TIM RICE

Tim Rice was born in Buckinghamshire in 1944. After an unsuccessful attempt at a legal career in the mid-sixties, he proceeded to increase the incomes of several lawyers over the next two decades as a result of his decision to enter the entertainment business. He met Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1965 with whom he has written four musicals. The first, The Likes Of Us, was never performed, but the following three shows, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, turned out to be three of the most popular British musicals written since the Second World War, both on stage and on record, worldwide. He has written two other musicals, Blondel, with Stephen Oliver, in 1983, and Chess. Tim is a regular broadcaster in the U.K., and has hosted his own series on both radio and television. He is founder and director, together with Colin Webb and Michael Parkinson, of Pavilion Books, one of Britain's most prominent new publishing houses. He is co-author of the bibles of the British Music Industry, the Guinness Books of Hit Singles and Albums, with his brother Jo, Paul Gambaccini and Mike Read. He is a cricket fanatic (highest score 41 v. Abbey Players, 1984), running his own side, Heartaches C. C.
(Note: All biographies from the original Chess programme.)