THE town of Newent will be taken over by a three-day festival over Easter, celebrating chart-topping record producer Joe Meek, who was born and brought up in Market Square.

Dubbed the greatest music producer ever in an NME poll – ahead of Beatles maestro George Martin – Meek pioneered experimental studio techniques, and oversaw the first ever No 1 by a British group in the US - the 1962 Tornados smash Telstar, over a year before the Fab Four.

Sadly his life ended in tragedy in 1967 aged 37, when suffering mental health issues he shot his landlady dead at his Islington studio and then killed himself.

Meek Mania 2 takes place over Easter from Friday, April 3, to Sunday, April 5.

Widely regarded as the UK’s first truly independent record producer, Meek revolutionised the recording industry by creating million-selling hits from his London flat – challenging the dominance of major studios and redefining what was possible in pop production.

He engineered and produced dozens of chart successes throughout the 1950s and 60s, including UK No 1s Johnny Remember Me (John Leyton), Have I the Right (The Honeycombs), and groundbreaking instrumental Telstar, which he also wrote.

Meek, who is buried in the town cemetery, pioneered space age and experimental pop music, and assisted in the development of overdubbing, sampling and reverberation.

The NME said: “Meek was a complete trailblazer, attempting endless new ideas in his search for the perfect sound. ... The legacy of his endless experimentation is writ large over most of your favourite music today."

He also worked on early recordings by Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, David Bowie, Marc Bolan and Noddy Holder, while his session musicians included Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore and Jimi Hendrix drummer Mitch Mitchell.

Meek Mania 2, marking what would have been his 97th birthday, will feature – live bands, a rock ‘n’ roll disco, exhibitions of his studio equipment, 60s memorabilia and collectables, vintage clothes traders, a guided tour of Newent led by his niece, and an exclusive preview screening of new documentary The Unexpected Return of Mr Meek.

The festival comes amid a resurgence of interest in Meek’s legacy, after thousands of hours of previously unheard recordings – locked away for over 60 years in a tea chest – were discovered.

Mojo magazine hailed the ‘Tea Chest Tapes’ haul as a ‘near-mythical’ archive representing one of the most significant finds in British music history.

Film production company Ginger & Pickles is currently working through the tapes alongside contemporary artists, reassessing Meek’s extraordinary body of work.

Director Russell Caligari said: “Considering the limited resources he had... the sheer quality Joe achieved in these recordings is truly astonishing. His story is one of extreme cultural importance.”

A Joe Meek Society spokesperson said: “Blending nostalgia with new discovery, Meek Mania 2 promises a rare opportunity to explore the story of a visionary who helped shape modern pop production.”

The Saturday live music and exhibition at Newent Memorial Hall and Sunday's walking tour are free.

Tickets for Friday night’s Joe Meek Record Hop at Chamber 22 and the Sunday afternoon documentary screening and director Q&A at Memorial Hall, are available at www.joemeeksociety.co.uk or via Facebook.