The first artist of note I ever had the opportunity to produce was Billy Paul. Most of you will know the name from a huge hit he had in the early 70s titled Me And Mrs. Jones. It was nearly 15 years later when I was offered the chance to work with him on a record. That experience is another chapter all together. Several chapters actually! For our purposes here, I’d like to focus on a particular live performance the band I was with at the time did with him.

Since he was to be in Atlanta for pre-production…Read more

In the music industry, production is a fascinating area. The job description has not evolved that much since the early days. The tools change, but you still need to be parts musician, engineer, diplomat, psychiatrist, best friend, mother, father, nursemaid, babysitter, sounding board, whipping post, gopher, drug dealer, rehab sponsor, dinner partner, and whatever whim comes to an artist’s mind. And that’s on a good day!! Then you have to balance all this with what the record label side wants and expects.…Read more

The year was 1990. Curtis had a new record out and though it was not the huge hit we all had hoped for, it resulted in more work for him, not only abroad but in the US as well. Until this release, Curtis’ gigs in the US were few and far between as a headliner. When he did play a show at home, it was usually part of some package with The Impressions and or Jerry Butler. Now he was appearing on Letterman, The David Sanborn Show and performing more and more gigs in the states as a solo artist again. He was on…Read more

So I’m hanging backstage at London’s prestigious Towne & Country where we are about to do a show. Now one thing about playing with a high profile artist like Curtis Mayfield is, you never know whom you will meet or what situations might arise.

On this particular night, a young guy with rather bushy red hair comes backstage and is gushing over Curtis. He is going on and on about how he grew up listening to Curtis and how he is his idol. Not a particularly unusual sight but this was a famous artist in his…Read more

During my tenure at Ichiban Records I had several job titles. The main two were staff producer and studio manager. When I wasn’t busy working on a project with an artist of mine, I was responsible for over seeing the day-to-day operations of the studio. Things like, booking time for the artists, scheduling the engineers, deciding who worked what sessions, ordering tape and other supplies (yes I said tape…this was the 90s) and just making sure things ran relatively smooth.

In addition to the day-to-day…Read more