Marc Bolan was a musician who repeatedly reinvented himself and pop music: he was a mid-sixties folkie; a guitarist with psychedelic John’s Children; a flower child in acoustic duo Tyrannosaurus Rex; and composer and rock star leader of T. Rex. He is commemorated by a blue plaque at 31 Clarendon Gardens, where he lived when his first hit, ‘Ride a White Swan’, entered the Top 10, and the albums Electric Warrior and The Slider were released.

Mark Feld was born on 30 September 1947 in Stoke Newington. He always felt that he was destined to be a star. On his ninth birthday he received an acoustic guitar, and a devotion to the whole rock ‘n’ roll image soon followed. Reading a biography of Beau Brummell had a profound effect on him and he began to dress as a dandy.

After his family moved to Wimbledon, Mark reinvented himself as a Romantic and briefly worked as a model. He recorded a couple of tracks, lost his London accent, and changed his name to ‘Marc Bolan’.

The early single ‘The Wizard’ (1965) was not a success, but ‘Hippy Gumbo’ did better in 1966. Bolan joined the band John’s Children, who were known for their controversial performances and were sacked as a supporting act after appearing more outlandish than headliners, The Who.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

In 1967’s ‘summer of love’, Bolan founded underground acoustic duo Tyrannosaurus Rex with Stephen Ross Porter, known as Steve Peregrin Took, after the hobbit in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. The pair combined Bolan’s distinctive voice and storytelling with Took’s toy whistles, pan pipes, hand claps, bongo beats and gongs among other unusual instruments. They recorded three albums: My People were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair . . . But Now They’re Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows, and Prophets, Seers, & Sages The Angels of the Ages in 1968, and Unicorn in 1969, which were championed by the DJ John Peel. Embracing hippy culture, Bolan had cork-screw ringlets and sat cross-legged on a carpet surrounded by joss sticks to perform.

On 30 January 1970, Bolan married rock music management company receptionist June Child (1943–1994). Child organised Bolan’s personal and professional life for him in every way. Took, who was struggling with addiction, was sacked after an American tour and replaced by Mickey Finn for A Beard of Stars (1970). This album developed higher production values, more accessible song writing, and experimentation with a rock sound first heard on Unicorn.

Clarendon Gardens, T. Rex and fame

Bolan and Finn headlined the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970 after The Kinks cancelled, and Bolan renamed the band T. Rex. They became a foursome with bassist Steve Currie and drummer Bill Legend.

Around December 1970, just as T. Rex’s first hit, ‘Ride a White Swan’, entered the Top 10, and the album T. Rex was released, Bolan and June moved to a flat at 31 Clarendon Gardens, Little Venice, Maida Vale. It was in a smart-looking Italianate-style stuccoed house dating from the mid-19th century – a move up in the world from the couple’s previous attic flat in Ladbroke Grove, which had no hot water.

As Bolan and T. Rex found enormous fame, the flat in Clarendon Gardens featured in interview footage and many press and publicity photographs, which reveal it to have been on the first floor. T. Rex fans discovered its location and left presents for their idol; a few of the more obsessional stole from the dustbins, and wrote messages on the exterior walls.

The band enjoyed a run of eleven Top 10 singles in the UK which began with ‘Swan’ (1970) and included ‘Hot Love’ (1971), ‘Get it On’ (1971), ‘Children of The Revolution’ (1972), ‘Solid Gold Easy Action’ (1972), ‘Telegram Sam’ (1972) and ‘Metal Guru’ (1972). The 1971 album Electric Warrior received critical acclaim and spent eight weeks at number one in the UK, the biggest selling album of that year.

As ever, Bolan’s sound was accompanied by a striking look: when T. Rex performed ‘Hot Love’ on Top of the Pops in March 1971 he wore a silver lamé top, and was made up by publicist Chelita Secunda, who put daubs of glitter under his eyes. Chelita encouraged Bolan to experiment with makeup and clothing; he draped himself with crushed velvet, embroidery and ostrich feathers. Bolan’s flamboyance opened the door for sartorial experimentation by David Bowie, Roxy Music, Queen, the New York Dolls, and later the New Romantics, as well as inspiring designer fashion.

1972 was the year of ‘T. Rextasy’, when Bolan was everywhere: in concert halls, on radio stations, TV, and in the press. The band toured the US twice, and featured regularly on Radio 1, and Top of The Pops. Hysteria peaked with performances at the Empire Pool Wembley, captured by Ringo Starr in the film Born to Boogie (which also featured studio scenes of Bolan with Starr on drums and Elton John on piano).

Difficult years and comeback

By late 1972, Bolan was finding fame difficult. He moved to an address with more privacy – an apartment near Marble Arch – but was eating, drinking, and taking drugs to excess. He left June and became involved with Motown singer Gloria Jones, a vocalist for T. Rex. By the spring of 1974 Bolan’s days as a teenage pop idol were over, and he and Jones left Britain. Though he still recorded, his popularity declined, his drinking increased, and he became prone to violent behaviour on stage and off.

But Bolan staged a comeback. He and Jones returned to London in 1975 and their son, Rolan Seymour Feld (Rolan Bolan), was born on 26 September. Bolan stopped smoking, drinking and taking drugs, went on a diet (returning to vegetarianism), and took up exercise. He returned to the Top 20 with a new single, ‘New York City’. The next year ‘I Love to Boogie’ spent nine weeks in the charts, peaking at number 13. In 1977, punk newcomers The Damned supported his well-reviewed ‘Dandy in the Underworld’ tour. From August that year he fronted a television show, Marc, which showcased new talent, including Punk and New Wave bands.

Two weeks before his 30th birthday, Bolan was killed in an accident. A Mini driven by Jones crashed into a tree on Barnes Common in the early hours of 16 September 1977. An inquest returned a verdict of accidental death. He was cremated four days later at Golders Green Cemetery. David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Steve Harley, and The Damned were in attendance among other musicians and hundreds of fans.

Further Reading

• Rikky Rooksby ‘Bolan, Marc [real name Mark Feld] (1947–1977)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004) (access with a UK public library card)