Secunda was born in
Epsom,
Surrey. The latter referred to Secunda's most controversial stunt, in which a
cartoon postcard promoting the band's 1967 single, "
Flowers in the Rain", featured a libellous drawing of Wilson, who was the Prime Minister at the time. Wilson sued the band and management. Wilson won the case and as part of the settlement the band had to relinquish all
royalties in respect of the
record to a charity of Wilson's choice – a ruling which they tried unsuccessfully to overturn after Wilson's death in 1995. The Move were unnerved by the experience, and fired Secunda as their manager shortly afterwards.
Steeleye Span,
Motörhead, and
Marianne Faithfull; the latter a short run experience which ended with a cash payoff, after Faithfull decided his management style was not suited to her needs. Secunda discovered
Chrissie Hynde and placed her on a retainer, so she could leave her day job and concentrate on writing music. In the mid 1980s, Secunda moved to
San Anselmo, California, where he remained active in
music publishing and promotion, and developed an interest in the ecology and green issues. He started a literary agency in
Tiburon, California, publishing the biographies of bands and musicians, where he died of a heart attack on 12 February 1995, at the age of 54. ==References==