Raymond Rossi along with Malcolm McLaren is considered to be one of the founding fathers of the punk revolution of the mid 1970’s. Ray along with Malcolm promoted the infamous gig on the 20th July 1976 at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall that changed the musical landscape forever.

Ray was very well known for his PR skills having designed the poster for the gig Ray had the audacity to put his own band Slaughter and the Dogs as the headline act and the Sex Pistols as support totally leaving The Buzzcocks off the poster.

As Malcolm arrived in Manchester on the Sex Pistols tour bus he was furious to see posters everywhere with Slaughter and the Dogs as headliners yet when he met Ray he applauded him and said it was marketing genius. This gig lead to the book and documentary “I swear I was there” as over 200,000 Mancunians swear they attended the gig.

Ray then got in touch with Tony Wilson, presenter of Granada Reports, founder of Factory Records Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and owner of the legendary Hacienda.

After he had negotiated a deal with Decca records making his band Slaughter and the Dogs the first punk band to sign a major record deal. He told Tony the band were signing their contract outside Wythenshawe dole office as the benefits people had thrown them off the dole believing the band were making a fortune.

They actually got filmed signing the back of Ray’s gas bill as the record contract had gone back to London. Not only did it go out on Granada Reports it went out on national News at Ten.

Ray always had a passion for painting but had little time to concentrate on it due to his successful musical career. Ray has painted numerous pictures for celebrities over the last 4 decades and over the last few years has built up a portfolio of works in his own studio.