Ed Bicknell was on the Hull University entertainments committee, arranging bands for the students, when he first got a taste for the music industry. Moving to London, he worked for agent John Sherry as a booker and soon joined the industry's hopeful pre-millionaires centred on the Speakeasy Club.
When Sherry was asked to handle a new, unknown outfit, Dire Straits, Ed got the job and quickly struck up a special friendship with the band. That relationship extended to 23 years, during which Bicknell expertly steered the Straits to enduring international success.
Bicknell is now boss of Damage Management Ltd and Musicworks Ltd, both music artist management companies. In recent years, he has often appeared on radio and television to discuss music industry issues and to discuss his beachfront home in Barbados.
Ed served on the Princes Trust Committee from 1983 until 1987 and in 1997 was a member of Sir George Martin's Music For Montserrat Committee.
Ed is additionally a Director of Ronnie Scott's Events, a company set up in 1999 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Ronnie Scott's Club in London with the intention of raising funds for Music Therapy and an educational bursary in Ronnie Scott's memory.
EdBicknell ranks high in the premier league of popular music managers, but he is also a musician in his own right.