Last year I ended with a musician/producer, this year I’m kicking off with another who has had a great amount of influence on popular music for 40-plus years.
Tony was born and raised in New York as per the usual stereotype of Italian-Americans. He had a great affinity for music so he played multiple instruments and bands throughout his time in school. When he finished high school, Tony pursued music full time and landed a job as the in-house producer at a music publisher.
The big break happened around 1968 when Tony met British producer Denny Cordell. Denny asked Tony to assist on some jazz recordings but it would require coming to London. Unless you’ve never listened a David Bowie or T Rex song, you should know the rest of the story. The relocation made him one of the most influential record producers in Western Pop/Rock music. He’s practically a permanent fixture in Bowie’s catalog (10 albums).
Other favorites he produced are listed below:
- Vive Le Rock – Adam Ant
- The No Comprendo – Les Rita Mitsouko
- In the Meantime – Railway Children
- Electric Warrior – T Rex
- Plagarism – Sparks
- Glow – Richard Barone
- The Future is Medieval – Kaiser Chiefs
- Electric Honey – Luscious Jackson
- Everyone is Here – Finn Brothers
A few years ago, he published an autobiography which I will probably get around to reading after another 100 books I want are finished.