The first rock'n'roll bodyguard - Alf Weaver|Robert Ashton

Alf Weaver carries the original gene for snuffing out trouble. A 'natural', Alf single-handedly created the blueprint for today's celebrity bodyguard and for the next 35 years he fended off the unwanted attentions of the paparazzi, kept groupies at bay and, in his words, 'swatted away the nutters'. Born in 1935 in London's East End, Alf followed a promising career as a boxer with a stint in the army, serving through the Mau uprising in Kenya. During his four decades in the bodyguard business Alf was on hand during practically every epoch-making and icondefining moment in pop history, becoming a trusted intimate of those he protected. His client list reads like a superstar Who's Who: Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Madonna, Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Stones, Rod Stewart, The Yard Birds, Brian Epstein, Tom Jones, Robbie Williams, U2, Dean Martin, Bruce Springsteen, Barry Manilow and John Denver. Alf sold his thriving company in 2000 and, hanging up his cummerbund, decided to share his experiences and memories of the world's top groups after the lights went down.