Herbert Currington Ridout (1881 – 11 October 1948) was a British journalist, editor, and short story writer. He was head of publicity for the British branch of Columbia Records, wrote for The Gramophone, and claimed to have invented the idea of gramophone record sleeve notes. He is credited on the label of a number of recordings held by archives but his exact involvement in their creation is unclear. His series of articles for The Gramophone titled "Behind the Needle" (1940–43), has become a primary source for the early history of recorded music in Britain. In later life he was a radio broadcaster for the BBC and an organiser for the Music Industries Council.