Few people in Britain have not heard of the Kray twins, the infamous East End gangsters who murdered in cold blood with barely a backward glance. And more than 30 books, hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles, a blockbuster movie, and the spectacular funerals that brought the East End to a standstill, have ensured that the twins' fearsome reputation lives on.
But what did Ronnie and Reggie sound like? Did their voices match the terrifying violence that made them part of criminal folklore? One man who knows is writer Robin McGibbon. He collaborated with the twins' elder brother, Charlie, on his autobiography, Me and My Brothers, and was a trusted friend and confidant of Ronnie and Reggie for more than ten years.
McGibbon is the only journalist with all the Krays on tape – Reggie on the phone from prison, Ronnie in Broadmoor, and Charlie reliving his life for his book.
Now, on this sensational three-hour CD, you can hear, for the first time, all three brothers talking openly as the public have never heard them talk before.
RONNIE revealing the truth about his sexualtity...the reason he murdered George Cornell...the villain he hated most...
REGGIE describing how he coped behind bars...his philospohy of life...his hatred for Myra Hindley..
CHARLIE telling how Reggie tried to kill himself....how Ronnie battled against madness...when and how the twins' legend began.
Robin McGibbon's interview with Ronnie in Broadmoor took place in May 1989 when the twins were keen to collaborate on a TV programme about their lives. The conversations with Reggie were on the phone in 1994 when Reggie was in Blundeston Prison, in Suffolk. The tape recordings of Charlie were made early in 1988 when he and McGibbon were working on Charlie's autobiography, Me and My Brothers.
McGibbon never thought of making the recordings public until he played Ronnie's interview to a close friend last year and was astonished by the look of fascination on his friend's face.
Accompanying the 3xCD Boxset is an eight page booklet featuring copies of hand written letters including a copy of Reggie's letter to a Sunday newspaper about child killer Myra Hindley and previously unseen photographs and selected press clippings.
These recordings have been painstakingly catalogued, cleaned and digitalised over many months from the original audio cassette tapes. Whilst we have removed many of the audio problems and digitally enhanced the quality, we have retained the principle vocals and ambience recorded at the time. We have endeavoured to improve clarity were possible and have not edited or altered the original conversations in any way what so ever.