slaughter and the Dogs. He was DJ in Rafters club and manager of The Panik.

Gretton's involvement with the Manchester scene began when he contributed £200 to co-finance Slaughter and the Dogs' first single, the punk classic "Cranked Up Really High". After joining Factory Records in 1979 Gretton brought many new bands to the label, including Section 25, X-O-Dus, Crispy Ambulance, Stockholm Monsters, Minny Pops, The Names, Quando Quango, The Wake, 52nd Street and Happy Mondays.

In general, Gretton tended to prefer conventional bands with conventional songs, whereas Tony Wilson favoured avant-garde projects. The relationship between the pair is explored in depth in the book Shadowplayers by James Nice (2010).

Gretton was proprietor of the Rob's Records label and a co-founder along of The Haçienda nightclub in Manchester.

Between 1996 and 1999, Gretton managed his last Manchester fledglings Gabrielles Wish, signing them to his own label, Rob's Records. He was a supporter of Manchester City F.C..

He died in May 1999 at the age of 46 as the result of a heart attack.

Portrayal in the media

Gretton was portrayed by Paddy Considine in the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People, which dramatized the rise and fall of Factory Records, and by Toby Kebbell (who coincidentally plays Considine's brother in Dead Man's Shoes) in the 2007 film Control, a biopic of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis.

External links

• Rob Gretton biography at LTM