Hepworth was born in Dewsbury, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He attended the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Wakefield and Trent Park College of Education, before studying Drama and Education at Middlesex Polytechnic (now Middlesex University), where he graduated in 1972. Before entering journalism he worked for HMV and Beserkley Records.
Hepworth began his journalism career writing for NME and Sounds. He joined Smash Hits at its launch in 1979, and within two years had turned the magazine around financially and become its editor. The publication became one of the most popular music titles in the UK during the 1980s, largely shaped by the editorial approach Hepworth developed alongside Mark Ellen.
His track record of launching successful titles is extensive. He founded Just Seventeen in 1983, Looks in 1984, Q in 1986, More in 1987, Empire in 1988, Mojo in 1993, Heat in 1999, and The Word in 2003. He also served as director of the independent publishing company Development Hell, which he sold to the EMAP group (now Ascential) in 2006.
Hepworth has written for The Guardian and for the UK trade publication InPublishing. In the 1990s he was a regular presenter on BBC GLR 94.9, the BBC's rock station for London.
During the 1980s Hepworth worked for BBC Television, co-presenting the music series The Old Grey Whistle Test alongside Mark Ellen. He also co-presented the BBC's broadcast of the Live Aid concert from Wembley Stadium in 1985 — the broadcast during which presenter Bob Geldof swore on air. Hepworth was the presenter Geldof addressed during that moment.
Following the sale of Development Hell, Hepworth focused on music books and the Word In Your Ear series of podcasts and live events produced with Mark Ellen. His books include studies of individual years, studios, cultural eras, and the music industry more broadly.
In 2021, his book 1971 — Never a Dull Moment: Rock's Golden Year was adapted by Oscar and BAFTA-winning director Asif Kapadia into the Apple TV+ documentary mini-series 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything.
In December 2023, Hepworth was a member of the Middlesex University team that participated in the BBC's Christmas University Challenge. The team defeated Corpus Christi College, Oxford, by 175 points to 80 in the final.
Hope I Get Old Before I Die (Bantam, 2024)
Abbey Road: The Inside Story of the World's Most Famous Recording Studio (Bantam, 2022)
Overpaid, Oversexed and Over There (Bantam, 2020)
A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives (Bantam, 2019)
Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars (Bantam, 2017)
1971 — Never a Dull Moment: Rock's Golden Year (Bantam, 2016)
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