Kim Fowley
Kim Fowley ( born July 21, 1939) is an American record producer, songwriter and musician. His father is the Hollywood actor Douglas Fowley ( Singin 'in the Rain ).
His career in the music industry is as changeable as long. Commercial success came to him usually failed, perhaps his best-known product is the women's punk band The Runaways ( with Joan Jett and Lita Ford), which he managed in the 1970s.
In the 1960s, Fowley produced and wrote hundreds of songs from various styles, including Bubblegum, Girl Group, folk, country and psychedelic rock. His three greatest successes as a producer were Alley Oop by The Hollywood Argyles ( # 1 on the U.S. charts in 1960 ); Nut Rocker by B. Bumble & the Stingers (No. 1 in the UK in 1962 ) and Popsicles and Icicles by The Murmaids, 3rd place in the USA in 1963.
For a time in London, where he worked with the then unknown artists Cat Stevens, a preform of Slade called The N'Betweens, Soft Machine ( he produced her first single ) and the Lancasters ( with Ritchie Blackmore ) worked the mid- 60s lived Fowley. In 1965 he wrote The Trip probably the first rock song about a psychedelic experience with LSD. The single was largely ignored in the U.S., but was a minor hit in Europe and one of the first releases of the label Iceland Records. In 1966 he produced the novelty hit They're Coming to Take Me Away Ha - Haaa! by Napoleon XIV He is one of the guest musicians ( on megaphone ) to Frank Zappa's first plate Freak Out!. In 1967 he changed the name of Roger Chapman's band of Roaring Sixties in Family.
1969 produced Fowley I'm Back and I'm Proud, the critically-acclaimed comeback album of Gene Vincent, as well as the debut album by Warren Zevon. Between 1969 and 1971 he co-wrote with his friend Skip Battin, the former bassist of The Byrds, with some of the songs with that were released on the albums Untitled ( 1970) and Farther Along (1971). One of the songs, America 's Great National Pastime, was even released as a single, his Americana - impact, however, came to no good.
He wrote songs for such diverse artists as KISS, Helen Reddy, Slade, Alice Cooper, Leon Russell and Kris Kristofferson. Together with John Cale, he produced the debut album of the cult band The Modern Lovers.
His solo albums have sold consistently bad, but albums like I'm Bad and International Heroes are considered pioneers of punk rock. Some of his New Wave recordings of the late 70s called the forerunner of the electroclash genre.
Today Fowley lives in California and continues to work as a producer. Steven Van Zandt invited him to 2005, alongside Joan Jett, Andrew Loog Oldham participate (ex - manager and producer of the Rolling Stones) and the other at his radio station Underground Garage. Fowley presented every Saturday and Sunday, a 4- hour program.
Of Fowley produced recordings (selection)
Weblink
- Official website
- MySpace
Source
- Joel Whitburn: The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits
- Music producer
- Songwriter
- American musician
- Born in 1939
- Man