Biography
Birmingham-born Daniel Rachel is a former musician-turned-award-winning and bestselling author whose works include: Isle of Noises: Conversations with Great British Songwriters(a Guardian and NME Book of the Year), Walls Come Tumbling Down: The Music & Politics of Rock Against Racism, 2 Tone and Red Wedge (winner of the Penderyn Music Book prize), Don’t Look Back in Anger: the Rise & Fall of Cool Britannia(an Evening Standard and Metro Book of the Year), The Lost Album of The Beatles: What if the Beatles hadn’t Split Up? (Guardian Book of the Day and Amazon No. 1 Bestseller) and Too Much Too Young: The 2 Tone Records Story: Rude Boys, Racism and the Soundtrack of a Generation (a Sunday Times, Uncut, Rough Trade US and Resident Music Book of the Year), now widely considered the definitive history of 2 Tone.
Daniel co-authored Oasis: Knebworth: Two Nights That Will Live Forever (with Jill Furmanovsky – A Sunday Times bestseller), When Ziggy Played the Marquee by Terry O’Neill (editor), One For The Road (The Life & Lyrics of Simon Fowler & Ocean Colour Scene), and Ranking Roger’s autobiography I Just Can’t Stop It: My Life in The Beat (a Vive Le Rock Book of the Year).
He has served as consultant and appeared as a talking-head on several cultural documentaries, including Madness: Prince of Ska, Kings of Pop (2025) , Pauline Black: A 2-Tone Story (2024) and Britpop: The Music that Changed Britain (2023). He was guest curator of 2 Tone Lives & Legacies exhibition as part of Coventry Cultural City 2021, curated the anniversary edition of the Selecter’s debut album Too Much Pressure and written sleeve notes for Bryan Ferry, the Kinks, Ray Davies and Ocean Colour Scene.
Daniel’s latest book, This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich was published in November 2025 and serialized on the front cover of the The Times Review. Receiving rave reviews and standing-room only appearances, This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll has been named a Rough Trade and Resident Music book of the year and nominated for the Penderyn Music Book prize.
Write to Daniel
If you would like a signed edition of a book or would just like to send a message, write to Daniel at:
daniel@danielrachel.com
Literary Agent
Carrie Kania
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Publishers
White Rabbit / Orion
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Octopus / Orion
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Trapeze / Orion
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Picador / Macmillan
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