Managing the Bad Boys of Snooker recalls Harvey Lisberg’s time as manager to Jimmy White and Alex Higgins, both more rock ’n’ roll than either 10cc or Herman’s Hermits.

In 1963, Harvey Lisberg discovered and managed Herman’s Hermits who along with The Beatles led the ‘British Invasion’ of the US with their smash “I’m Into Something Good”.

He also managed Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart of The Mindbenders and Godley and Creme who in 1973 pooled their resources to form 10cc with smash hits like “I’m Not In Love”, “The Things We Do For Love”, “Dreadlock Holiday” and many others.

But by 1980 ‘punk music’ had taken over and as our TV screens changed from black and white to colour, televised snooker took over with the players treated like rock stars.

Harvey signed Jimmy White and fixed his crooked teeth, permed his hair and organised a photoshoot with the Queen’s photographer Patrick Lichfield to take the sport out of its traditional Victorian roots with new energy reflective of the modern era. Other players like Alex Higgins came knocking at his door as did Willie Thorne and Tony Knowles.

Between 1980 and 1984 he got more publicity in snooker than in almost 20 years of music and the stories are amazing… from his account of a winter trip with Alex Higgins in snow on the M62 returning from Yorkshire over the Pennines… to Jimmy White’s involvement with the ‘Two Ronnies’. Not the comedy duo, but Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones and Ronnie Kray of the Kray Twins.