Successful Recording Artist/Succesful Producer

Cafe Society
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I’ve been spending a bit of time reflecting on recording artists who have had a good deal of success on their own or as a part of a band who then go on to produce successful albums for other artists. Accordingly, I’ve made a list. My definition of success in this instance is whether the album was one of the artist’s most critically-acclaimed or best-selling works.

I focused on a lot of post-1970’s albums because before then the album wasn’t as big a market in the pop world as it later became (especially at places like Motown, which is why I don’t go into all of Ashford & Simpson’s or Smokey Robinson’s multiple hit-single productions). Also, it seems like record companies became more open to letting musical artists produce and not use the companies’ own producers.

One of the kings of this is Todd Rundgren. Classic albums he has produced:

New York Dolls - New York Dolls
Skylarking - XTC
Bat Out of Hell - Meatloaf
Straight Up - Badfinger (credit shared with George Harrison)
We’re an American Band - Grand funk Railroad

David Bowie has also done quite a bit off this:

Transformer - Lou Reed
All the Young Dudes - Mott the Hoople
Lust for Life - Iggy Pop
Raw Power - The Stooges

Brian Eno, who was a founding member of Roxy Music, is actually probably better known as a producer, but I think he still fits my description:

Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo - Devo
More Songs About Buildings and Food; Fear of Music; Remain in Light - Talking Heads
The Unforgettable Fire; The Joshua Tree; Rattle And Hum; Achtung Baby; Zooropa - U2 (all were collaboartions)

John Cale (of the Velvet Underground):

The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers
Horses - Patti Smith

Ashford & Simpson produced a bunch of classic Motown singles

Diana Ross - Diana Ross (1970) (this had “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “You’re All I Need To Get By,” and “Read Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)”)

Elvis Costello:

The Specials - The Specials
East Side Story - Squeeze (co-produced)

Costello had used Nick Lowe (a successful artist in his own right, both solo and in bands) for his first four critically-acclaimed albums

Chas Chandler, bassist for The Animals, went on to make, I think, a greater musical contribution to the world as Jimi Hendrix’s manager and producer on
Jimi’s first two albums, Are You Experienced? and Axis: Bold as Love.

Nile Rodgers of Chic has done quite a few very big-selling albums:

Let’s Dance - David Bowie
Like a Virgin - Madonna
Diana - Diana Ross (this has “I’m Coming Out” and “Upside Down”)
Notorious - Duran Duran
We Are Family - Sister Sledge
Good Stuff - The B-52’s (has “Love Shack”)

There is a ton of this in hip-hop, more so than I think any other type of music. Kanye West, the Neptunes/N.E.R.D., and Lil Jon are famous recent examples. Missy Elliot, Timbaland, Dr. Dre, P. Diddy, R. Kelly (though he is more R&B influenced by Hip Hop) all have made their mark as recording artists and producers. However, in hip-hop, I see a lot more albums with multiple producers like therw was at Motown.

Go ahead and list any other artists who come to your mind.

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Dave Edmunds, England’s rockabilly king from the late 70s, had a respectable solo career and was in the group Rockpile. He also produced several albums I loved but nobody else seemed to, including kd lang’s Angel with a Lariat and an Everley Brothers reunion album.

I’d consider all of his stuff to be artistically successful, if not financially. Or, as he put it in a song, “I’m A-1 on the jukebox/And nowhere on the charts!”

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Actually I left this bit out, but Edmunds produced one track on Squeeze’s East Side Story. And Elvis Costello, the record’s main producer, was as I mentioned above, produced by Nick Lowe, who was a member of, yup, Rockpile. It’s an incestuous bunch, those British New-Wave/Pub-Rock fellas.

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Steve Albini was already one of the kings of indie rock in the eighties from his work with his seminal band Big Black. He then became the post-punk/indie rock producer (though he prefers “recordist”) of the late eighties and nineties for his work on albums like the Pixies’ “Surfer Rosa,” the Breeders’ “Doe,” The Wedding Present’s “Seamonsters,” and later Nirvana’s “In Utero.” He then started another band, Shellac, which have attained a certain amount of cred on their own.

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Brain no work no more. The Breeders’ Pod.

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Butch Vig produced, among other albums, Nirvana’s Nevermind, and drums for Garbage.

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Quincy Jones, who was a noted trumpet player before an aneurism put a halt to his playing. He was also one of the first black film composers. As far as being a producer, the most obvious is the three big ones from Michael Jackson. He laso produced Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Arethra Franklin and quite a few others.

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A few successful recording artists who became successful producers:

  1. Paul Samwell-Smith was the Yardbirds’ bass player in their glory days. Since then, he’s produced records by Jethro Tull, Carly Simon and Cat Stevens.

  2. Peter Asher For those who don’t know it, he was the Peter in “Peter & Gordon,” who recorded the #1 single “World Without Love.” His sister Jane was dating Paul McCartney at the time, and as a favor to her, he gave that song to Peter & Gordon. After a successful singing career, Asher produced records by James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and Joni Mitchell.

  3. John Cougar Mellencamp has produced a few albums (including a comeback LP by Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels) under the alias “Little Bastard.”

  4. Robert Fripp of King Crimson fame has produced albums by Darryl Hall and the Roches, among others.

  5. Phil Collins produced albums by Eric Clapton, Anna-Frida of Abba, Howard Jones, and Philip Bailey.

  6. Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits produced an album for Bob Dylan.

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Costello also produced one of my all-time favorite albums, Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash by The Pogues.

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I forgot to mention Ric Ocasek of The Cars. He has produced (amongst other things):

Rock for Light - Bad Brains
Weezer - Weezer