Chapter 6

She passed the open book to him, and his eyes went wide as he looked at the picture.

“I remember the day that was taken. I had managed to get them a short tour of seaside towns as an opening band. That was the beginning of the growing fan base. Where did you get this book?”

“One of those who authenticated the stage gear is the author. Jeremy was there at the time, I think. The book has been out of print for some years, but he gave me a hundred unsold copies after we spoke to him about the last tours of the Rocks. He has another book that I hope he’s able to finish.”

“I remember Jerry. He was a pimply kid with a camera and a notebook. I didn’t know that he was still alive. Can I keep this?”

“Sure. I’ve got another ninety-nine. I left Garry reading one today. I think that there could be a lot about the young Rufus in it. There are photos in there that allowed us to put the correct equipment and outfits together for those displays that you saw today. Joes’ wife was the other one to help. They, and the other three of the band, have told us that we have their permission to deal with the items as we think fit. I’m thinking about donating them to various music museums. Who knows, the V and A may want a set for their archives, and I’m sure that the Experience in Liverpool will want one.”

“There are a couple near here. There’s the Rock and Roll Museum in London, and another in Brentford. I’ll tell you what. There is space upstairs where we could set up one of the very early displays, seeing that it’s part of the company history. I may even offer you a discount on the sale price.”

They were both smiling when a knock on the door indicated that a tea tray was about to come in. Jacquie was carrying the tray, and another girl opened the door, while carrying a file in the other hand. Tommy turned out to be Thomasina, the financial officer, and gave Willow the file to look at, while telling her about the lists of figures with a running commentary on the income and outlays, profit and loss, and assets, while Rufus read the book.

Willow sat and took it all in. The numbers were astronomical, with tours like the one they did as ‘Garreth’ turning over close to a quarter of a billion pounds. The thing was that the agency only earned a commission on the players payments. It might add up to several million, but there was a dedicated team and fixed costs to take care of before there was any true profit. Each player had earned as much as the agency had.

She spent twenty minutes with Thomasina, discussing the numbers and the likely projections of future years, asking questions and then asking for how things were different from previous years. The assets were simple. There were the office buildings, a dozen houses in the area, three cars on lease here, with another two for the office in Los Angeles that had a staff of six. The biggest asset was the list of clients, which surprised Willow, as most were in the top echelon of performers. Howard and the Blue Note Orchestra were there, as was Vivienne.

“What happened to Ken Stroll?”

Rufus chuckled.

“He did the unthinkable, and walked out of a contract, as well as leaving his wife. We sold him to an agency in America. It was an embarrassment to us, but we managed to replace him.”

“Why the chuckle?”

“He was put into a show that was totally alien to him. His manager had heard about his marital problem and decided that he should experience life from the other side, so cast him as the mother in a touring production of ‘Hairspray’. He took to it like a duck to water and is now typecast as a female singer, currently performing in a show about two lesbians, where he is the butch one. It destroyed his romance with the soprano.”

“I doubt if Viv would want him back. Even if she thought about it, her mother would be against it.”

“She does have a strong character; Juliette is a singers’ mother from out of an opera.”

“I see the Vines here. Have they had any shows?”

“I got their signatures at your birthday bash. I believe that they have a year or two before finishing university. Their father refused to allow them to go on stage before that. They could have earned millions, by now, but he’s been adamant.”

“What do you want from me, Rufus? I don’t know if I could be much help to this office. I do see the workings but would take me a long time to get to know the contacts.”

“The office would point you at who you need to talk to and supply any information you would need. You don’t think that I have a total knowledge of all the promoters, venues, companies and tradesmen that we need to work with, do you? You would need to talk to all of the clients, by going to them. You’re only about the fifth or sixth client to come here in the last ten years. You would drop in on tours and comfort the stars, sorting out any problems that may arise. Those are usually niggling things, as we aim to streamline the rest of the organisation with what this team has done for years. Any real problems, you ring the office to get the answers that you need.”

“Would you stay around long enough to introduce me to those I haven’t met?”

“Of course. I would stay on as advisor for six months, on an expenses paid position. The main thing that we can do, today, is to make sure none of the girls reject you as the new boss. I think that you’ve impressed Tommy.”

They stood and Tommy led them to the stairs, which took them to an open office space that took up the entire upper floor, with just a kitchenette and toilets at the far end. There were fourteen desks in two rows of seven, with double screens, more than one phone, and a filing cabinet beside each one. Tommy gave Willow a quick precis.

“Each station is committed to a specific task. There are three that handle venues in the UK, US, and Europe, including staging and equipment. We defer to promoters in the far east. There are another three that handle local transport and accommodation in the three main areas, with another who handles that in any other place, as well as organising any special dietary requirements. Then, there are three who keep in touch with the promoters and other organisations in the three main areas. Two desks are purely for advertising, and two handle the airlines by getting the optimum flights and prices.”

“And the other desk?”

“That’s mine, or the boss’ when we are brainstorming a tour route. Your tour as ‘Garreth’ being a case in point. You went to a lot of places that we had never been to before. It was very interesting and enjoyable, as it gave us all a lot to think about. I have a very quiet office at the other end of the ground floor, where I can deal with the numbers and the tax man. The main servers are next door to that, with its own power supply with battery back-up.”

Rufus called for a bit of quiet for the moment.

“Girls, I’m sure that you all recognise Willow. We’re discussing my retirement and her taking on the business. On top of her many roles in great bands, she also has a stellar academic history, including a degree in Business and Finance, with Honours. Take a few minutes with her and then talk about things. Nothing happens if you don’t want it to, but I’m ready to hand over the reins, and Willow is the one person I would trust with your future employment. She already owns the recording studio in Leicester and will probably be building a bigger one in Watford, in the place where the Rocks used to practise.”

He turned to Willow.

“I’ll be in my office when you’ve finished. Take your time and look at everything.”

He went back downstairs, followed by Thomasina. Willow looked at the other girls as one stood up.

“Willow Rose, welcome. We have all your albums and it’s so good to meet you. My name is Susan, and I’m the Office Manager, as well as handling flights. Let me take you around and introduce the others. Girls, no slacking, if you have something that you have to do, I’m sure that Willow will wait and watch as you do it.”

For over an hour, Willow met each of the others, had their duties explained, looked at the screens as they called up lists, asked questions that came from being at the other end of the operation. Susan stayed with her, unless her phone rang. She, like all the others, wore a headset with microphone, so would just need to go to her desk to look at her screen. She patted each girl on the shoulder when she moved on, soaking up the information easily, having been on the receiving end of their efforts for four years.

When she had seen every facet, Susan stood with her by the stairs, and spoke to the others.

“Right, girls. The boss has told us that we have a deciding say in this. Does anybody want to say anything?”

One of the others put her hand up.

“I think that I can speak for everyone in the room, Sue. Willow has had a lot of experience on tour and has mentioned some things that we can sharpen our game with, having been on the end of some of our hiccups. She knows more about this business than anyone else I know, and that includes our boss. If she takes over the company, I’ll be happy to work with her.”

The others all said ‘hear, hear’, then looked at Willow, expecting her to say something.

“Thank you, ladies, for that vote of confidence. I will walk you back to that last sentence. ‘To work with me’ is exactly right, as nobody works for me. If I do buy the business, it will be set up with every employee as a shareholder, to split any profit after allocation of suitable future funds. I’ll do my part of the work, as outlined by Rufus, and would be listed, along with Garry, as the business owner on the records. For day-to-day work, though, we will be set up as being overseen by a board, with me and Garry, Thomasina, Susan, and one other chosen by you to make the big decisions. I don’t need to make money for myself, as my husband and I have enough to satisfy us. I do sit on a number of boards in the Midlands, including the one for the design studio my family owns, so I’m no stranger to working with others.”

That created a lull in the work, as they all wanted a hug. After that, she went downstairs to the reception. Before going into the office, she waited until the girl ended a phone call. Before Willow could say anything, the girl stood up.

“That was Sue, telling me what went on upstairs. It will be a pleasure to work with you. The only thing I ask is if you’re coming back, give me a call on the switchboard number so we can all bring our albums in to be signed.”

Willow laughed and gave her a hug.

“I’ll be sure to remember that. Give me a few of those business cards, I think I may need them.”

She knocked on the office door and then went in to join Rufus, who was still reading the book. He looked up.

“Do you know; if I hadn’t been there at the time, I would find a lot of this as fanciful. It was a hell of a time to be alive. The only thing that saddens me is that all of the original band are dead. Some brought it on early with their lifestyle. Joe was unlucky with his stomach cancer, but I do remember that he would eat anything, and always went for chilli.”

“I’ll remember that. For the last five or six years, I’ve eaten in more restaurants than most people walk past in a lifetime, so have placed my trust in the chefs. The girls, upstairs, are happy to work with me. It all comes down to the price. The houses and this place are the tangible assets, and I would value them at between twelve and fifteen million, so it’s really only what you put on the intellectual property and good will that is needed to be discussed. I will, of course, take it all to Garry to see what he thinks.”

“Of course, without seeing the other properties, it’s impossible to give a clear estimation. I can tell you that the other houses are currently worth a total of eight and a quarter million, with the staff paying all outgoings. This place, as a property, is valued at three million, and the equipment it contains is worth another two. That takes the solid assets to thirteen and a quarter. As for the client list, that will be a token figure, as you wouldn’t be taking them away. Say, a hundred thousand a client, bands as a unit. Of course, some are bigger earners than others, and that can be your job to rectify. There were sixty-two at my last count, now without ‘Garreth’, so that would be another six point two, giving us a grand total of nineteen point four-five. The bank account would remain with the business. If we round it up to twenty million, I’ll be happy to sign.”

“I like round figures, Rufus. That one is what I had in mind after seeing the books and the staff. I’ll talk to Garry and our accountant, seeing that we’ll be buying as GWR. I think that he would be happy to have something to do where he can make a difference by helping others climb the entertainment ladder.”

He stood and they shook hands, and then hugged.

“If you want, we can let you have the earliest stage set from Watford. It may be part of your past, but, oddly, it’s become part of mine as well, having been a member of the band. We can set it up in the space by the spare desk, to remind the girls of what they’re working with. Here, take this spare key for the padlock. There’s no alarm system, and you’ll be able to take it out in one load with a van. If you want, I’ll leave it to you to distribute the other displays as you see fit. The gesture may be better accepted coming from you, and any signage can say that it was donated by Red Wolf Agency.”

He grinned and went to say something, as Willow put up her hand.

“If you tell me I’m wicked, I’m walking out of here!”

He laughed.

“Well, it did cross my mind, but I was going to say that it was a masterpiece of business thinking. I get the immediate kudos, and you get the ongoing recognition.”

When she went to her car, she sat for a moment, thinking about what she was about to take on. Not only would she be building a new recording studio that would be almost the size of Abbey Road, but she would be spending her days working with other entertainers, as one of them, using all her organising skills. It was a lot to take in. She called up the Marlow address in the GPS and allowed the computer to guide her back onto main roads.

When she arrived home, Garry was still deep into the book. He looked up as she walked in and put her bag down.

“This is fascinating, love. There’s a lot in her about Rufus, with pictures.”

“I know. I’ve just spent a lot of the day with him and left him a copy of the book. He’d never seen it and remembers Jeremy as a pimply kid with a camera and a notebook. Look, we have a lot that I need to talk to you about. What do you think about me seeing if I can get a table at Great Fosters, where we can have some peace and quiet, a good meal, and a drink. It’s the right sort of place to discuss things of high order.”

That evening, they ate a wonderful meal, had a couple of glasses of wine, and Willow took Garry through her day. When she arrived at the asking price for the agency, he sat back and closed his eyes. After a couple of minutes, he opened them and smiled.

“The way I see it, the business would have bought all the houses and the office, so Rufus is taking the money for them as his own. That’s why he’s not asking an astronomical amount for good will. If we take it on, it will be a lot of travel, a lot of discussions with new people, seeing a lot of shows with our clients, and seeing shows with lesser names with a mind to signing them on. We would have to fly business class, seeing that it wouldn’t be covered by tour income, but that’s not a great hardship.”

“We will have one advantage over Rufus, and that’s the fact that there’s two of us. We can double the coverage. I haven’t factored in any salary for us, seeing that we still have income from record sales for a while. We’ll have to bring our own secretary, Helen, into the mix, seeing that she’ll need to be able to co-ordinate our social invitations with our work.”

“You sound as if you’ve made your mind up.”

“Up to a point. I just need my wise old husband to advise me, and to join in with the project.”

“I’m in, feet first. It will beat sitting around or seeing if there’s any bands who want a bass player. Who knows, we may come across new bands that just need our musical knowledge to take off. We could write for them, so creating another income stream. Another thing that I just thought of. It would give us the ideal platform to follow through on what the PM wants, as long as they’re re-elected.”

“You’re right! We’ll be all over the place and could build up our own list of contacts. You clever man!”

“It’s just your thinking rubbing off on me as we make love. How about you transfer some top-up, tonight.”

Over the next couple of weeks, they delved further into the purchase, spoke to their accountant, who said that it would take a chunk out of the account, but that wouldn’t be a bad thing, considering the advantages of having so many employees at tax time. Rufus had been paying accrued holiday and sick pay into a separate trust account, so that it wouldn’t be taken by normal operating. There was a superannuation scheme that all the employees were having their money paid into, run through a separate company, the same one that was handling the employees at the recording studio and their secretary.

Willow spoke to the accountant in Leicester, who assured her that the studio staff had accrued entitlements paid into a trust account, which paid any leave that they took. She told him about Watford, and her plans for it.

When Rufus had cleared the shed, he gave her back the key when she, and Garry, visited the agency to sign the ownership paperwork. Garry was introduced to all the girls, who had brought in all their albums to be signed, and they looked at the first stage set that had been set up. They had cleaned all the outfits and put them on mannequins, with the guitarists having their guitars on. The amps had been polished and treated, so looked like new, and the small drum kit with ‘Falling Boulders’ on it was sparkling. It was all bunched up to fit the space, but still looked fantastic. The two of them were asked to stand next to the display as the last remaining members of what the band grew into, as all the girls took pictures. They had taken in a box of the books for the girls to read. They shook hands on the purchase and Rufus said that he would carry on until they were ready to take over.

After that, the couple drove to Watford, and measured the space that now lay vacant, as Rufus had organised for the other displays to be distributed, as discussed. Then, they went to a local builder, to organise the removal of the temporary wall, taking him to the shed and getting a quote, then leaving him with the spare key. Before they left, they went into the practise area and moved all the amps, PA, drums and keyboard into the corner, covered in a sheet, and put the extra guitars and small items in the car to take home. They measured that space as well, to get an overall figure that they would double-check with the plans.

Willow made an appointment to visit the studio manufacturer in Manchester, going up the day before and seeing them in the morning. She had a copy of the plans and a sheaf of photos that she had printed. The size of the place was a talking point, but not insurmountable. It was suggested that, instead of trying to soundproof the building, it would be better to actually build a freestanding studio inside, mounted on vibration absorbing pads. It would be able to be built in their factory and dis-assembled for transport.

Willow suggested that they could use the area where the Rocks used to practise as a rest area, seeing that it already had a kitchen and toilets, with a mezzanine floor over the top as offices. When they parted, they had created a list of requirements. She left them a spare padlock key. When the studio was in, the doors would be reinforced and made more secure. They would carry out a complete survey and supply a quote and suggested layout.

Before she went back home, she visited the shopping centre to actually walk around it, before going into the management office to introduce herself. That visit ended up as a three-hour discussion on how it was all going. The Centre Manager took a file from a cabinet drawer.

“Willow, this is a thin file, but could be very important. One of the international groups that own shopping centres has been in touch and had an inspection of the site. We did open the books to them and discussed extensions into the car park, which could include a multi-story parking station. They haven’t made a firm offer but did suggest a figure around the sixty or seventy million mark to take it over.”

“That’s interesting. Leave it with me and keep me in the loop. If it gets serious, I’ll co-ordinate with the other shareholders.”

On the way home, she rang her mother to say that she would be dropping in and staying overnight. That evening, she had dinner at home, while bringing her mother up to speed with the Randall saga, and the new projects. Wendy could see how the agency would enhance Willows’ ability to do the job that the PM may want, but all of that depended on the election, next year. Willow had some time with her brother, now talking,

A couple of days later, she had an email from Gina. She had been booked to play the Benjamin Brittan Piano Concerto of nineteen forty-five at the last night of the proms, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. She rang the agency and spoke to Jacquie.

“Jacquie, it’s Willow. Can someone in the office organise a block booking of about forty seats at the Last Night of the Proms, in the Albert Hall, this year?”

“We do have connections with the venue, Willow, but that’s one of the hardest shows to get a seat at.”

“I was wondering if there are tour companies who have a standing booking. If needed, I would pay them to take the seats if they haven’t filled them.”

“Leave it with us Willow. Is there a particular reason for this?”

“My friend Gina is playing the piano. She’s the other half of the old Summer Rose. There are a lot of people wanting to see that performance.”

“That makes it extra special. We’ll get back to you.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025