The Cutting Edge ― The Story of the Beatles' Hairdresser Who Defined an Era

The Beatles' hair changed the world. As their increasingly wild, untamed manes grew, to the horror of parents everywhere, they set off a cultural revolution as the most tangible symbol of the Sixties' psychedelic dream of peace, love and playful rebellion. In the midst of this epochal change was Leslie Cavendish, hairdresser to the Beatles and some of the greatest stars of the music and entertainment industry.

But just how did a fifteen-year-old Jewish school dropout from an undistinguished North London suburb, with no particular artistic talent or show­business connections, end up literally at the cutting edge of Sixties' fashion in just four years? His story – honest, always entertaining and inspiring – parallels the meteoric rise of the Beatles themselves, and is no less astounding.

Leslie Cavendish was born in East London and grew up in a large Jewish family in Burnt Oak, North London. He was apprenticed to Vidal Sassoon in 1962, becoming a stylist in his own right three years later. He became Paul McCartney's private hair-dresser in 1966, and soon began to work on the image of all four Beatles, at the Apple offices and in their recording studios, and was even invited along as a friend and participant on the Magical Mystery Tour. In 1967, he opened his own salon, backed by Apple and the Beatles, at 161 King's Road, Chelsea.

After the official breakup of the Beatles, Leslie closed his salon and ran a clothing boutique in South London, while remaining a freelance hairdresser. In 1978, he entered the family footwear business and remained there until 1998 before moving to Spain. He now works for a major charity but also conducts occasional “VIP Beatles Tours” of London, lectures on the Beatles and Sixties culture, and consults with the Beatles Fan Club. Leslie has two sons and divides his time between Britain and Spain. This is his first book.