Peter Jenner

The economics graduate who traded a lecture hall for the psychedelic stage of London's underground.

Peter Julian Jenner (born 3 March 1943) is a British music manager and record producer who played a pivotal role in the early career of Pink Floyd. Educated at Westminster School and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he earned a first-class honours degree in Economics in 1963, Jenner initially served as a lecturer at the London School of Economics before leaving after four years to manage the then up-and-coming band. Alongside his childhood friend Andrew King, he co-founded Blackhill Enterprises in 1966, providing the business framework that propelled Pink Floyd from the underground scene to international recognition.

Quick Facts

Birth name: Peter Julian Jenner
Born: 3 March 1943
Birthplace: Bath, Somerset, England
Education: Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Occupation: Music manager, Record producer
Organization: Blackhill Enterprises, Sincere Management

Lore & Background

Jenner's journey with Pink Floyd began after he witnessed their performance at the Marquee Club in March 1966. Although the band primarily played rhythm and blues, Jenner was captivated by the strange acoustic effects created by Syd Barrett and Richard Wright. He tracked down members Roger Waters and Nick Mason to their flat, where he and Andrew King were invited to become managers despite having little industry experience. Using inherited money, they established Blackhill Enterprises and purchased essential equipment, including a Selmer PA system. Under Jenner's guidance, the band entered London's underground scene, notably performing at venues booked by the London Free School in Notting Hill. A major turning point was the "Games for May" concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall on 12 May 1967, an event set up by Jenner and King that marked the first pop concert at the South Bank. Their diverse social connections secured coverage in The Financial Times and The Sunday Times. Jenner's voice even appears at the start of "Astronomy Domine" on the 1967 album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

Reader's Guide

To understand Peter Jenner's impact, one must look beyond standard management roles to his work in cultural organization. He was instrumental in setting up the London Free School after meeting a group of like-minded individuals at John "Hoppy" Hopkins' flat in Queensway on 8 March 1966. This initiative led to the first Notting Hill Fayre, where Jenner organized a Pink Floyd concert at All Saints Hall in September to fund the school's operations. Jenner later founded Sincere Management with his wife Sumi Nishihata after Blackhill dissolved. His career extended into advocacy; he was an executive of the International Music Manager's Forum until 2006 and a director of the UK Music Managers' Forum. A vocal commentator on copyright, he argued in a 2006 paper titled "Beyond the Soundbytes" that governments should impose blanket licences for online music, reasoning that collecting £1 a month from every person in the UK could generate £60 million a month.

Did You Know?

Jenner's voice can be heard at the start of Pink Floyd's 1967 track "Astronomy Domine."
He turned down an offer to manage David Bowie.
The Hyde Park Free Festival in 1968 attracted approximately 120,000 people.
Jenner managed Billy Bragg for more than 30 years and still acts as his advisor.