Among other leading positions between the 1960s and 1980s, he chaired Pye Records, was a managing director at ATV and at the London Palladium, and organised the Royal Variety Performances.
He worked as an office clerk for the Moss Empires theatre chain, before serving in the Royal Armoured Corps in the Second World War.
Despite an initial lack of musical expertise, he revived the company's status with such stars as Petula Clark, The Kinks, Sandie Shaw, The Searchers, and Donovan, and set up the successful Golden Guinea line of budget records.
In that role, which included being in charge of the London Palladium, he was responsible for presenting the Royal Variety Performances held between 1979 and 1985.
He was actively involved in show business charities including the Variety Club, the Grand Order of Water Rats, and the British Music Hall Society.